Page 95 - The Decorative Painter Fall 2016

teacher's corner
Teacher’s Tips - Part 3 NGet Set (Promotion)
Donna Roskamp, Member of the Education Committee
ow you need to start promoting your new endeavor. My camps are run through com- munity education, and parks and recreation programs. Working through these programs provides me with location, advertising and
registration for my camps. The standard contract for this kind of arrangement is a 50/50 split of funds. For this reason I charge a fee for the camp, which is paid at registra- tion to the department handling that. I charge a separate fee for supplies which is paid directly to me on the first
day of class; this puts money in my pocket immediately. When the camp is over, I invoice the location and they send me a check for my half of the camp fee. This may take up to a month depending on when the camp runs during the month. Base your camp fee on a 50/50 split, but some places will only charge a 60/40 split in your favor. I keep the price the same no matter what. Everyone pays the same
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The Decorative Painter • ISSUE NO. 3, 2016 93
In the Teacher’s Corner
amount and I may make a little extra. When setting the supply fee, I base it on buying my supplies wholesale, but I charge retail. I make a little extra money without over- charging. My camps are $75 with a $25 supply fee.
Before you start making calls, be clear on your pre- sentation. You need to sell your program and yourself. Be prepared to answer questions over the phone or to go in for a face-to-face meeting. Have a written description of your camp ready along with the pictures of your project samples. Decide how many camps you want to run. Know the weeks/dates and times you have available to run camps. I run two camps a day every week of summer.
You will need to have a background check done to work with children. One of the locations I work at required I go into a federal office and get screened, fingerprinted and drug tested.
Once you have camps scheduled you are ready for the best part.