We may not be fully sustainable on our own yet, but I think that with each passing month we are getting closer and closer to that goal. In the time since I've left I've seen many new names be added to the list of members. I think there would be cause for concern if that wasn't happening, but it is.
As Mark said, SkSp will always be about people donating their time (and their money) to the continuation of the space. But this is a proven business model for orgs such as ours and I think we should continue to embrace it. I think I mentioned it in the past that in my experience of sitting on a different board, that organization met at a semi-private school. Each time we had a meeting, we made a resolution to donate $40 or something to the school, in exchange for letting us use their facilities. That board had money in the bank, so I wouldn't expect it from every org that uses our space, but I think it's the right attitude towards using our space. A gentle, non-direct request for donations in exchange for our facilities wouldn't hurt anybody - and nobody would be obliged to donate if they couldn't/didn't want to. As much as there's shared worries about the financial future of the space, it seems like we are on the right track, and now is the time to re-focus our sustainability strategies on growing our membership base through value-added content, like workshops and circuit-bending nights and everything else. In the future, it would be greatly satisfying to see a calendar with an event/workshop almost every night - everything from hacker-themed cooking classes to PGP how-tos to CTFs etc etc - that will be the draw for people to join and donate their time. If I'm around in August, feel free to put me down for a multi-evening course teaching Rhinoceros 3D modeling and VRay rendering skills! I'll help out with SkSp however I can. And of course Friday night movie nights :) -Justin On 3 May 2014 01:33, Mark Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm very pleased to hear that a portion of the fees were paid to SkSp as >> a thank-you for using the space. >> > > I see it more than just thank-you but as respectful rent decided on > upfront -- if she's making money teaching to mostly non-members then > Skullspace deserves a cut for its contribution. > > It's different if is someone is charging money for a members-only workshop > (then Skullspace needs no rent as Skullspace is getting value by a member > specific or member discounted service being delivered) or if the room is > used by something like a usergroup (where nobody is getting paid). > > For usergroups with hacker worthy subject matter, we might not want to go > as far as asking rent, but to make a requirement that they circulate a > collection donation cup/hat/pot to their attendees each time they use the > room. > > Even our internal events with non-members showing up should include a good > cup passing beg moment when we've got the crowd in our palms. > > _______________________________________________ > SkullSpace Discuss Mailing List > Help: http://www.skullspace.ca/wiki/index.php/Mailing_List#Discuss > Archive: https://groups.google.com/group/skullspace-discuss-archive/ >
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