Adult Camper (19+)

Vermont Witchcamp Sliding Scale

An Invitation to further VWC’s Economic Justice Impact

Much of this document was created from the established writings by Alexis J. Cunningfolk’s
The Sliding Scale: A Tool of Economic Justice (aka The Green Bottle Method)

Vermont Witchcamp Organizers have developed an invitation for registrants to consider a tiered level registration fee structure, also known as a sliding scale. Tiered fees or sliding scales are meant to make Vermont Witchcamp more accessible for those who experience financial barriers, are looking for reparations pricing, have high travel expenses, and are underrepresented in our community. Paying a higher tiered registration fee amount allows VWC to provide more opportunities to campers and our endeavor to better compensate Teachers, RFT, and Organizers for their labor and service to VWC every year. 

Organizers are inviting campers to engage this model of payment which will bolster socioeconomic equanimity and organizational resilience. Offering a sliding scale for Vermont Witchcamp comes from a desire to create multiple access points for all who are called to attend camp. Vermont Witchcamp is inviting campers to consider this registration model so that folks from a diversity of economic backgrounds, legacies of structural oppression, and campers from countries outside of the United States might take part with greater ease. No one is required to register at a higher tier than the third tier (more described below). It is completely voluntary.

First, if you're unfamiliar with what class is and why it matters, please visit classmatters.org to learn more and check out the additional resources listed at the end of this post.

Paying a smaller amount is recommended for those who would not otherwise be able to afford the estimated value. Please choose an amount that you will be able to pay, but will not hinder your ability to afford food, housing, etc. By paying as much as you can, VWC is able to serve more of our community members and to foster diversifying who we co-create the magickal space with.

The sliding scale is a tool that allows for a product or service to be obtained at various price points based on the circumstances of the purchaser. Typically, the scale or tiers will be set in a chart for the purchaser to consider with reverence where they fall. This method allows folks who would most likely be priced out of something to have the chance to take part in it. It also seeks to address the systemic inequalities of class in our culture.

The sliding scale represents the idea that financial resources, including income, are not and should not be the only determining factor in whether or not someone can access services, or in our case, camp. Service providers, organizations, and institutions usually offer a sliding scale because there is a commitment to serving individuals and/or communities that would otherwise not be able to afford the offerings. Often, these organizations actively seek external funding to establish financial stability and fill in the economic gaps that sliding scale does not provide for. For a small organization like Vermont Witchcamp, we do not receive any outside funding to supplement sliding scale discounts, so we must take into account what we are able to offer and still be able to keep Vermont Witchcamp in a financially stable and resilient place.

For a sliding scale to work it relies on the principles of truthfulness, respect for complexity, and accountability. VWC will not ask for income verification. VWC trusts community members to be honest. Community thrives when accountability is a central value, because that is where trust grows and depth work can be done. Teachers, RFT, and Organizers deserve to be compensated and campers deserve offerings which recognize the multiple realities of economic access and privilege that exist.

Let’s explore the idea of sacrifice versus hardship when examining access. If paying for camp would be difficult, but not detrimental, it qualifies as a sacrifice. You might have to cut back on other spending in your life (such as going out to dinner, buying coffee, or a new outfit), but this will not have a long term harmful impact on your life. It is a sacred sacrifice in order to pursue something you are called to do. If, however, paying for camp would lead to a harmful impact on your life, such as not being able to put food on the table, pay rent, or pay for your transportation to get to work or appointments, then you are dealing with hardship. Folks coming from a space of hardship typically qualify for the lower end of the sliding scale. VWC finds the idea of sacrifice versus hardship to be a very useful nuance when talking about class and access because it recognizes and respects that paying for something might still be a challenge even if it is just a short-term one, while giving appropriate space for those who are dealing with financial hardship.

What do camper registration fees pay for?

The $625 adult registration fee covers:

• Farm and Wilderness fee per person ($300), including lodging, food, and facilities 

• All other VWC expenses, including but not limited too:

  • Financial aid and work exchange budgets

  • BIPOC reparation scholarships

  • Teacher & RFT compensation

  • Administrative costs

  • Liability Insurance 

  • Payment Processing

  • Tent and porta potty rentals, firewood

Any donations offered above this $625 fee may go towards:

• Recouping losses from operating at a deficit (choosing to prioritize making camp happen even with a smaller amount of campers)

• Compensating Organizers with a comped registration fee and/or stipend (we do not currently have any compensation for Organizers in our budget, without additional donations to cover it)

• Additional scholarships for campers

• Additional BIPOC reparation scholarships

• A greater annual donation to a local indigenous-held organization

• Supporting exchange rate reciprocity to reduce barriers for Canadian campers to attend

• Bolstering equanimity justice and other accessibility barriers

• Bolstering our annual contribution to the BIRCH council

• Increasing compensation rates for our Teachers and RFT in future years 

Typically, there are a limited number of spaces offered at the fourth tier of the scale.  Please be mindful that if you register at the lowest tier of the scale when you can truthfully afford the third or higher tiers, you are limiting access to those who truly need the gift of financial flexibility. By paying as much as you can, we are able to serve more of our community members.

Suggested Camp Fees

* Basic Needs include food, housing, health care, and transportation.
** Expandable Income might mean you are able to buy coffee or tea at a shop, go to the movies or a concert, buy new clothes, books, and similar items each month, etc.

First Tier
$925 or higher

If you have access to financial security, own property or other assets, have personal savings, have benefited from generational wealth or inheritance, you would not traditionally qualify for sliding scale services. If you are able to pay for "wants" and spend little to no time worrying about securing necessities in your life, you have economic privilege and power in our community. This price is likely for you.

Second Tier
$725

If you have access to a steady middle-class or higher income and rarely think about how to meet your basic needs such as food, shelter, medical care, child care, etc., you belong here. If you have access to social capital, an ability to ask others for financial support, such as family members, partners, or friends, please consider using those personal resources before you use the resources of the sliding scale, work exchange, and financial aid which can limit opportunities for others.

Third Tier
$625

This tier is our minimum full payment for camp tuition. If you are struggling to conquer debt or build savings but have access to steady income with the ability to plan for an expense like camp, perhaps with some sacrifices but not hardship, then this tier is likely for you. It is reasonable that some folks in this tier would benefit from work exchange and/or financial aid offerings depending on family and life situations.  If that is the case, please indicate your need on your registration form.

Fourth Tier
$100 to $425

If you struggle to maintain access to basic 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 an equal economic offering to the person who can pay the first tier.  Please indicate on your registration form that you would like financial aid or work exchange.

Additional Resources

• Let’s Talk Class

• Reclaiming Principles of Unity

• Anti-Racism Curriculum for Reclaiming Groups

• Beyond Scarcity: Marketing Access Not Fear

• Embracing an Equitable Sliding Scale

• Ride Free: Fearless Money Management Sliding Scale Discussion

• Check out Hadassah Damien's exploration of the sliding scale which includes a number of sliding scale examples for everyone to learn from.

• Read Patty Adam's of Durham Healing Arts and Yoga for Queers + Misfits thoughts on the sliding scale and donation-based classes.

• Working Definitions of Class

• Where We Stand: Class Matters by bell hooks

• Class Matters: Cross-Class Alliance Building for Middle-Class Activists by Betsy Leondar-Wright