Giving Carvings for Charity Auction

[Greenbean7]

Last year I was asked to give a carving for a charity auction, good cause, it supports our local Hospice care facility.

I donated a bark elf carving and they got $100 for it. I was pleased as I donated the carving and at that point I figured if they got $10 than that was $10 for Hospice.

They have asked me to donate again and the same question has arisen regarding tax and pricing the carving. They want to know what the carving is worth for their records and frankly I don't have a clue.

I am donating two egg birds and two 3" snowmen. My feeling is they aren't worth enough to bother with claiming the deduction on my taxes!

The way I was told to price my work was to figure out the cost of materials and then add 10 cents an hour for the labor! Sounds about right!

Thanks,
Greenbean

[BobD]

Greenbean,
Don't sell yourself short! Pick an honest hourly wage and factor in the cost of materials. Hospice isn't buying it from you; you're donating it. So tell them what it's worth! It may help them in the long run because at the auctioneer may be able to say a carving by "xx" worth $zz...and it may bring the price up more! If you take the standard deduction, it won't affect your taxes, but if you itemize, your donation is a tax write-off!

All financial concerns aside, it is about accepting, yourself, that you are an artist, and deserve credit for your art.


Bob

[Greenbean7]

Thank you, Bob. Lack of confidence in my work has always been a problem even when I sold a few oil paintings years ago I was told they were undervalued. I have to work on that!

I did feel confident enough to teach a small class at a roundevous I went to earlier this month. It went fairly well and I volunteered for another one next year. I taught one on carving the birds out of basswood eggs. I only had three people but that was enough for my first time. Next year I will do a snowman which is also very easy and good for beginners. I found the first couple years I went to the roundevous that I was really intimidated by some of the projects! I learned a lot though!

Thanks again

[Lightningbolt]

First, thank's for donating to hospice. I didn't know that such a thing existed... until my dad was given only a few more weeks to live from prostate cancer about ten years ago. Those people became a part of our own family and ensured that my dad passed on at home with us and with full dignity intact. We will always be grateful to hospice and my mom has since become a volunteer with them.

As for pricing, I strongly agree that you shouldn't cut yourself short but in the end it's something that only you can decide. My own price range varies from "free" to hundred's of $$. Personally, I just wasn't cut out for marketing and I hate sitting in a craft show or the such all day for day's on end just trying to sell my stuff. I have to rent a space, interact with the public for 10 or 12 hours a day then do it again tomorrow. Some folks thrive on this kind of thing but it's definitely not for me.

Therefore, most of my sales now come from "word of mouth" and I can charge a LOT less since my precious marketing time is cut out and I don't have to pay a craft show fee. Over time I have been able to determine a fair price for my work, such as woodspirit walking sticks:

• Basic generic woodspirit is usually in the $30.00 range. Usually takes me a full hour (+-) to completely finish a painted stick with a leather wrist strap. Granted, there is some time involved with gathering the sticks from the forrest but I can bring back quite a haul from a morning harvest so there's a little time there.
• Most folk's like more than just a woodspirit on their stick and a line of 5 different types of animal tracks painted and labeled below the woodspirit with usually bring it up to $35.00. If I'm carving a more 3-D bald-headed woodspirit on top of the stick which is a little more involved then I'd have to get $40.00 for that stick. Detailed Indian faces are a little more involved so I'd have to add a little more for that.
• Custom sticks can run a little more since they usually require more research and pattern development.

If I had to spend weekends marketing my work or paying website hosting fee for advertisement then you can bet that I'd have to double or triple my prices. I have made some good pocket money on the side from carving and it's amazing how word of mouth can develop a steady stream of customer's over the year's. I don't look for them... they find me and that's what works best for me.

I know that my prices are very fair for this region of the country because they sell. I have also seen similar quality work for sale in Asheville around the $80.00 range but those artist's have a middleman involved who has to pay rent, run air conditioning, etc. etc.

Just start keeping up with the time involved in making something and then consider how much time that is going into your chosen marketing method to determine a fair price. After many years of selling I have also gotten much more comfortable in pricing my work at a fair rate. Good luck!

[bbowers]

I agree that you should not under price the piece. As long as it is under $500 you can use your best estimate of fair market value. Anything over that amount requires an appraisal. Many times the value is not just a potential itemized deduction for you, but the non-profit likes to tally up the value of their auction potential - so don't cheat you or them!
I've donated a couple of carvings & it is a great way to help out perhaps in a larger way than writing a check. Anything to help out & it's fun to carve knowing it is for a great cause.

Barry

[Tom-H]

Barry, I totally agree with you on setting the value of a carving. However, you mentioned that an appraisal is required for a piece over $500. I would suggest that if anyone plans on making it a practice, to donate a piece for charity auction or sale, get an appraisal. There are two groups that I annually donate a Noahs Ark with 20 sets of animals to. I should probably have an Ark appraised, since I donate nearly the same, twice a year. But who does such an appraisal?

Tom H

[Lynn O. Doughty]

I've donated lots of carvings over the years to various causes and benefits. One thing that always worries me though is that once I hand over the carving I've lost complete control of the price it brings. Sure I could specify a required opening bid but that is not really charity is it? In giving a carving I hope, no, I pray that it doesn't sell to cheap so that it reflects on those who collect my pieces. I honestly think that if I was pretty sure that the donated piece would undersell what I normally charge I would just give them the normal sell price and keep the carving.

Years ago I donated a really nice carving of a busted up Bronc Rider to the Rodeo Historical Society which is associated with the Cowboy Hall of Fame in OKC. It was a big thrill for me and my wife as we were invited to the big yearly banquet held in the Hall. Rubbing elbows with the rich and famous was really fun. Their auction contained all sorts of really fabulous things and my little carving was almost lost among them up on the stage. One thing I learned real quick was that those Rodeo people are really cheap! A hand made saddle went for less than $500 and a lot of other things went for almost nothing. When my piece was finally picked up I sat there literally shaking from nerves and worry that a carving by some unknown yokel from eastern Oklahoma wouldn't even receive a bid. Finally someone raised their hand, then another and then another until it reached the price I would have charged and then, after a couple more bids it stopped. I was really proud and I reproached myself for saying they were cheap! They might not appreciate good leatherwork but they sure knew their woodcarvings!!!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

If you are concerned about it, you can always carve something out of the ordinary for you and sign a nom de plume

[Eddy-Smiles]

What Dave said.... Don't be afraid to value your work. Your time is certainly worth a lot more than you think.

[Joy]

Greenman, I don't know a thing about pricing carvings. But I just noticed the saying after your signature, "Stop and smell the puppies". What a warm fuzzy feeling and big smile you brought to my evening. It has been years since I thought about how good puppies smell. Thanks for the reminder.
Joy