Most performers or talents are approached to donate their services to charity or nonprofit events at some point in their careers. While it might seem like a no-brainer to do some good and give back, there can be hidden challenges in offering your talents at a discounted or free rate. Before you dive into charity gigs, let’s explore some tips and boundaries shared by the GigSalad community.
Weigh the pros and cons of donating your time
Whether or not to take on charity gigs is a personal decision, and opinions vary widely among performers. Some argue that performing for free or at a reduced cost can undervalue your craft and lower the overall pay scale for other artists in the community. Supporting each other is key in the gig economy, and maintaining a standard for fair compensation is one way to foster that support.
There’s also the financial aspect to consider. Nonprofit gigs can end up costing you more than just the income you forgo. Travel, venue insurance, and other soft costs can quickly add up. Even in the best circumstances, things can go awry, potentially turning a goodwill gesture into a stressful situation.
Additionally, performers often feel pressured to work for free in exchange for exposure or the notion of “doing the right thing.” If you rely on your talent to make a living, it’s important to ensure you’re receiving something in return—whether it’s monetary or otherwise—unless you’re genuinely committed to donating your time and services.
💰 You might also like: 4 Steps to Getting the Pricing Right for Your Business
Find the value in charitable performances
While there are potential downsides, donating your services for a charity event can still be worth it if done strategically. If you follow a few key guidelines, the rewards can be substantial, and you can make a positive impact on your community.
Gain exposure at high-profile events
At GigSalad, we love seeing our members give back to their communities. Charity gigs can offer valuable exposure. Anytime your name or brand is associated with a positive cause, it’s a win. Work with the nonprofit or event organizer to cross-promote your appearance through both your channels and theirs. This boosts your visibility and helps ensure a successful event for everyone involved.
🤝 You might also like: How to Get Repeat Business and Why It Matters
Recoup costs with creative solutions
If you’re offering your performance for free, ask if you can sell merchandise or products at the event. A great way to tie it all together is to donate a portion of the proceeds to the cause, which not only helps recoup costs but also promotes your brand and future gigs. You might even consider creating exclusive merch for that specific charity or event, offering something unique to the attendees.
🤓 Pro tip: Check with your tax advisor to see whether your performance counts as a charitable deduction.
Boost your GigSalad profile
GigSalad treats charity gigs like regular bookings. You’ll get credit for them as long as you mark the lead as booked or the client pays your fee (or a minimum $15 quote) through the platform. Once the event is over, the client can leave you a verified review. In addition, the booking will count toward your Top Performer status.
👉 Learn more: How to handle charity gig requests through GigSalad
Choose events that mean something to you
For many performers, requests to donate their time and services to charitable causes are frequent, so it’s important to be selective. How do you decide which ones to accept? Ultimately, it comes down to which causes resonate with you. Perhaps environmental issues are close to your heart, or you’ve been personally touched by a particular illness or social issue.
Performing for a cause you’re passionate about can make up for the lack of monetary compensation. The emotional reward of knowing you’re contributing to something meaningful can be worth more than a paycheck.
💁♀️ Pro tip: While it’s great to give back, it’s wise to verify a nonprofit’s legitimacy before agreeing to perform pro bono.
Set expectations before booking
To avoid potential misunderstandings, it’s essential to use a booking agreement or contract, even for charity gigs. Make sure to clearly define the services you’ll be providing and set expectations from the outset. This not only protects you but ensures both you and the event planner are on the same page.
Once the expectations are set, however, go above and beyond. Surpass the basic agreement and deliver a performance that leaves a lasting impact — that special touch only you can provide.
📝 Read this: 6 Things Your Booking Agreement Must Have
Charity gigs can be an incredible way to use your talents for good, but it’s important to approach them thoughtfully. By setting clear boundaries, ensuring your costs are covered, and aligning yourself with causes you care about, you can turn a nonprofit performance into a rewarding experience for both you and the organization. Remember, giving back doesn’t mean giving up your worth — when done right, everyone wins. So go ahead, make a difference on your terms, and let your passion shine while doing it! 💜
Megan is the Director of Customer Experience at GigSalad and has gained 9+ years of insight on what makes a great event on both sides of the booking process. Her favorite things include books, true crime podcasts, coffee, hiking, puns, and making people laugh.
“By offering your services for free or a discounted rate, you can use the value of your donated services as a tax deduction and save money on your business taxes.”
NO NO NO NO NO. The IRS rules on this are DARN CLEAR. You may NOT deduct anything other than direct expenses. Period.
If Picasso paints a painting that would sell for $100 million, and donates it, he can write off the cost of the paint and canvas, and that’s it.
Put another way, if the charity paid you and you donated the money back to the charity, you would get a deduction for the donation but have to pay tax on the income, which would be a wash.
Gigsalad, you should immediately send out a correction.
Hi Shaun,
Thanks for your comment. We’ve removed the section in error and updated the post.
Shaun, you nailed it. Over the years I’ve had numerous misinformed people aggressively ask me to “donate” a show to their fund raiser (usually an expensive private school, telling me that I can write it off on my taxes. Absolutely false. I’ve done my research AND asked three savvy tax advisors over the years. Can you imagine the tax crimes that little loop hole would create? I can’t believe Gigsalad wrote this in the first place. The artist does a show for free, that’s their choice, for whatever reasons, and there are some good ones, but that’s personal. Plus, you do realize that calling something a tax write off simply means you get an approximate 18-25% discount on it? “Write off” is by no means the same thing as “free.”
Thanks for the insight, Elizabeth. We’ve corrected the section and updated the post.
I’m not an accountant, but I’m 99% sure you can NOT deduct the “value of donated services”. Definitely talk to your accountant about that one!
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf
Agreed. The incorrect info posted earlier has been removed.
Hi Gig Salad,
Please check your facts on tax deductions. You said “By offering your services for free or a discounted rate, you can use the value of your donated services as a tax deduction and save money on your business taxes.”
The IRS says “Although you can’t deduct the value of your services given to a qualified organization, you may be able to deduct some amounts you pay in giving services to a qualified organization.” https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf
So, if you were a one person painting business (for example) and you painted a church you could deduct (with proper documentation) the cost of the paint and one-time use brushes. You could not deduct the value of your time painting the building.
Please correct this article.
Otherwise, I think you provide some useful information and ideas… keep up the good work.
We’ve updated the post and removed the incorrect section.
One of the first questions I ask is, “Who else is working/donating services? Servers/waiters? Bartenders?” If they are paying staff, or anyone else, and the musician is the ONLY one donating services, I say thanks but no thanks.
Is the food/refreshments donated? Are they paying for those items?
If everyone donates, that works for me.
Are they advertising? I want my name prominently displayed as contributing music services, not a small font at the bottom.
Hi there Crescentia! you can always contact Customer Happiness for help with booking charity gigs.
I would love to be able to book a charity event for free through Gig Salad. I recently performed services for free at a charity event, but your site would not let me book it and charge nothing. I would be willing to pay a small service fee on my end as part of the donation of my time and services in exchange for being able to show the booking and have the client provide a review, rather than having to arrange the event off of Gig Salad and not have that booking show up on my page.
Hi Crescentia! I’m glad to hear you’re willing to do charity gigs. Please reach out to our Customer Happiness team about how to book them through GigSalad.
The advice that donating “time and talent” is tax deductible is innacurate. From the IRS publication on charitable giving: “Although you can’t deduct the value of your services given to a qualified organization, you may be able to deduct some amounts you pay in giving services to a qualified organization.”. This includes certain expenses like supplies travel.
Thanks for replying. We’ve removed the incorrect information and updated the post. I apologize for misleading anyone.
We do some charity gigs. some we charge for, some not. For the ones we charge for we usually distribute our song list ( usually around 150 tunes) and tell the audience if they have a special request it’s a $10-$20 cash donation to the charity. One of my friends bands always charges full price, then donates some back. The real problem is that while everyone likes great live music, most people have no idea of the work and expense that goes into making it …..especially when you transport multiple trucks of expensive equipment set it up , then tear it down. It’s not like the celebrity bar tender who shows up with his jeans and t-shirt.
I am pleased to offer Education by Entertainment programs such as Mind Games at heavily discounted rates (or even at no charge). Any time I do this I do lose money due to my cost for prizes, supplies, travel, etc. In spite of this I do not want anyone (or any organization whose mission I support) to be deprived of my programs due to their inability to pay. I do have certain practices:
1) The organization has to have a mission I support.
2) No one can get paid more than I do for offering similar services for the event (or similar events). Similarly, they cannot spend huge amounts of money on other optional items. (For example, if it is a dinner event and the meal is a pot-luck buffet I’m pleased to help out. if it is at a luxury hotel and they are ordering the most expensive menu items for lunch I’m less likely to help out unless the hotel is donating the catering and venue.)
3) The amount of money I lose cannot be excessive (e.g., event probably has to be within reasonable driving distance to my home.)
Great ideas, Ron! Thanks for the input!
I have done a lot of services for the poor in spirit and homeless. We like to align ourselves with other organizations that do free feeding in the parks. We have the opportunity to do the praise and worship & share God’s Word. it’s a win win situation.
I have made it a policy to NEVER discount my rates, even for charities. Why?
Once you do it for one charity, they will tell others and you will be inundated with requests from many others. They DO talk to one another. They may tell you that “you did it for ….” so why not us?
I have my “rates” and they apply to everyone, period! (Excepting an occasional performance for close friends when I make the initial offer, not if they ask me first.)
Finally, IF you offer a lower rate and book it, you are precluding yourself from a regular full-price gig from a regular customer.
No, free gig generate more free gigs. People die from “exposure”.
When asked to “donate” a performance suggest the requester find a sponsor to make a donation to pay for your time.
Well run and operated fund raisers, non-profits and charities have a budget for real entertainment.
That said we all have a few organizations we work closely with or donate to as a way of giving back or supporting causes we believe in
Many well meaning people will ask not realizing what the cost to the performer is.
When I am asked to reduce my fee or value for a charity event, my goal is to WOW them with my charity package. Yes, yes, yes. And I believe rather than reduce your fee by some insignificant amount, donate your services BUT create a value package that’s right for you and what you offer. This way, I take back control right from the start. I almost always say, “yes”. Here are a few examples, First of all, there’s an opportunity to get in front of and play for 100-400 people. Since I don’t advertise, I consider it a small price to pay to perform for 400 potential clients. If only 1 % book me over the next year, that’s 4 paying gigs. Not a bad return on my time. Second of all, I ask that I be listed on their sponsor placard and / or in their brochure for the event. Brand and name recognition is priceless advertising. Again, 1% is 4 gigs and they are paying for my advertising. Third, I request, if appropriate, a special thank you by the MC for the part I played in their evening’s event. And lastly, if they are having a silent auction, I offer my services to be a boutique and unique offering on the silent auction. In my case, I offer the charity 2.5 hours of piano playing time for a simple soirée or even a private dinner party or holiday function. I usually suggest my retail value on the silent auction at $475. Now they know they called the right person because I’m actually making them money by doubling down on my donation. This usually blows their mind, projects professionalism and now I’m seen as a hero and not a zero. Just a few trade secrets I’ve developed over the years. Hope this helps those of you who see the value in, and support gig salad. THANK YOU gigsalad for all your support over the years and for being such a big part of my business. Keep up the great work.
Josh Isenberg Pure-Piano.Com
Josh.isenberg@pure-piano.com
239-450-5734
Thanks, Josh! Great tips to consider!
Great content re speaking to nonprofits. Reminded me of tax benefit I had forgotten.
Always good to give to those you can help and add value, but it has to be defined and agreed upon.
Never wrong to do the right thing!
Thanks, Walt!
Always remember to consult a tax professional and the IRS guidelines to determine what is tax deductible.
Value of your services is NOT tax deductible. Costs incurred to do the gig are. IRS guidelines are clear on this.
Thank you for that important clarification. We’ve removed the incorrect information and updated the post. I apologize for misleading anyone.
I get a lot of requests for charity gigs. I ask them to put a request on the letter head of the organization, what they are asking for and details and then mail or email to me and then I select one each month. Funny thing in twenty + years only one group has ever taken the time to do that and I gave them what they asked for. Most groups feel so entitled they won’t take their time to write the request they will just go to the next person. If that is how they feel then they dont care if I am there or not.
When I book a gig with a charity, I publically present them with a check for 10% of my payment the night of the gig. people in the audience have taken note, and called me when they needed a fundraiser. So, not only is it a tax write off, it’s good PR.
Another great way to do some good!
“Playing out” has never been (or probably ever will be–but who knows for sure …) my primary source of income. But gigging on the side does support my “guitar habit.”
This year, I have played for free at 2 small county libraries, 9 Christian summer camps & a city “party in the park.” Had a blast at every event.
And I have been paid to play about 25 places so far this year. Those were fun too. The money I made bought new sound equipment, another guitar, strings, etc.
And I have turned down both “free” events & paid events.
But if you play a venue gratis, they will more than likely expect you to play for free in the future.
Been playing guitar / singing for years, and I can pick/sing with the best of them. Lots of time, effort & money have been put into reaching my level of musicianship / performing. If I ever felt in any way that wasn’t “valued” I wouldn’t play that event.
The places I played for free were for kids or charity organizations that could not afford to pay, ran by people I know personally. My listeners enjoyed what I did & I had fun entertaining them.
But if my living was solely from playing, I would approach things differently, but still play a few places for free.
I play some farmers market gigs. I could be doing three or four per week if I wanted to play for free. The issue is not playing for free or charity, but the people out there who do play for free all the time, thus taking money out of the professional’s pocket. They say you get what you pay for, but seems many people who are in charge can’t tell the difference.
My tax preparer says time and talent cannot be deducted, only tangible goods. I sometimes offer a reduced price for those charities I wish to support, but there is a limit to how much I can afford to do per year, especially as I already give money to special causes.
The tax information previously included was inaccurate. The post has been updated. ALWAYS confer with a tax lawyer or accountant about tax deductions.
i volunteer for Alive Hospice here in Nashville. They are a terrific charity and very well run. They have a good piano in its own room which they tune whenever I request it. I actually picked up a sideman when playing at one of their art who openings. They also gave me a wonderful online review. The Lord has been very good to me and this is one of the ways I pay back. As I said on their website, “I get way more out of this work than I give.”
I also advertise a 40% discount for Non Profits that has gotten me some work on weekday afternoons, so not a time when big money is likely to show up.
Yes, I do charity events sometimes. Music make people happy….so, let’s play!!
I’d do a charity gig..
but I don’t have merchandise to sell. Me and my band/duo would like to receive at least a small stipend. We promote the charity as well as play our songs.
> Another great benefit of doing charity gigs is the tax
> benefit. By offering your services for free or a discounted
> rate, you can use the value of your donated services as a
> tax deduction and save money on your business taxes. Ask
> for a receipt or letter of donation for the value of your
> services. If the charity or organization is a 501(c3)
> nonprofit, your donated time and talent should be tax
> deductible.
Sorry but your advice is outright WRONG. According to IRS.gov:
“If you provide professional services for free to a qualifying nonprofit organization, you cannot claim a tax deduction for the value of your time or services on your income taxes, according to IRS Publication 526: Charitable Contributions (see the section, ‘Contributions You Cannot Deduct’).”
“Although you cannot deduct the value of your time or services, you can deduct the expenses you incur while donating your services to a qualified organization.”
This probably includes meals, mileage, tolls, etc. (but check IRS Publication 526 for details).
Please correct this info before you get people in trouble. Thanks.
Hi Geoff! Thanks for the feedback. That section has been removed from the post. I apologize for any confusion.
I will entertain at charities with which I have a personal involvement. If any other charities request a “donated show”, I send them to my website ElephantGlue.com to fill out the charity form. This weeds out the “freebies” from those that are genuinely in need of help.
When I’m asked to perform at a charity gig, I contract to 1) have them pay my usual fee after which 2) I will donate all (or a large percentage) of my fee back to their 501c organization that evening.
This is a great way for me to get exposure working with them AND receive a tax break from my monetary contribution.
I very rarely do charity gigs. I used to get inundated with requests; now that I have set firmer boundaries, not so much. For example, if the “pay” is “exposure”, I just say no. People *die* of exposure! Once in a great while, if I’m really excited about the cause, I will say yes, and then there are no strings attached. But I loved your idea about the tax write-off. If I ever do a charity gig again, I will take advantage of it.
Ask your accountant If your lawyer’s time is worth more than the deduction you’re not going to get because you’re a musician and take the standard deduction in any case. Be sure to pay your accountant for their time! In the meantime, try not to die of “exposure” at your “gig.”
Look at the IRS website. Professional services offered (including entertainers) cannot be deducted from your taxes.
Always consult a tax professional when dealing with deductions of any kind. The inaccurate section has been removed and the post has been updated.
I’m sure there are a lot of Charities that a really Worthy. I think deciding to pick one that is close to my heart is a great idea. Thank you for that advice. However, the biggest trouble I’m having is convincing them that they should use a live band instead of just turning on the radio or playing some music from Google or Apple or something. I’ve been to a handful of Charity functions where they’re just using someone’s playlist. I think the worst charity function I attended, they had a three piece, violin cello and another violin playing classical music and folks were not only walking around them but walking in between them also while they were playing. Nobody really seemed interested in what they were playing even though they were really very talented.
Charitable and non-profit events
Most of us cannot donate our services to every non-profit group that calls. We all have our favorite charities and non-profits that we support. But there is a limit to what each of us can do. Here are my suggestions on how you might handle these requests.
• If the charitable event is totally managed by the charity and it is not a major fund raiser, but rather a community event or social event for children, and it is not on a peak work day, I try to volunteer or find a fellow performer to attend the event.
And since I do have to pay for gas, liability insurance (yes you should have liability insurance even for charitable events), and cleaning my wardrobe, I may ask for a small stipend. We all have basic expenses and often a charity will have a small budget or may have a donor that will cover the stipend.
Additionally, I recommend that you do this business-like. Send them some form of invoice or agreement. It should detail the time, location, what you will be doing and, most importantly, the rate you would normally charge for an event like this. And then below the rate, you write ‘Donation’ and the amount that you have donated. And, as this is not costing them, I recommend using your highest rate.
Doing this accomplished two things. One, the client or charity immediately knows your prime value. You are not a “0” or no value. This gives the charity an amount to include in their annual reports for “in-kind services” or donations other than money.
Secondly, having your value known, it will give any of the donors or others attending the event, information on what you might charge for a regular event. Sometimes doing a charitable event will lead to some paid bookings.
I did a charitable event one time, and Robin McGraw saw me. I ended up being booked for a big party and three days on Dr. Phil! (And they called me back the next year, too!)
• If the event is a fund raiser, or a media event to promote donations, or possibly the event is on a peak day, I may suggest the above and possibly offer a discounted fee or at least request a stipend for my appearance.
• If the event is a major fund raiser, a gala $$$$-per-plate dinner, with entertainment and dancing, or a community event or media event that is sponsored by a corporation or company, where they get all the publicity for their charitable works and one of the key attractions for the guests is that I am appearing or performing, I charge my normal fees.
Of course, if the charity is my ‘favorite’ charity, I may do the work as my personal donation or only ask for the stipend. (By the way, your services and talent are not tax deductible. Only actual costs: gas, dry cleaning, give-a-ways, etc., are deductible>)
• A key phrase that was told to me, one time by an entertainment agency, was: “If money is to be made, the talent gets paid.”
I often get requests to, “donate my services,” or that, “it’s for a charity,” and am told that my appearance “will help promote you and get you more work.”
I will evaluate their event and depending on what they tell me, I will use one of the above suggested responses. Sometimes my response is, “Thank you, but I have already booked other charities this year.”
Or they tell me that coming to a big, Saturday-night gala or dinner will help them as, “This is for the Children.”
My response to this is, “I love doing visits with children and would be glad to arrange a visit, to see and entertain them. If I do this, I will do it on my own time, and where it will fit into my schedule. This is usually before, after or in between my other contracted bookings.
Thanks for the info, Tim. Good thoughts!
I was told by more than one tax accountant that there is NO tax benefit to doing a charity gig, even for a non-profit 501(c3) organization. You can only write off something tangible and donating your time and talent is NOT something tangible.
Your tax professional is right. The outdated and irrelevant section has been removed and the blog post updated.
Just because you are donating your time doesn’t mean you can’t be sued by either the charity or someone attending the event. A contract, mine are called Performance Agreements, is essential for every job, not just pro bono jobs for charities. Setting the performance parameters in writing is the best way to clearly define expectations and protect yourself. If you are performing pro bono, remember to have a professionally produced banner or sign near you so people know who you are. Of course if you have no presence on social media or don’t have a website, someone having just your name may make it difficult for them to contact you if they liked what they saw and/or heard and wanted to contact you about a paying gig. Also don’t hold back in asking the charity if they will be running any ads or producing any programs for the event. If they are, ask them, in a way to make it sound like it’s kind of expected by you, if they will include your name, photo, website address, phone number, etc. in the ad or program. If they want something free from you, but won’t give you a mention in their ads or program, I’d have to lean towards saying “No” to their request. You may get more value from the ad mention then you would if you were getting paid for the performance. If you are a good performer and all of this is Greek to you or it is something you never thought of, you and your entertainment career might be better served if you went with a competent, professional promoter/booking agent, like me, who sees what you do from the business side of things.
Through experience, I do not do charity events for free. I usually state that because I do this for a living and have overhead such as,conventions, insurance, supplies and artists to pay, I only participate in charity events if there is a sponsor or underwriter that will pay our full fee. If we are booked for 2 hours or more, we donate a $150.00 gift certificate which with a letter from the organization can be a business tax deduction. It allows us to make a contribution and get paid.
Exposure is underrated. Don’t fall for that line. The only free event I’ve done, I received free radio advertising with their event. That was totally worth it.
There’s always the Sick musician fund every year. I just do it w/o my guys and use teh back up band.
Also when i di a free gig fro a promoter I expect return favors like booking at his blues festival.
Our band policy is 1 charity event a year. And it must be fun and returns fro us..easy load in maybe food.
are you sure the tax deduction part is accurate? I’ve researched this in the past and just did a google search and everything that i found says that services are not tax deductible, only expenses such as transportation and parking. I often do charity shows and would love to write them off. Could you point to a place where i could find this information. Thank you.
Hi Jimmy! Thanks for reaching out. We’ve updated the section about tax deductions and removed the incorrect information.
Your tax advice for charity gigs is wrong. The I.R.S. no longer allows for charitable donations of “services”. You can only write off the cost of “goods”. So to say my normal fee for a show is $500.00, thus if I donate the show I can claim a $500.00 donation, is a fallacy. This is no longer allowed.
Thank you, Kipp. That section has been removed and the blog post updated.
We are a very unique situation. Our Group exists in an effort to give back to the community. Unlike most of the gigs salad members we do not depend on gigs to survive most of us have day jobs and we do this on the side. A portion of every event we do goes to buy toys for less fortunate kids at Christmas time that we donate to Toys for Tots and The Salvation Army each year.
We have had several requests come though the gig salad system that should be a charitable gift. It would be nice if gig salad had an option to say this one is on me. I wouldn’t mind paying for the referral fees just to have the event flow though the wonderful event tracking system that gig salad has. We had one such request not too long ago were a family had reached out to us though gigs salad about their boy who was in the hospital with congestive heart failure. They wanted one of our characters to come meet this little super hero. There is no way we would ever charge for something like this. We managed to coordinate the appearance and the child had a lunch time of fun with his hero at no cost to the family. Its gigs like this that give artists strength to endure other not so fun events with demanding hard to please clients. To see that kid , who is dealing with so much, Smile and become a kid again is worth more than any amount of money.
Hello Brian Jenkins,
Charity work? Yes, as performing artists these calls come in all the time! It’s so much that their speech is always the same…”Hi! We’re non-profit, and wondering if you could donate your time for…..” I think your advice on the tax-break if one does the event is wrong! There is no real tax benefit to doing these events…the write-off is too small! I agree that an artist should only do events that he or she believes in the “cause.” BUT our little company goes one further…at the beginning of every year, we decide what “one” cause we will support for the year. Sometimes it’s a school scholarship fund; an after-school club; a walk event, etc. We decide how much we’re willing to contribute monetarily then we translate that into the performance time (e.g. $ 500. would be the equivalent of one performance with the group, or 2 performances if the charity would take a solo show). We limit the charity and limit the time frames….this keeps everyone happy…we don’t feel exploited, and the sponsor is always happy to get our services. Then when we get the phone calls from others, we can decline and explain our policy of one group per year. We happily encourage them to apply for a spot at the new year.
Thanks. Enjoyed your article.
I can do charity gig
Volunteering your talents/services is part of giving back to the community at large. There are some benefits and shortcomings already mentioned in your piece.
Firstly, contributing to a worthy cause is good for the soul, and I probably walk away from the event a better person. Getting exposure as well as being affiliated with a cause or non-profit is great.
I’ve had to deal with a ‘sliding scale of expectations’ by some organizers who don’t consider the time, expense and effort needed to prepare/perform for an event. There seems to be a lack of will to understand there is a limit to which one can volunteer/donate. The suggestion to set expectation limits is excellent. I love the idea of getting a receipt for time spent! All good suggestions in the article.
From my experience, the exposure and branding is good, but expect contact from other charities/worthy causes. You may want to be prepared to set your limits on what you can reasonably accommodate. Setting boundaries also helps other artists get exposure, and become known in the community. The end result is a stronger and more vibrant artist community that supports charities. Everyone wins.
As the leader of LIVE AT THE FILLMORE, The World’s Greatest Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band I am often asked to perform for charity events. My response is based on several factors. We have our preferred charities based upon personal experience and situations. In general, we reduce our fees significantly and ask for documentation of the difference in our usual fees as a charitable contribution which is used as an allowable tax deduction. There are rare instances where we will agree to perform at no charge but expect our travel, lodging and hospitality expenses to be covered.
Your suggestion about the income tax deductibility of the value of your performance is in error. From 2017 IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions, page 6, “Contributions You Can’t Deduct,” “4. The value of your time or services.” I volunteer for a number of organizations and checked this out long ago; it has been ever thus! You can, however, deduct your mileage to and from the gig (it is only 14 cents per mile, a much lower rate than that for either business or medical travel mileage) as well as the value of any expendable materials which you use in providing the performance for an eligible charitable organization. Those also include government agencies such as, in my case, several law enforcement agencies and fire departments in which I have served as the honor guard bagpiper as well as in other capacities. I am an enrolled volunteer member of these served agencies, but even if you do so ad hoc, the basis for deducting those aspects of charitable donation should be the same. Consult Publication 526 (available online) for all the details.
Hello Eric, thanks for commenting. We’ve removed the inaccurate section. Sorry for any confusion.
With few exceptions, my feeling is that one should not play for free. Who else is donating their services? The caterer? The venue? The advertising? Nothing like playing to pay the caterer.
It’s not about whether or not the cause is worthy; it’s about whether or not the cause is worthy to others and why I’m being approached to “donate” first(and possibly the one approached).
Thank you for this opportunity to comment, where as what is said here has lots of valid points , some which i had not consider, like the idea of booking agreement or contract which i had not thought of. I have done several Charity Gigs, Christmas and Halloween parties for our community centers, and block parties. which bring me joy to see children faces light up when they see me and their parents showing admiration for what i do for others. Makes me personally happy to know that i can make a difference in a childs life to inspire them to believe and to do good for others without always expecting something in return. But thanks to you i shall now add an booking agreement as to how long i be at Charity Event or Party so as to feel obligated and guilty for leaving. thanks Gigsalad
Excellent! I’m with you❤️
I’ve performed for fewer and fewer charity gigs as my musical career moves on. It’s certainly not that I’m not charitable, it’s just those folks looking for free performers are usually doing everything else on the cheap too, and it generally just makes everyone and everything look bad. Best example: I accepted a gig to play pro bono at a farmers market a couple of years ago and they told me they would have electricity and I should just bring a small PA. When I arrived there, there was a great crowd on hand (as I had expected). But when I walked over to the musicians’ tent, I saw they had provided the tiniest little generator I have ever seen in my life. I plugged my power strip into in and it snapped, crackled, and popped – it was fried in seconds – before I even had a chance to actually plug any actual musical stuff into it. Needless to say, I tossed the power strip away, threw my gear back into the truck, and drove back home, with another hard lesson learned – and one more item to add to future contracts. And, oh, I have more examples, but for me, suffice it to say that there have just been far more bad charity events than ones that actually worked out well.
Thank you for the tip In the email regarding charity work I learned a lot and will be mindful of all that was suggested.
I have been in the music business for over 25 years. I have learned that people value what they pay for. I offer to play for my small town’s festival for free each year. They respect me and appreciate me and I am cool with that. There is another festival I will play for free (no performer gets paid and it’s a fundraiser for a pioneer settlement), but I will book a couple of gigs close to that so I can make some money. Schools often want performers for free. I have to say no. I will reduce my fee, encourage them to get a sponsor. If they really want me to come, they must find a way. I can’t fill my gas tank or my tummy for free. Usually when there’s a will there is a way. That’s my 2 cents!
I think that every company should do at least one charity event a year! It does not decrease the value, it actually raises your value. Take us here at Romancing Joe’s- we pick one charity per year to donate to. We also have Singing Telegrams in which are becoming popular! Well in Springfield we have many poor children that go without a Birthday celebration. We have the perfect clown-Stella. So what Romancing Joe Company does is offers Stella the Singing Clown Telegram to these children-Complimentary of course and with all the birthday fixings❤️ Cake, Balloons and a small gift. Even though WE know that the parents will probably never buy from our company, we do it from the heart. If you’re a small business or even a huge one, taking care of your community is a great way to make everyone feel wonderful! Especially the children. Cheers to Stella❤️