No idea what to do..

[joeandrews]

So I have been approached on Flickr for a photo from a water company in CA. Seems they want a photo of mine for a children's book. Not really sure what direction to take my response. I am inclined to believe that the company is not looking to compensate as I am understanding that the book is a non profit project to educate children on "water" and its sources.. Any thoughts here would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks-

They have money to print it, they have money to pay you.

[chele_arts_and_designs]

Technically non-profit means that all the profits are to be return for the growth of the business/ project and that nobody working in that business/ project can take a bonus or a raise if they get more money in (I worked for years in non-profit professional theatre). and non-profit business/project usually have a board of directory that aren't paid. But they still usually have some funds either from government subventions or through charity donations.

You need to figure a price list, lets say 75$ for a photo
40$ for non-profit (they usually have some money)
25$ for Charities/ educational purpose.

That's just random numbers, but make it sound like your confident and that your cutting them a deal for investing in the future of our children. If they happen to not have any money, ask for a tax credit for the full price of the photograph as you donate for a charity.

This is probably what i'd do, hope it helps

I've worked for a "non-profit" for the past 5 years and YES they do have money. Don't let them try and fool you. They all have budgets for payroll and yes, for advertising.

They have money to pay you... Don't let them pull the "Oh, we are just a poor non-profit with no money" routine... it's bull.

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by maxharvard

I've worked for a "non-profit" for the past 5 years and YES they do have money. Don't let them try and fool you. They all have budgets for payroll and yes, for advertising.

They have money to pay you... Don't let them pull the "Oh, we are just a poor non-profit with no money" routine... it's bull.

+1. I used to work in the HR/Payroll Dept. of a non-profit organization. They could afford to pay their president well over $100,000 a year.

[BCampbell]

Definitely ask for compensation. Sometimes you can get away with asking what their budget for photography is, but for one photo, that's not really the right way to go.

Ask what kind of rights they'll want. You will not be selling them ownership of the photo, and you will not be licensing them exclusive rights. Those are two things that can raise your price. Figure out the usage, and you'll have somewhere to start. Don't try to sound like a lawyer, unless you are one.

Here is a really good place to start for understanding licensing:
Licensing Guide | American Society of Media Photographers

I get hit up by non-profits all the time for business, and actually have a different strategy.

Don't charge them, but make it a "gift-in-kind" donation.

Reason: You could say "I want $1000." and they'll say no and you never hear from them again. You could say "I want $200", and they might accept, or they might decline." You say "The value of what you are asking is $1000...are you willing to give me a "gift-in-kind" reciept for $1000 in exchange for the photo" and most will say yes every time.

A "gift-in-kind" is a charitable donation, so you can write it off your taxes. It's a win-win for everyone but the IRS

[Alexandra]

I did and still do some work for two non-profit organizations... Because i do understand that they do not have much cash, and because i do admire their work, i charge them half my normal rates. They understand i need to make ends meet as well and i never had an issue with them. Up to today they either paid exactly what i asked without bargaining, or they told me upfront what their budget was.

All non profit organizations have money. The only time i work for them for free is if i offer to do some extra work for them and that is because i do get something out of it that for me matters more then money.

Dont charge them an arm and a leg, but do charge them. And let them know what the real value of your work is, so they can see you are giving them a discount.

[CaptainNH]

Simple. They are not a charity. It's a water company - they have money. Just because the project isn't going to make a profit doesn't mean there's no budget, it certainly doesn't make them a not-for-profit organisation.

It sounds like a commercial project to me, that I'd guess is being funded / managed as a marketing exercise.

I can guarantee that the water company will be getting plenty of publicity and credit from the exercise. I'd suggest that you need to make a decision on achieving a balance between getting paid and getting credited.

I like the tax write off suggestion from Photoboothguy. In fact, it's something I already do for a handful of registered charities

[joeandrews]

Thank you all for the feedback, it's much appreciated! Some really great responses here and good advice. I have decided to go with a the "what type of rights are you looking for" approach and will see where that takes me. Will report back as to how things progress.