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Charitable Donations of Jewelry

by Cheryl Smith.
(Coral Coast Region, Queensland, Australia)

There was a time in my life when I was striving for recognition as a glass artist.

Money was limited because I was gathering equipment and supplies, with much of my work being experimental and bringing little financial return.

In those days I would always give to worthwhile charities but my donation usually consisted of the loose change in my purse.

Times have changed and I now run a very successful Dichroic Glass Jewellery manufacturing business.

I have also come to the attention of fundraising organizers who request items from my studio to be raffled or auctioned with the proceeds going to their charity.

This arrangement suits me because my name appears on Raffle Tickets and posters advertising an auction.

It also suits the charity because the cash return is only limited by the number of tickets sold or the enthusiasm of bidders at an auction.

An example of this is the auction of a pendant (pictured above) by the Leukemia Foundation on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

When the hammer fell after spirited bidding by several admirers of my work, the item sold for One Thousand Dollars which did wonders for my confidence.

Cheryl Smith
Inspired Dichroics blog
Fusion Glass Studio on etsy

 

Comments:

beautiful-inside and out
by: pat barden

your work is beautiful–enchanting and mezmerizing–as is you making a kind donation as that–and for that piece to bring in so much–wonderful. ilike donating–what my pieces have brought in for the charities icare for, pales in comparison to what your piece just brought in–ifind, financially, its better for me, selfish as that may seem–id be lucky to have 20 bucks to spare–but iffing ican donate a piece, and a charity can get $75 for it–thats over three times my 20 bucks, eh?

That is Awesome!
by: Tara Hutchinson

Your glass work is amazing! Your confidence should be through the roof as it is, but I understand what you are talking about. When times are slow in my shop I occasionally look for a worthy cause to donate a piece of jewelry to. In March of this year I found out a piece I donated to a Houston childrens charity was sold for $400, which was amazing, as it was valued at $200.

I think it is very good of you to do things like this, and every jewelry artist should find it in themselves to locate a local charity to donate a piece to. I have a Google Alert set up for the type of charity event I am interested in, or the location, then I automatically get emails when there is news on the internet that fits in my parameters. I send them an email, and ask them if I could donate a piece of jewelry valued at $XXX.XX for the event. I have always received an enthusiastic YES!

Keep up the good work!

Tara Hutchinson
Owner/Designer
Tara Hutch Jewelry Designs
TaraHutchJewelry.etsy.com
TaraHutchJewelryBlog.com

Charitible Donations of Jewelry
by: Sarah

Hi Cheryl,
Congratulations on the auction. Your work is beautiful and the pendant is outstanding!

Presently,I work with 4 charitable organizations designing jewelry for them and donating a portion of the proceeds to their organization..

I find it to be very rewarding to help with a specific cause and I receive a great deal of positive feedback from customers that I have sold these pieces to.

Keep up your great work!
Best wishes,
Sarah Barnes
www.sarahdipiti.com
www.sarahdipiti.blogspot.com

Spreading positive seeds
by: Maria Hansford

My mother in law is an Alzheimer patient so this year I designed The Forget me not necklace, in her memory. I donated this necklace to the local Alzheimer Society. It was one of the door prizes at the Walk for Memory held Guelph Ontario last January.
I strongly believe in spreading positive seeds around us.
Great job with your beautiful creations!
www.thetreasurechest.ca

Beautiful work
by: Annette

Gorgeous pendant and what worthy recognition for it! I too donate regularly to local charities and the goodwill and free promotion I get back is wonderful!

pay it forward
by: Here Today Beadworks

I really enjoy donating my necklaces to charity auctions. It allows me to donate much more than I could afford if I gave cash, and it is way more fun. The advertizing is nice, although I don’t think I have gotten any business from any of the auctions I have donated too. I will still continue to do them though, as it is my way to give of myself and pay it forward. 🙂

Charities are a great way to put your name out
by: Mahala

I have been donating baskets of my handmade jewelry for years. My baskets are generally donated as a raffle or auction item to generate revenue for the cause. I am always glad to help and felt it was an excellent marketing tool, but I started to wonder if my donations were really doing anything to expand my business.
I was out with friends last week and was wearing one of my newest pieces, which I received compliments from almost everyone I encountered, even the men… then someone asked me if I was “the one” who makes all the beautiful jewelry that is auctioned off at the local charities (my close friend is the organizer and administrator for many charities in our local area so I know I am the only one who donates jewelry). I was honored… and realized that not only am I helping others, but I am also making a name for myself in the local charity circuit.

Donating Jewelry to Good Causes
by: Rena

It’s so great to hear everyone’s positive experiences with donating jewelry to charitable causes. Thank you all for sharing!

(You know I love good news, happy endings, and win-win situations!) :o)

I too have donated jewelry to various charity auctions and other events over the years, and I agree that it can be good exposure – as well as good Karma that comes back to you.

And of course, it also feels great to be able to use your artistry to make a positive difference in the world.

And as Pat said, often the sale of your jewelry brings the charity more money than the amount you could have donated in cash, so that’s a really great way to help the cause.

I discovered that if you can theme your jewelry donation to the theme of the charity event, or to an upcoming holiday, your jewelry has a good chance of getting a lot of bids.

I donated a pair of red heart earrings to a charity auction that took place the day before Valentine’s Day, and the final bid on them was many times what I would normally charge for those earrings.

I didn’t attend that auction, but at a jewelry show the following weekend, several people mentioned the auction of my heart earrings when they came by my booth. And because those earrings had brought a nice donation to the charity, I unexpectedly wound up with several big jewelry sales to folks who had attended the auction and appreciated my donation.

Anyway, great to hear everyone’s jewelry donation success stories here! Keep doing your beautiful work!