[hackerspaces] Member Ebb and Flow

[punkin3.14]

On 10-10-04 2:35 PM, tetsu yatsu wrote:

> Are we wrong to have a fluid membership in our hackerspace? Do we expect
> people to contribute on a consistent basis? Is it alright if some members
> don't show up for a few months, or are we supposed to focus on keeping the
> space prominent in the minds of our members? Are we doing something wrong?

Ultimately, all that matters is that the way you run things facilitates
member use of the space, rather than interferes with. If you're not
unduly stressed by current arrangements, and people are able to do what
they want to do at FAMiLab, then its all good.

If its causing you stress, or you find that the space isn't providing
you and your members with everything that you/they want, then you may
want to look at doing things differently.

At KwartzLab, our comfort zone is to have all core expenses (rent,
insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc,) shared equally by all members.
That's something the membership decided early on. We keep our financial
commitments slightly below what our membership can afford, and stockpile
the extra as a buffer, in case of emergency. We're happy to accept
donations towards specific tools or projects, but not towards the
day-to-day running expense of our space. If our membership dropped, we'd
downsize our operations. Your comfort zone may be different. Your
comfort is what matters.

Because our comfort zone depends on reliable, long-term members, we've
set membership policies which actively discourage people from coming and
going. Specifically, we have a $100 sign-up fee. If somebody decides to
leave for a few months (and not pay their membership dues during that
period), they are required to repay that sign-up fee when they return.
As often as not, our members opt to continue paying dues (and thus keep
their membership in good standing) even when they know they won't be in
for a few months. I believe they do this because they feel a strong
sense of ownership of, and responsibility for, the space, even when they
aren't actively using it.

It comes back to deciding what sort of culture you want to cultivate,
and then doing things which promote that culture.


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