|
Hi there! So... it's been a month It's been a month now since I've created the Sliding Scale Tool, and honestly, I've been genuinely moved by how many people got excited about something that could help their community choose with a little less ambiguity. What you may not know is that I actually started looking into creating this tool about a year ago. But let's back it up even more. Where this all started (hint: it wasn't me) The first time I came across sliding scale pricing was through Michelle C. Johnson. During the upheaval of Black Lives Matter, Michelle was offering an online retreat called Healing Refuge for People of Color, and when I looked to sign up, I saw that she offered not just three different prices (community, sustainer and supporter) but also the option of scholarships if someone could not afford it. I remembered that I googled “Sliding Scale Pricing” and came across resources and explanations from Alexis J. Cunningfolk of Worts & Cunning which you may know as the Green Bottle Model and Britt Hawthorne’s work in Embracing and Equitable Sliding Scale. Now looking back, friend, I'm so glad that my journey of learning from Michelle grew in so many more ways. I enrolled in a 75 hour Continued Education training, immersions, workshops and many many more. And eventually was invited to be in a Skill in Action mentorship program. What I noticed about how I made choices across the tiers What I realized in each and every one of these programs I enrolled in, I had chosen all the tiers (yep, all of them, at different points) because as a freelancer, my income fluctuated, and knowing that I had financial support from Charles, and a family that would gladly support me financially if anything ever did happen, I could make financial choices that were not solely dependent on my own income. I also realized that my choices were highly dependent on the price of the offering, whether there were payment plans (if the price was high) and honestly, what was going on in the world at that time too. In a way, friend, I have both chosen to pay below my means and above my means. This makes me imperfect in many many ways. And as someone who created this Sliding Scale tool, I'm sharing this with you because it is important for me to share that this tool is not going to magically get people to choose the "right tier," but it is going to encourage people to think about the ways in which they contribute. This tool is one answer, not the answer And while the tool may be my answer (read: one answer out of many) to encouraging how folks engage with the Sliding Scale on digital communication platforms, from websites, to scheduling softwares, to even emails, if your work is mostly in person, you may have other ways. Some folks suggested zines, training your staff with questions like "how do they want to contribute to the community they want to be a part of." And I'm sure there are many more ways than what's been shared here and you friend, probably have something that you’ve relied on. All this to say, justice requires many tools. And most times, we need a whole ecosystem of them. In my experience, tools come up when we are wrestling with the issue and try to come up with solutions for it. The tool, finally You can try it out for free.
You can self embed it.
You can beep me to install it for you (I might even get in there and improve your website experience while I'm at it).
|
