Charity Auctions are an Artist/Craftsman Scam
spalted pecan bowl
I've had bad experiences with charity auctions so prepare yourself. This is going to be a rant. But at the end I'll offer a solution. Hopefully you'll disagree and offer a better idea.
Over the years I've participated in lots of charity auctions. It normally works like this. You're contacted by a school, church, club, organization or whatnot asking for a donation of your work for their fundraiser (auction). And because you've participated with that group in some manner you're guilted into said donation. I've also been pried with the "good exposure", "future sales", "tax right-off", and such reasoning to donate as an added bonus.
At the auction your work is sitting next to baked goods, mutli-media art (repurposed junk), student paintings, etc.... Or perhaps it's with a selection of manufactured goods. Best case scenario it's with other professional artwork. No matter, it's a highlight and you'll recieve praise for skill and effort. Then it'll sell for pennies on the dollar of its retail value busting whatever esteem that praise earned.
That sale price is due to the fact that the audience of such auctions aren't your target audience. Or they are, and want a deal.
Lets say that item is a turned offset sculpture made from a highly figured piece of spalted maple that you harvested and dried over years. Something you'd sell at a tent market for $300 or a gallery for $500. You're a working artist so that's a oouple days effort plus the expertise, education, and monetary value you've invested into the workshop. A sizeable contribution. And the charity earned slave wages in return.
And to be a further cynic, the follow up customers are going to expect that they can buy your future effort at thos slave wages valuation. "I got this box at _ auction and would like another. --- It'll be how much? --- But I only paid $20 for it at the auction, can you do another at that price." It's happened time and time again.
I'm not sure these auctioneers realize but they're opperating on the priniple of a black markets. Obtain stuff for free, sell it at a specific time and place for whatever it'll get at that time. Repeat.
So I've come to specific question of groups that approach me.
- whose your target audience
- how many people showed up to bid in last like auction
- what multiple of the retail price do items normally sell
If the numbers or audience don't add up my follow up question is, "how much can I pay you not to participate." That'll generally earn the charity more money and cost me less. I have yet to be approahed by a valid aution and usually they feel insulted enough to not give me a dollar amount. I don't feel bad because they dodn't realize the type of scam they're running.
I am hoping someday to be approached by a real valid auction because after turning down a school auction yesterday I thought of they way I'd like to approach it.
My donation comes with the stipulation that my effort is reflected in what you recieve. So if the piece which I sell for $300 from a tent and galleries sell for $500, doesn't return twice its value ($600) then you owe back to me the difference. I.E. if you sell it for $600 you keep all $600. If it sells for $550 then you'll earn $500 because you're giving me back $50.
If it sells for $300 they your effort earns nothing because you're giving me back all $300. Because that means you did not do your part of the equation and put in the right type of effort promoting the event and attracting the audience that both wants to support your group and buy my art. If you're gonna run a charity event then run a charity EVENT.
To me this arrangement turns the whole relationship into a partnership and puts value on both our efforts towards helping the group. Am I wrong?
And we won't talke about what happens when you sell it for $25 which is what black market theives do for a quick buck.