Dues

Dues are due the first of each month, with a 5 day grace period to remain in good standing (as per http://www.hackpittsburgh.org/membership)

There are several options for paying monthly shop dues. All payments must be in US Dollars.

We used to have just one, Paypal. But Paypal charges a hefty fee, and we've also had requests from members for other options.

Based on investigations made in late 2012, we settled on the following options, listed in order of HackPittsburgh's preference, best first:

• PopMoney recurring payment
• PopMoney one time payment
• Cash
• Paypal recurring payment
• Paypal one time payment

Members are encouraged to pick the first item on the list that meets their needs.

NOTES: PopMoney is free for PNC account holders. Some members reported in March of '13 that their banks charge a fee for use. As such it is up to each individual member to decide if they want to make an additional donation to the shop by paying that fee, or if they wish to choose a different method.

Cash has a special procedure (see any council member for the current process) so that we can track the funds appropriately. Members paying in cash are responsible for following the current procedure (see any council member). Payments that do not follow that process will not be credited.

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History of payment options. In the course of our investigation, we were balancing the convenience for members against the hassle for the shop. Two other options we investigated but did not choose:

• Bitcoin - not enough members can pay in bitcoin, and our landlord does not accept it. Any member wishing to convert bitcoin to USD for another member to pay their dues is welcome to do so. Same any other currency.
• Dwolla - this was initially very promising as their fee is quite low. However as we investigated further, Dwolla requires providing information equivalent to setting up a bank account. The shop treasurer was not comfortable with the kind and amount of information requested, nor with the remedies available should a transaction go awry (oops, you gave all your money to HackPittsburgh, that's so cool! Oh, that was a mistake, oh well, sucks to be you. I exaggerate, but only slightly for effect). This option may become available in the future if their requirements change, but weren't going to offer an option to the membership that council members were not comfortable themselves using.