One thing to consider is that a subscription/discount is great if you have the money to put up front, but for those who are low income, it may be out of reach. It doesn’t sit well with me that the people who have money to buy a subscription benefit from a discounted admission fee and the cash-strapped end up paying more because they can’t afford the lump-sum subscription. On the other hand, sliding scale allows more low-income folks access to the dance and the opportunity for financially advantaged to donate to support the dance. I’m pretty sure our dance has done quite well with a sliding scale admission policy. We also do an annual fund-raiser to keep cash flow healthy, but that’s a whole other discussion!
Sarah
Mt Airy Contra, Philadelphia, PA
From: Emily Addison via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Reply-To: Emily Addison <emilyladdison@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025 at 7:46 AM
To: Don Veino <sharedweight_net@veino.com>
Cc: organizers shared weight <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Organizers] Re: Series Subscription Offering
Hi Don,
Cool question!
The Ottawa Contra did this before the pandemic. I've attached a PDF explaining it.
However, when they came back from the pandemic, they moved to sliding scale and got rid of the membership/subscription.
I almost feel as though groups that do that approach might end up feeling a bit more like a club. I know that's definitely the case with the Ottawa English Country Dance club.
Curious what others are doing.
Emily
On Tue, Sep 23, 2025 at 5:30 PM Don Veino via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: