Creative Coworkers Needs Your Help
Creative Coworkers Needs You!
Hey there friend. I'm reaching out to you in hopes that you'll help to keep the Creative Coworkers community alive.
August is notoriously the quietest month of the year for coworking spaces, and we are at a shortfall for rent. According to our lease, 15 days of non payment is grounds for repossession, and we have until Monday to make up the difference. This is a campaign to raise $5,000 -- enough to close the gap this month and next, and give us the chance to double down on building a plan for the sustainability of this community.
Our story isn't unique - everyone talks about commercial real estate issues and how they're affecting cultural spaces. The operating cost aspect of our rent has increased by $30,000 per year in just three years - that’s an almost 30% increase.
Somehow, miraculously, we've stayed afloat, mainly because I've taken other work to bridge the gap. I’ve been, hoping that something will shift, after all of these conversations about this issue of space and how small businesses just can't afford to survive.
In the past three years, we've supported a huge number of organizations and individuals with free or discounted access to this space - for events, workshops, work space, production and more. We've prioritized access for folks with barriers to entry and challenges in space finding and using. I'll include a list at the end of this message.
I've seen this community as a co-creation, you and me, us together. There are so few spaces that are safe and accessible, for us to come together and work on changing the world for the better, or gaining essential stability in our work. I don't want to lose this one. And I need your help.
We're working on a longer term sustainability plan. We're looking at a ton of partnerships and grant opportunities. There are some deep systemic issues in accessing funding for us, and all of the granting bodies are aware of the issues - grants and funding tends to prioritize big organizations over small ones, programming over operational funding, art over culture. Organizational thinking is slow to change - but they understand the problems now, and are working to make a shift
But they need time. And we need time.
I'm hoping that you will buy in, not just donate. There are several ways you can help, and get value in return.
Any amount helps. We're grateful for every dollar.
For Individuals
- Donations over $45 get you an annual membership, which includes two free hours every month in the meeting room, plus reduced rates for additional hours and/or use of the production studio
- Donations over $100 may be used as a credit for usage of either desk space or meeting room/production studio
- if you purchase two months of desk usage on any desk membership, we'll give you the third month free.
For Organizations
- A donation over $125 gets you an annual organizational membership, which includes two free hours every month in the meeting room, plus reduced rates for additional hours and the ability to co-host one happy hour (great for volunteer appreciation, for example.
- A donation of $250 or more may be used as a credit for event space usage.
- A donation of $500 will get you one weekend night event rental
Other ways you can help
We need this money, right now. But we also need more people to know about what we have available, and use the space for all of the great things it has to offer. We need people to know that we have room for all kinds of amazing people, who may feel marginalized or unsafe in many other spaces. We need you, because you need us too!
• Tell people about Creative Coworkers!
• Share it the studio and this campaign on your social channels.
• Give us a review on Google, Yelp or Facebook.
• Write a letter to us explaining how we've supported you, so that we can pass it on to funders.
• Sign up for a membership
• Book a meeting space or the production studio
• Host an event here.
Thanks so much for all that you do.