The Birds of the Air Proclaim Your Name...

[LibraryLady]

...Cheep, Cheep, cheep.


It's been mentioned here before that rich people can be very tight-fisted. I saw an example of that yesterday that I could hardly believe.

For those who don't know I'm a Librarian who works in a museum. Our institution has the practise of putting catalogs in the galleries for visitors to consult. These books have holes punched in the upper left-hand corner. A chain is threaded through and the book is bolted to a table or shelf.

Visitors like these gallery catalogs. They can learn more about the objects on view than the labels tell. It's also nice for visitors of the show to know that the catalog is available in the Museum Shop. (Hint, hint buy the thing)

As can be expected by the end of a three to six month show, these gallery catalogs are more than a bit the worse for wear. The spines are broken. They're scuffed asnd rumpled. They're grubby. Often, pages are missing. In a popular show, the catalogs have to be replaced at least once. By the time they come out of the galleries, these books are ready only for the recycling bin or the shredder.

Today, we had a visit from a really wealthy patron of the Museum. He has been extremely generous to us. We're talking multiple million dollar donations. People like this naturally get VIP treatment from Museum staff. What he asked for was done in a polite way but we couldn't help doing (at least mental) jaw drops.

Our great benefactor asked if he could have one of the Gallery catalogs when the current show closed. We could understand this if he had loaned an object to the show. A Gallery catalog might be a sentimental souvenir of the exhibition.

That wasn't the case. He frankly said that he didn't want to spend the 35USD it would cost him to buy the catalog in the shop. Yes, he got a clean, new copy of the catalog. We keep a good stock for these for publication exchanges with other Museum and University libearies. Still, we had to ask ourselves, what was he thinking?

[edible_hat]

what was he thinking?

That his millions of dollars of donations somehow entitled him to something more than the tax deduction that was no doubt his main reason for donating the money in the first place?

[One-Fang]

That his millions of dollars of donations do NOT entitle him to a free $35 book, and so he'd better ask the staff, and politely at that, if he could please have a copy of the wrinkled and had-it old public version when you're done with it...?

Certainly bizarre behaviour, but it seems he was very nice about it and possibly even acknowledging that just because he donates doesn't mean he gets free stuff. I mean honestly? If I were a great benefactor like that, I'd expect pristine gallery books gratis on the day the show opens.

[Ill_Used_Heroine]

We get patrons at the library who try to pull the donation card:

Me: Oh, looks like you have $14.25 in overdue fines due on your account. You'll need to pay that down if you wish to check anything out.

SC: Why, I've donated THOUSANDS of dollars worth of books and magazines to this library. Can't that be taken into consideration?

Me: ... ... no.

WTF? Get a dictionary and try looking up the definition of the word "donation." And, you know, if you return your items on time, then you won't have ANY overdue fines ... ever think of that?

[Dilorenzo]

Charity with a caveat is not charity.

Although that guy didn't seem particularly bad, just... odd.

[AdminAssistant]

Sadly, arts/entertainment related not-for-profits (museums, theatres, etc.) are really hurting financially right now, and they have to bend over backwards to keep the donations coming. If giving strange old man a book keeps the funds coming to keep the museum open, then it's worth it.

[Mr Yuck]

Millions of dollars for the occasional $35 book?? Easy math in my mind.
If someone is willing to donate that kind of money over time whether it be to a museum, library, university, etc.... then you make little allowances.
If a $35 book is what it takes to keep a big benefactor happy, then I say the museum is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead.

[Samaliel]

Yeah, but giving them something for which they aren't supposed to ask is opening the door to anybody demanding the same thing. And if any random SC hear about this, they're gonna argue that you're still ahead if they made a $50 donation 8 years ago...

It's the whole paradoxe : it's good for business to keep major customers happy, even if you break some rules on the way, but anybody would claim discrimination if they don't get the same service... And technically, it is : you're discriminating non / small donators in favor of big donators...

[Mr Yuck]

It's the whole paradoxe : it's good for business to keep major customers happy, even if you break some rules on the way, but anybody would claim discrimination if they don't get the same service... And technically, it is : you're discriminating non / small donators in favor of big donators...

.....and that's how the world goes round.

I would be much more worried about pissing off someone donating millions over the years vs. someone who donates a couple hundred or a grand here and there.

That's why high dollar clients do and always will get preferential treatment.

[Kalga]

I can't really see the problem here. As far as I can tell, he was nice and polite about asking for it. And a used copy at that. It's like the nice 35 dollar books my local library is giving out for free, because no one reads them. A lot of them are dirty, grimy, old, and destroyed. That's why they're free. If it's going to the trash anyway, and he's donated millions, why not just let him have it?

However, if he had asked for a new one...whole different story...

[AdminAssistant]

It's the whole paradoxe : it's good for business to keep major customers happy, even if you break some rules on the way, but anybody would claim discrimination if they don't get the same service... And technically, it is : you're discriminating non / small donators in favor of big donators...

Well, NFP organizations run on a whole different set of principles than for-profit businesses. I am guessing this museum's mission has mostly to do with providing an artistic/cultural experience to patrons for free or at a low cost. To pay for that service to the community, they need donations. If they don't get the donations, then the museum folds and people from that area no longer have that service available to them.

There's a lovely fine arts museum very close to me that charges no admission. I know that the most I'm going to get when I go there is an artistic experience with guidance from the volunteers who patrol the galleries. (I believe they also have a library/research center that's free...but I think you have to be a student or teacher to use it. Not sure.) Simple, you get what you pay for.

It may not be fair, but as I said artistic NFP's in the US are really struggling- they're desparate. It's very important to keep these places open (little light places of culture and knowledge). If the little book makes Mr. Millionaire happy - I'll give him one or two. Hell, if he donates that much money I'd name the library after him! (I believe in Europe/the UK, the arts are subsidized. Here in the US, we only have the National Endowment for the Arts as a source of gov't funding, and it's not enough by a long shot.)

It would be nice if people would donate out of the goodness of their heart. But it's gotten to the point that the motive doesn't matter. Just show me the money!!!

(Sorry for the length, but as someone in the arts, it's kind of a personal thing.)

[Saydrah]

Millionaires aren't exempt from frugality. If he weren't frugal, he probably couldn't afford to donate millions of dollars to causes that are dear to his heart. However, he probably didn't realize it would come off SCish to ask for a book-- more likely he sees himself as part of the "team" at the museum and supposed that the team probably takes home the books from the floor after the shows. Big donors like to feel like they're part of the operations of the organizations they donate to, even if they're only around occasionally.

When I was on the board of a horse rescue, our biggest donors would often be people who either knew little about horses or who were for one reason or another unable to actually influence/contribute to day to day operations in any way other than financially, but they liked to drop by and see "their" horses and feel a sense of ownership over parts of the program. Sure, it was irritating in ways (you work for months with an animal to return it to health, and it's THEIR 'dear little Pumpkin'), but give 'em a chair, let them stuff their favorite horse with carrots, if that's how they need to feel like their donation got them something.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Museums, Universities and other organizations that rely soley on donor contributions well bend over ass backwards three times over to please these people any way possible.

It's necessary to keep the big bucks flowing in year after year.

[Gurndigarn]

As someone who's benefited from many free NFP places, I'm more than happy to see them catering to any large benefactors. I appreciate being able to go through museums and zoos without paying for my brood.

[Mr Yuck]

There's a lovely fine arts museum very close to me that charges no admission. I know that the most I'm going to get when I go there is an artistic experience with guidance from the volunteers who patrol the galleries. (I believe they also have a library/research center that's free...but I think you have to be a student or teacher to use it. Not sure.) Simple, you get what you pay for.

If I remember from another thread correctly you live in Kansas City? Then I'm guessing you're talking about The Nelson. Great museum!!