Equity Sliding Scale Guidelines

Sliding Scale Registration with Equity and Pay It Forward pricing is an option incorporated on the registration page for each workshop and can be accessed at the top of the main Quilt Classes page when registration opens to the general public.

The opportunity to choose among several price options is an experiment in equitable pricing. We're confident that those who join us are committed to being part of a creative crew that is diverse, committed to economic justice, and ready to explore new models for supporting each other (because the old models are unsupportable). Read more below to determine where you fall on the sliding scale.

source: Embracing an Equity Sliding Scale

Do You Qualify for Equity Pricing? Can You Pay It Forward?

  • Consider investing in the standard price if you:

    • are single and/or without dependents

    • are able to repay your student loans, are in repayment or have paid off your student loans

    • have daily reliable transportation

    • have employer health insurance and/or other employer benefits

    • are able to miss work either for sickness or leisure and are still able to pay next month’s bills

    • travel when needed for an unexpected occasion like a family funeral or emergency

  • Consider investing less if you:

    • are supporting children or have other dependents

    • have significant debt

    • have medical expenses not covered by insurance

    • are eligible for public assistance

    • have immigration-related expenses

    • are an elder with limited financial support

    • are an unpaid community organizer

    • are a returning citizen who has been denied work due to incarceration history

    • experience discrimination in hiring or pay level

    • are descended from enslaved people or Native American Indians (as reparation)

  • Consider investing more if you:

    • own the home you live in

    • have investments, retirement accounts or inherited money

    • travel for recreation

    • have access to family money and resources in times of need

    • work part-time or are unemployed by choice, including unemployment due to full-time school in a degree-earning program

    • have a relatively high degree of earning power due to your level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.)

There are a limited amount of equity seats (about 20%) for each livestream quilting class. Please be mindful that if you purchase a ticket at the lowest end of the scale when you can truthfully afford the higher ticket prices, you limit access to those who truly need the gift of financial flexibility.

Likewise if you are able and choose to Pay-It-Forward, more Equity Seats are made available.

When engaging with sliding scale practices, being honest with yourself and your financial situation grows solid and sustainable communities. It also respects the work of teachers and creators, like myself, who are sole providers or have families to support and a mortgage or rent to pay. When creators are paid fairly, we can invest more time and resources in free and lower-cost offerings.   

If you struggle to maintain access to needs such as health care, housing, food, child care, and are living paycheck to paycheck or are in significant debt, you probably belong here and you deserve a community that honors your price as equal an economical offering as the person who can pay the highest tier. Even when the lower tier is still prohibitive, I will work with folks to offer extended payment plans and other solutions — contact Sherri Lynn Wood.