<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Our model here at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity is a tiered membership. Members pay a fixed rate monthly (no long term commitment) with a discount for volunteering or they pay a one time fee and $15/day to use the facility as Associate Members. The break even depends on what tier of membership (Student, Regular or Super-User) but is generally about 3 days. Regular and Associate members can come in during open hours (T,Th,Fr 6-10pm, Sat/Sun 2-10pm), Super-users get 24x7 access and storage space. <br>
<br></div><div>We also have an industrial membership category where a company can purchase fixed or floating memberships for employees. <br></div><div><br></div>After 10 months of operation, we are at 160 members, with about 30% Associate members, 37% Regular, 20% Super-User, 10% Student, and 3% Industry. <br>
<br></div><div>Setting up a recurring payment system has been key in maintaining a consistent revenue stream. One of our folks wrote some code to talk to Seltzer (the membership system) to do the billing and it has been a godsend. <br>
</div><div><br></div>Volunteers get $20/month off their base fee ($30 student, $60 Regular, $100 Super) for working 2 4 hour shifts a month. That's been quite popular. <br><br></div>Folks who want to do a class set their own fees and split it with the space. <br>
<br></div>We also as an initial fund raiser auctioned off member numbers 0-10, and a few vanity numbers (42, etc). Between that and some other things, we raised about $6k at our soft opening. <br><br></div>We are also a 503c, so we can give folks a tax credit for donations of cash and equipment (but not memberships).<br>
<br></div>Gotta be working ok so far as we just landed a $550,000 grant to buy and renovate a building! More on that in a later post. <br><br></div>Bob<br><div><div><div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra">
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 4:18 PM, Joshua Pritt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ramgarden@gmail.com" target="_blank">ramgarden@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">matt that reminds me of the donation things you see at museums and science centers where you drop your coins down the chute and it rolls around and around in a smaller circle until it defies gravity spinning sideways and falls into the bank at the bottom. I can see how to apply this for hackerspaces with other ideas that require your coins or money to do something cool. good idea!</div>
<div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5">
<div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 4:09 PM, matt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:matt@nycresistor.com" target="_blank">matt@nycresistor.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div>one more idea, from noisebridge ( also seen at hackerdojo )<br><br></div>build a neat interactive art piece that incorporates a bill collector, or a credit card reader system. people give a donation... art piece reacts. skies the limit on how.<br>
<br></div>result is people will donate money just to see the thing react.<span><font color="#888888"><br><br></font></span></div><span><font color="#888888">-matt<br></font></span></div><div>
<div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 4:01 PM, Florencia Edwards <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:floev22@gmail.com" target="_blank">floev22@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">thanks matt, we are doing this with some members! OTher members are not intrested in doing classes, so it's just a few</div>
<div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2013/12/19 matt <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:matt@nycresistor.com" target="_blank">matt@nycresistor.com</a>></span><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div><div>one of the things nyc resistor tried is basically reducing membership rates for members that taught x number of classes at the space. this lead to the space getting money from classes, the member getting money, and there being more classes.<br>
<br></div>wins all around.<span><font color="#888888"><br><br></font></span></div><span><font color="#888888">-matt<br></font></span></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
<div><div>On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 3:43 PM, David Francos <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:me@davidfrancos.net" target="_blank">me@davidfrancos.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div>2013/12/19 Florencia Edwards <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:floev22@gmail.com" target="_blank">floev22@gmail.com</a>></span><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">Thanks dave for your answer . Alan, I agree on the community, but i'm thinking this hour rates for a virtual community we have but don't have the money to spend on a whole month in the makerspace, but for sure would do it if it was for hours (less money and time). to use some tools. So the community exists, we have a forum and we are friends, but they just don't have the money. I don't know what to do to include them</div>
</blockquote><div><br></div></div><div>Why not simply doing a special price for people with less resources?</div><div>If you've got a strong community, consult with them, most probable thing is they'll be ok paying more than people who couldn't affor the hackerspace otherwise.</div>
<div>We at Dlabs Hackerspace (Spain) did that for a while, and those members ended up paying the full wage when they could. We've got even a free-comunity member that donates material and hours of his time to the hackerspace instead of money. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Things are a bit different, we've got 450€ of full outcome (and 330 of regular income + donations + beer + paid talks / events, that are given / organished by volunteers). Remember that there are more ways to provide for a hackerspace than just memberships =)</div>
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