Just curious how many of you have donated a rod and not heard anything back from the people that received it? No thank you, no acknowledgment it was handed off, nothing?

If that happened to you how much longer would you continue to do it?

Thanks for your time!

I doubt that rod donations generally result in any sort of sales increase. Quite often the person who received it wasn't really in the market for a custom rod, and won't be in the future. The idea is to get some advertising value out of the way the rod is presented during the drawing, raffle, @#$%&, etc. I know a few who feel they get some eventual business from it but most I talk to eventually give up that line of marketing.

...................

Hi Tom,

Question wasnt from a point of marketing or press. Just asking about a simple thank you or acknowledgment of the rod being donated from the people who received it.

I getcha though!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2013 01:08PM by Adam Curtis.

I have donates a few. Typically the thank you comes when you give it to them or at the raffle itself. I have typically done it as a favor for someone hosting the raffle and not so much for promotion. I wouldn't expect a lot in return.

The first rod I donated years ago, I got no acknowledgment of any kind; I was really bummed. Now, when I do donate a rod, I take the time to be at the event when it is awarded. I present the rod to the winner when they get called up. I get their name, and inform them I will be inscribing their name and the event on the rod, how long it will take, and when they can pick it up. I hang around the event and usually get a number of thank you comments from event supporters and sometimes a few leads for future builds.

The general public just won't go out of their way to track you down (even if you provide the contact info) because it is inconvenient. But given the opportunity to do it in person at the moment it is fresh in their mind, I find most people gracious and appreciative of my efforts.

last one i donated was to a professional organization i belong to. they do a yearly thing at the National convention, all kinds of stuff and the money raised goes to scholarship fund. I got a nice thank you letter(standard) and the guy who won it bought me a drink. nothing else. i think it's more of the fact that i did my part for the greater good. I would expect at least a thank you note or phone call at the very least. it's only proper.

Interesting. Thanks for the feedback fellas!

I will be donating a rod for an @#$%& in lieu of donating money for my booth. The component parts in a break even with the $$ donation. My hope is that the rod will bring in more than what the $$ amount for the booth was.

Chester

May your line be tight and your beverages be cold!

Ron Orga Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have donates a few. Typically the thank you
> comes when you give it to them or at the raffle
> itself. I have typically done it as a favor for
> someone hosting the raffle and not so much for
> promotion. I wouldn't expect a lot in return.

I'm with Ron,Have donated 5-6 rods tobenifts for people in my area. Also sent one to a reunion of the Ship I served on. Received a nice thank you Email praising the donation and that everyone that bid were happy to spend the money for a chance at winning

I wouldnt have done it the first time. People promise the moon and deliver the moon (with a crack in it).

Kevin Knox
ANGLER'S ENVY CUSTOM RODS
QUEEN ANNE, MD 21657
#_#_#_#_#
www.anglersenvy.com

We have done it by donating to our church for fund raisers, and that always gets a thank you and usually some new business.
Another way we did it in the past was to have a booth at our local County Fair,
with free forms to fill out for the rod, and the winner picking it up at our shop where we take a picture presenting it and it gets posted in our local paper.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

My very first donation didn't receive a thank you from anyone and turned me off to donations for a long time. I have started to donate again to some functions at my church which are always appreciated. I also usually require to talk to and hand the prize to the winner so I fill them in on it not being just another fishing rod.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

I have donated, but I never "donate". I ALWAYS barter. If I can't barter a sponsorship, then I don't donate. Most times I barter a rod in return for a sponsorship for my other business. Most sponsorships I'm familiar with start at $500 on the lower tiers...usually a good exchange for me.

There are a couple of organizations I donate a rod to every other year or so. I don't expect much in return, but always get thanks and appreciation. If I don't believe in the organization I'm donating to, I don't bother. I always lay out cards and try to be at the event to do a little self promotion as well as support the event.

Bottom line, it's a poor marketing plan, but you should feel good about supporting the organization that receives your donation. You can deduct the cost of the materials from your taxes, so don't forget that.

Terry

If I can put in a plug for the Michigan Rod Builders, I donated some stuff to one of their gatherings, and promptly received a certificate of appreciation and several emails of thanks and support from their members. I wasn't expecting anything in return and the response I got was really overwhelming. Now THAT'S how you do it! A simple thank you does not cost anything yet makes all the difference. Thank you guys. I felt like I was the one receiving the donation!

Dave Boyle

Its not about the Recognition its about the warm and fuzzy you get from helping out the cause. I donate a rod to my Rotary Club fishing tournament silent @#$%& every year. This year was a vintage offshore rod that i refurbished from the handle to the tip. I had over 30hrs in the job. The rod was paired with a 12/0 penn. i went for over $400. I was tickled pink we raised that much money for the charity, thats what its about when you donate. Just my 2c

J Scott
Englewood, Fl

Really great feedback. Glad I asked the question.

Thanks guys!!

I do one annually for an educational foundation that support our small town's schools. Those who have won them have been "tickled pink," and I think the prize is one of the most sought after of the event. Since the event has a couple hundred people and we have a lot of fishermen attending, I've had a number of them ask me to do one for them. I'm just a hobby builder and choose not to get into the selling of them. I'm also so slow that I'd be working below minimum wage. These rods have some design features that make them different from anything these people have ever seen, nothing even close in stores, so there is a big "wow!" factor. I do agree that the attaboys at the meeting and the warm fuzzies about helping a cause are the main things with me.

Those critical of the folks who didn't write thank -you's, have you won prizes at a rod-building seminar? Have you always contacted the donors and thanked them? Or sent them a pic of the product you made with their components? Works both ways.

What is a donor? Is that a component company giving you product to build for donations?

I asked 2 well known component companies for help a few years back and was told no by both. Too many inquiries. Gave em the name of the non profit I work with, a pretty established org too. No help.

Haven't donated a single rod in the past few years that wasn't 100% paid for by me.