From my point of view, as someone who works in a non-profit membership organization, I can see that the fifty bucks for PodCamp Boston is going towards space — the site + utilities like Internet access, power, etc. But, again speaking as someone from the non-profit world, I can also see that it’s going to be hard to convince some folks that this is reasonable. I know this because at work I hear from people who want to volunteer in lieu of paying cash, and while I’m sympathetic I’m also aware that the utilities bills have to be paid in cash, not in volunteer hours.

The only thing I might suggest is that instead of saying that fifty bucks buys you a “sponsorship,” I would change terminology and say that fifty bucks buys you a “membership.” The membership gives you the tangible benefits of attending PodCamp Boston 3 and being first to be notified for the next PodCamp Boston, and it also gives you the intangible benefits that come with personal identification with a membership organization. This may sound a little silly, but over and over again we have seen how the personal identification with a non-profit entity is in fact a real (albeit intangible) benefit — that’s why when you fork over your money to public radio, they call you a member and suddenly you feel much better about forking over your money.

My $.02 worth. Your mileage may vary.

From my point of view, as someone who works in a non-profit membership organization, I can see that the fifty bucks for PodCamp Boston is going towards space — the site + utilities like Internet access, power, etc. But, again speaking as someone from the non-profit world, I can also see that it’s going to be hard to convince some folks that this is reasonable. I know this because at work I hear from people who want to volunteer in lieu of paying cash, and while I’m sympathetic I’m also aware that the utilities bills have to be paid in cash, not in volunteer hours.

The only thing I might suggest is that instead of saying that fifty bucks buys you a “sponsorship,” I would change terminology and say that fifty bucks buys you a “membership.” The membership gives you the tangible benefits of attending PodCamp Boston 3 and being first to be notified for the next PodCamp Boston, and it also gives you the intangible benefits that come with personal identification with a membership organization. This may sound a little silly, but over and over again we have seen how the personal identification with a non-profit entity is in fact a real (albeit intangible) benefit — that’s why when you fork over your money to public radio, they call you a member and suddenly you feel much better about forking over your money.

My $.02 worth. Your mileage may vary.

I agree that Podcamp’s not a right, and I’m not saying it’s wrong to charge for it, or that it’s not worth the admission fee. I’m just saying that the alternative that Chris presented (go to a free PodCamp in another city if you can’t/don’t want to pay the $50 for PCB3) isn’t a reasonable one if you live locally and the $50 is a hardship for you. And really, the only people for whom the $50 would be a consideration are locals, because if you’re already paying to travel to/stay in Boston, another $50 isn’t that big of a deal. I wasn’t commenting on anything but the last paragraph of Chris’s post.

I agree that Podcamp’s not a right, and I’m not saying it’s wrong to charge for it, or that it’s not worth the admission fee. I’m just saying that the alternative that Chris presented (go to a free PodCamp in another city if you can’t/don’t want to pay the $50 for PCB3) isn’t a reasonable one if you live locally and the $50 is a hardship for you. And really, the only people for whom the $50 would be a consideration are locals, because if you’re already paying to travel to/stay in Boston, another $50 isn’t that big of a deal. I wasn’t commenting on anything but the last paragraph of Chris’s post.

I did want to mention one more related thing that I found slightly irksome and frankly a bit confusing when I saw it — the idea that this is a “sponsorship.” People signing up for Podcamp Boston are not “sponsors” any more than I’m a sponsor of Springsteen or the Leafs when I go to see them. Sponsorship implies, among other things, that there’s a choice not to pay. There isn’t.

Let’s call a spade a spade: it’s an admission charge.

I did want to mention one more related thing that I found slightly irksome and frankly a bit confusing when I saw it — the idea that this is a “sponsorship.” People signing up for Podcamp Boston are not “sponsors” any more than I’m a sponsor of Springsteen or the Leafs when I go to see them. Sponsorship implies, among other things, that there’s a choice not to pay. There isn’t.

Let’s call a spade a spade: it’s an admission charge.

* Venue – we picked places that had good wifi, were indoors, etc.

* A/V – nice to have, not necessary, but nice to have a screen projector, etc.

* People – yep.

That’s it. Go run events!

* Venue – we picked places that had good wifi, were indoors, etc.

* A/V – nice to have, not necessary, but nice to have a screen projector, etc.

* People – yep.

That’s it. Go run events!