Second life print program - donating photographic prints to needy causes

PSA Journal, Oct, 1996 by Walter P. Horylev

"Your photo is in the possession of a developmentally disabled foster child who has little to call his own. He has chosen to hang the picture in his bedroom as he is quite artistic and he says it motivates him to draw," (excerpt from a letter sent by Lifetime Assistance Inc., a therapeutic foster care organization).

"We have decided to use your photo as a prize for our upcoming Road Rally for Reading fund raiser," (quote from a letter sent by Literacy Volunteers of Orleans County).

"One of our goals in choosing the photographs was to select images which would appeal to the children in our center. We also wanted to choose images that would stir their imaginations and show them possibilities of which they might otherwise be unaware. We felt your photograph accomplished these goals," (extract from a letter sent by St. Peter's Child Care center).

Are these letters treasured? You bet! And I have more!

It all started from thinking about what to do with boxes of prints which had been through many competitions and now were taking up dead space. The question presented: "How might these prints have a second life?"

The answer came in December of 1990 when I questioned fellow Kodak Camera Club member Gene Berndt who is currently serving the Photographic Society of America as a director for Area 2. Whom could I contact to organize a distribution of donated pictures? He suggested Gifts in Kind, a program of United Way in Rochester, New York. This is a program devoted to collecting donated goods and products of all sorts and distributing them to various local health and human care agencies in a seven-county area.

Gene and I sat down with Laura Miller (then director of Gifts in Kind) and outlined our intentions. She was very enthusiastic and agreed to survey the agencies to see if there was a need. In addition, we talked about the possibility of using these picture donations as a tax deduction.

Gifts in Kind agreed to this: if the survey showed a lot of agency support they would buy into the program and supply an appropriate receipt for each individual who donated prints. This would verify how many pictures Gifts in Kind received from each contributor. it would then be up to the individual to assign a value to the pictures and work out a tax strategy with his/her accountant. (We have gotten mixed signals on what can be written off; check with your personal accountant on this matter).

The survey showed an emphatic need, so plans to meet that need began immediately. A committee was formed to establish a format for documenting donations from Kodak Camera Club members. The goal was to keep it simple.

Here's how it works: A room which can be locked is designated as a collection station. The donor signs his/her name, address and date on the master list and itemizes the number of prints donated. Each print is expected to be of high quality and mounted (it could also be matted), black and white or color, and of a nominal 11x14 inch or 16x20 inch size. The donor prints the picture title and his/her name on a pressure-sensitive label and places it in a self-addressed envelope which is taped on two sides to the back of the print. This provides the receiving agency, who is responsible for framing the picture, an envelope to send back to the donor with a suitable letter of thanks and also provides a label which can be affixed to the picture.

The first campaign began in the spring of 1991 and we asked for a total of 300 pictures in these broad categories: Human Interest, Nature, Scenics, Sports and Abstracts. We also asked that the pictures be separated by category when submitted, a procedure we no longer use because the agencies like to look at all the prints.

We also visited Gifts in Kind to make sure they had a suitable storage (vertical storage in boxes) and viewing facility. After agreeing on a goal date for delivery of the pictures (June 12, 1991) publicity was initiated through the Kodak Camera Club. One of the committee members, Cecil Wilson, set up a thermometer poster to chart the number of donations versus the goal. This was updated weekly and helped put the program in perspective.

When June 12th arrived 315 prints from 29 donors had been received! Soon after these pictures were delivered letters of thanks began arriving.

Over time it was learned that the picture types most desired are Nature, Scenics and Human Interest, especially Human Interest with children. Sports and Abstracts are no longer accepted for donation. By using two collection dates, late December and mid-April, the competition season is straddled and those few individuals who use the tax deduction are given an opportunity to submit pictures near the end of the tax year.

This program has now run for four years. In 1992, fifteen photographers donated 302 prints. A breather was taken in 1993 because another donation program was in place. In 1994 the program was reinstituted and 297 prints were donated by 17 photographers. With a delivery of 150 prints (donated by eight photographers) on December 22, 1995, the 1000-print barrier was broken with Kodak Camera Club members now having contributed 1064 prints to Gifts in Kind!