Thread: Rates for Nonprofits

I was wondering what other dancers normally charge for performances booked by nonprofit organizations. 10% off? 15%? Case by case basis? I did a quick search but only found one article that really addressed this question (http://www.bhuz.com/forum/business-b...pricing-2.html). Thanks!

I generally do non profits on a case by case scenario. Some non profits may not be charging people for entry, I would charge them differently than an organization that is charging money for their event. Is it a fund raising event, or is it a non profit just throwing a fun night out for their community. It really depends. If it is a cause that truly touches my heart i may do like up to $50 or sometimes more off. But in my opinion it is good to let the organization know what your normal prices are. That way they truly know what value they are getting.

I offer a 20% discount off my normal rates for non-profits. That's off of the package price only - I don't discount mileage fees if there are any.

We will on rare occasions do a non-profit event for expenses (gas, costume wear and tear, etc). However, many non-profits have real MONEY to spend on entertainment - make sure you get your share!

Also, I usually quote my full rate first, but will pull out the 20% discount if they tell me it's out of their budget. Or if they email me asking for a free performance upfront, I'll tell them the best I can do is a 20% discount. I only waive my fee entirely if it's a cause that is very near and dear to my heart, and only do so maybe once or twice a year.

Originally Posted by maurazebra

We will on rare occasions do a non-profit event for expenses (gas, costume wear and tear, etc). However, many non-profits have real MONEY to spend on entertainment - make sure you get your share!

Having worked in the non-profit sector my entire career, I have to disagree with this blanket statement. There are many different types of non-profits with annual budgets ranging from grass-roots to hundreds of thousands. The types of events and fundraisers these organizations may put on also run the gamut from low, piecemeal budget to high-budget, sponsored galas. Yes, some organization hold events with entertainment budgets. But to say many have MONEY to spend is highly misleading.

This is primarily why I give discounts on a case by case basis.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I do have a clause on my website stating that charities and nonprofits are evaluated on a case by case basis. However, I had never had a booking inquiry by a nonprofit group before this so I just wanted to check out the general range of discounts other dancers offer. For this one I decided to go with 20% off (not including my travel expenses since it was fairly far out of my normal area).

Originally Posted by aazura

Having worked in the non-profit sector my entire career, I have to disagree with this blanket statement. There are many different types of non-profits with annual budgets ranging from grass-roots to hundreds of thousands. The types of events and fundraisers these organizations may put on also run the gamut from low, piecemeal budget to high-budget, sponsored galas. Yes, some organization hold events with entertainment budgets. But to say many have MONEY to spend is highly misleading.

I certainly don't want to mislead anyone, so let me amend my statement. Many of the non-profit organizations that contact us for entertainment have MONEY to spend, and we make sure that we get our share. It may well be that many of the non-profits who do NOT contact us have no entertainment budget, but since they are not contacting us, I can claim no expertise in that area ..... better?

I do it on a case-by-case basis. Occasionally I'll donate the performance (if I think there's a tradeoff in valuable publicity and/or other benefits for my studio, or if I feel strongly about the charity). Usually I'll only do this if I'm certain that everyone else is also volunteering, including any other performers.

I'll often offer a discount, usually around 20%.

On occasion it seems right to just ask them "What's your budget?" Most people I've asked this question have no qualms about naming a figure, usually one that's either surprisingly high or shockingly low.

Originally Posted by maurazebra

I certainly don't want to mislead anyone, so let me amend my statement. Many of the non-profit organizations that contact us for entertainment have MONEY to spend, and we make sure that we get our share. It may well be that many of the non-profits who do NOT contact us have no entertainment budget, but since they are not contacting us, I can claim no expertise in that area ..... better?

Yes--Thanks. ..g.:

I know some non-profits budget for entertainment at their big events but many do not have such luxuries. Generally, however, I think that the ones that plan for an entertainment budget are not expecting discounts or charity from performers. Of course this doesn't apply to everyone. Perhaps b/c I work in the arts and these organizations are sensitive to artist and performer needs, I have found this to be the case. It could be completely different for non-arts organizations.