My question pertains to commercial pricing for non-profits. I have given a discount to a local hospital for some photography work in the past because they are non-profit. I use my regular pricing then discount a percentage. Are any other of you doing the same for non-profits you work for? Do you think its foolish or outside of industry standards to do so? I just had another inquiry from a local YMCA for some work and of course the way the email is worded they are looking to pay less because of their business status. Thanks for any thoughts!

Craig,

I do not feel that there is anything wrong with discounting your fees for a non-profit organization if you actively support the cause. I might in these cases bill my entire fee and donate a portion back to the organization--this solidifies the real value of your work and your donations MAY be tax deductible [NOTE: I am neither an accountant nor tax attorney so talk to one of those professionals before making any decision based on taxes]. That said, I wouldn't necessarily offer a discount JUST because of the non-profit status. Many non-profits have loads of money and pay their empoyees quite well. Why shouldn't you get paid appropriately for your services--even though you are not an employee?

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the reply. Well it turns out that because I started asking the questions that a photographer actually needs in order to come up with an accurate estimate they sent kind of a self righteous response that more or less said 'thanks for your time, we will find someone else'. I run into this all the time with local businesses. I get a vague description of what they want and what the shoot will actually involve, then when pressed for specifics, so I can write up an accurate estimate!, they bail. In this case it will go to whoever charges the least per hour I'm sure. I don't charge by the hour. Its really the wrong way to operate a photography business.

Craig,

Welcome to the world of trying to make a living [aka charging appropriate fees for your work] doing what you love. I haven't quite figured it out either, but we have to keep trying...Thanks for sharing your unfortunately common [although no less frustrating] experence.

BTW. This forum should have a seperate 'Business' section and I like your idea of charging a normal fee but then offering some sort of donation.

I'll agree with the seperate 'Business' section idea. I was about to ask, what are some of those questions you were asking? And, how is it we're supposed to charge by? (the day, or by how hard the job is, number of images) I think that's one of the hardest things to judge, how much is your service worth?