Free Charity Face Painting???

I did two charities this past weekend. Normally I hate to tell others how much to charge, or say you should not paint for free. Painting free for charities is how I got started. Doing it the right way got me a TON of paid bookings. It is my way of tithing. I heard Gary Cole say something like, "Would you rather be baking cookies for the church bake sale, or painting, as your way to give back?" Made good sense to me.

HOWEVER, I am OVER doing it like I used to!!! @#$%^&* When I paint at an event like that, suddenly a huge crowd appears. Talk about PARENTS BEHAVING BADLY. At a church function last year they were tryng to crawl in windows after I closed the line down. Another time, we has to call in security!! Too often I was out in 100 heat in the hot sun, off in corner to fend for myself with 200 angry parents: WHY WON'T YOU PAINT MY CHILD!!! THEY SAID WE WOULD GET FREE FACE PAINTING!!!

Yeah, only one of me, and 200 of you, and I am here for two hours!! HELP!

No more.

Now, when they call to ask if I will donate my time, and it is something my heart wants to help with, I say yes BUT ....

I will only do it if they make my area into a Fund Raiser for the Cause. I will charge from $5 - $20 a face, 100 percent of which goes to the Cause. They must supply a tent with sides, a burly assistant to take money and beat the crowd back, tables and chairs. Also, I cannot be set up close to the DJ or band.

Last weekend I brought in $200 for the MS Walk, and $400 for Ronald McDonald House.

By charging, I no longer need to deal with a huge line. It tends to be nicely manageable, by the CAUSE personnel. Lilly gets to happily do what I love to do - paint!

I find that I am now a VALUED member of their team. Not the freebie person who gets stuck in the hot sun fending off the angry people. Instead, "Oh Lilly, can we get you a nice cold drink?" "Lilly, is your chair comfortable?" "Lilly, you are just the most wonderful, of all wonderful...." gush, gush, gush.

I am doing what I love, getting treated like a visisting celebrity, and passing out my cards like mad.

But, that is all really beside the point. At the Ronald McDonald House event, I was doing the lady who brought me in. Karina (the other painter who volunteered, was doing her dauther). I asked the Mom how she got involved. Her daughter was given was injection, which reacted badly and turned her into a parapagelic, and kept her close to death. Now the family was a long way from home, facing months of hospital stays. The Ronald McDonald House people stepped in and took care of them. (The daughter did get MUCH better, and now walks and even dances). So, the Mom, the daughter and the whole family now helps with these events ...

And so do I

- Lilly Walters, 909-398-1228
Face and Body Painting http://www.funfacepainting.com

Follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84188074588&ref=ts

Books and Face Painting Classes http://www.funfacepainting.com/book.html

That's how I've always dealt with charity events for face painting/henna (performing I handle differently). Though I provide my own "stuff" -shelter, tables, chairs and burly man because I have a set-up I like and am used to- I agree it is so much easier and respectful. The charity also makes out better because they are getting additional funds that they'd not have gotten previously.

I pick and choose which ones I will paint at (Camp Good Days is a big one here), because a lot do come knocking.

And I have a soft spot for Ronald McDonald House as they took good care of my Gran when my Gramp was hospitalized for double lung cancer in a city over an hour from her home. They are amazing.

Ronald McDonald House, is just an amazing place. I paint the kids there, but haven't been asked for another event. I think I am gonna pull some of your guidelines for myself Lilly. I can be a pushover for charity, but I am only one person. I have done a few, I charge and you get a certain percentage, which worked pretty well.

Lily, sounds like you have hit on a perfect balance, donating and doing it your way! Kudos to you!

I charge as well and then donate a percentage
I do donate for free for two personal charities that treat me very well

Lilly I have to say i agree with you! I have done a bunch of events for American Cancer Society and when it was free painting it got ugly. I was undervalued and unappreciated. I now only do the events if I am charging per face. I donate 100% of the proceeds, my time and the paints. I do this because It's a very dear charity to me. They helped a great deal when I got diagnosed 5 years ago with stage3 t4 colon cancer ( i beat it but chemo has made me fully disabled)and they have even given my son a scholarship for College So I try to pay it forward a little.
This weekend I did a Relay for life event and was told I would be the only face painter... I wasn't there at least 4 other people there painting (@ A DOLLAR DONATION..ugh)
Actually I was very busy all day and did raise quite a bit for the event,BUT..
here were the bad parts.. they did not provide what they were supposed to ..i.e. tent, tables chairs. They also gave me an assistant(not) a 15 year old girl(one of the event leader's daughter) who they told that she could paint with MY PAINTS. Well I felt bad here was this young budding artist who really wanted to learn(I also teach art to local kids since the schools here have cut back on all nonessential programs) but it was not appropriate for them to assume that this was okay.
B etween a rock and a hard place I approached her mother and told her that it was fine that her daughter spent the day with me but,I did not bring my practice paints so they could either have someone run to Micheal's (right down the street) and buy some snaz paints(they did ) I knew they carried or she would just have to do line management but that she could not use my paints. I felt bad saying this but I felt I was justified. I have also told the area event coordinator that I will no longer do any events that I don't have in writing what they are to provide for me. Again I felt bad but I went through the whole day with every person at the event saying that the tent and other items were coming. I was stuck all day with folding chairs and a card table and a long line of kids. If they had told me earlier I could have brought my own set-up, but i was told they would supply everything. I have done dozens of these events and never had a problem before. Needless to say it was a very difficult day and I am stuck in bed recuperating today and for i don't know how many more days.
So I guess what I am trying to say is double check everything, set your rules up ahead of time and ALWAYS make sure you have everything you need to be comfortable no matter what they say!!

Even if you double, and trible check everything, @#$%^& still goes wrong :::sigh:::: Sorry, reliving last weekend and the live band 10 feet from us!!

Still, we are better off putting it all in writting, and getting them to agree. At least LESS goes wrong.

BTW, when they want to have someone use my materials, or a stranger be a part of my "team," I always say, "I am so sorry!! But I have to carry $2,000,000 in liability insurance. If I let you paint with me, neither of us would be covered. I just can't put both of us at risk."

That handy stretching of truth gets them to back right off, and gets me out of all kinds of ackward siutations.

- Lilly Walters, 909-398-1228
Face and Body Painting http://www.funfacepainting.com
Follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84188074588&ref=ts
Books and Face Painting Classes http://www.funfacepainting.com/book.html

Great advice Lilly, I will def. use this. Doing these high end charity events really puts us in front of the crowds who will hire us-people who have extra money in their pockets to give to charity. I know it may sound crass, but those with the extra income to dig deep to help out just have the extra money to hire, well the extras.

I cringe when I read posts about those hoping to get business from things like Chic Fil a's free kids night. These people are their for all the freebies they can get. The won't pay you or tip you and they just don't have the extra cash to hire us at $80-125 per hour. Harsh reality, but so true.

But it does happen on a super rare occation, but nine times out of 10, I am hired by those who have seen me at a full price paid event. Our services are just so more valued when we charge and get paid what we are worth.

Now I have the groups find some one to sponsor me to be there, and then I accept donations to give back to the charity. Saturday's are my main day to work, and the main day that these charity events happen. If I give up a $200 job to do a charity event, not only am I working for free, but I am basically paying $200 to do it.
I do have two exceptions each year for orgs I just donate my time and collect tips to donate back too. I also donate time during the week.
I like how you charge pretty high prices for the face painting Lilly. That puts a lot more value on your work, and it brings in A LOT more money for the org!

I pick two charity events a year that I will do. I just recently did one where yes I did donate my time and materials, but I did have a tip jar. The Event was a fundraiser for Japan crisis. The people that came in support tipped very very well.

Any other requests from charitites are definitely paid. I do like the idea as being booked as "part of the cause" good opportunity to get free publicity/advertisments.