[hackerspaces] question about hackerspace hourly rate, what do you think

[Shirley Hicks]

Bob - how does that volunteering rate affect your cash flow? Have you been doing this since earliest days? At the Red Mountain Maker space, we're trying to figure out how many volunteer discounts we can afford as we're still building membership. We haven't reached our projected break-even point of 40 members yet . We also aren't losing cash either, as our landlord has been _extremely_ accommodating during our bootstrap phase, and has been giving us a significant break on the rent while we power up.

Shirley Hicks
Board member-at-large
Red Mountain Makers
5502 1st Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35212

Email: redmtnadm at redmountainmakers.org
Home email: shirley at velochicdesign.com
www.redmountainmakers.org
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On Dec 19, 2013, at 6:19 PM, Alan Fay <emptyset at freesideatlanta.org> wrote:

> Bob, congrats on your grant!  
> 
> What are you using or what system do you have in place to manage access control?  For example, how do you ensure that an Associate member cannot visit the space after open hours?
> 
> 
> On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 5:42 PM, Bob Bownes <bownes at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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. 
> 
> We also have an industrial membership category where a company can purchase fixed or floating memberships for employees. 
> 
> 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. 
> 
> 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. 
> 
> 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. 
> 
> Folks who want to do a class set their own fees and split it with the space. 
> 
> 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. 
> 
> We are also a 503c, so we can give folks a tax credit for donations of cash and equipment (but not memberships).
> 
> 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. 
> 
> Bob
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 4:18 PM, Joshua Pritt <ramgarden at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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!
> 
> 
> On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 4:09 PM, matt <matt at nycresistor.com> wrote:
> one more idea, from noisebridge ( also seen at hackerdojo )
> 
> 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.
> 
> result is people will donate money just to see the thing react.
> 
> -matt
> 
> 
> On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 4:01 PM, Florencia Edwards <floev22 at gmail.com> wrote:
> thanks matt, we are doing this with some members! OTher members are not intrested in doing classes, so it's just a few
> 
> 
> 2013/12/19 matt <matt at nycresistor.com>
> 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.
> 
> wins all around.
> 
> -matt
> 
> 
> On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 3:43 PM, David Francos <me at davidfrancos.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> 2013/12/19 Florencia Edwards <floev22 at gmail.com>
> 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
> 
> Why not simply doing a special price for people with less resources?
> 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.
> 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. 
> 
> 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 =)
> 
> 






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