Membership: Difference between revisions

From HackPittsburgh Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
(Started membership page)
Line 1: Line 1:
Please see our [http://www.hackpittsburgh.org/?page_id=9 Membership Page].
HackPGH is a member-driven organization. We believe strongly in the principle of [[Do-ocracy]] and the entire space is maintained by volunteers. If that sounds appealing to you, come join us!
 
===Becoming a Member===
 
Regular membership is $50/month. You'll get an RFID card key for 24/7 access to the shop.
 
Discounted membership is offered for seniors, students and veterans at $30/month.
 
Unfortunately, members must be at least 18 years old.  For some reason, insurance companies really don't like the idea of children and band-saws being part of the same institution, and since we're run by volunteers we can't promise that there will be people around to provide supervision.  If parents are members then they are welcome to bring children 6+ though whenever they are present.
 
There are several other maker spaces in Pittsburgh that are kid-friendly though.  In no particular order:
 
* Assemble PGH: http://assemblepgh.org/
* Children's Museum Makeshop: https://pittsburghkids.org/exhibits/makeshop
* Carnegie Science Center STEM Center: http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/stemcenter/
 
To become a member, sign up at at https://hackpgh.org/get-involved/ -- scroll down a bit to the "Join Now" button.  To get an access key, come to one of the many public events at HackPgh including the [[Meetings|members meetings]] and asking a board member for one.  There should be a board member always available at member's meetings, and at open shop tours on Monday and Saturday nights.  If you need to set up a time outside that, contact the board by either emailing info@hackpgh.org or asking on Slack.
 
===Visitors===
 
You're welcome to visit during public events, including the members meetings (see below) or to stop by for a shop tour, either by contacting the board and scheduling it or by coming to the space during one of the regularly scheduled Open Shop nights, which are currently at 7:30pm on Mondays and Saturdays (or check the calendar at https://hackpgh.org/calendar/ ).
 
=== I don't need to join but just want a place to work on a small project for a day or two, can you help? ===
 
Sure!  The main problem is finding an existing member who can be there while you work, since non-members can't be in the shop un-escorted.  If you know someone willing to do that already, there's no problem.  If not, there's often people around anyway, especially on weekends, and during open shop hours on the calendar.  Members meetings are open to the public and are also a good place to pitch ideas to people.
 
That said, we love doing this.  Previous visitors have included traveling artists, school robotics teams, STEM education workshops from Zimbabwe, all sorts of cool stuff.  All we ask is that you let people know on social media or whatever how awesome we are.  ;-)  Though sticking a donation in the donation box is always welcome.
 
=== I want to build X, is there anyone who can help? Can I hire you guys to make something for me?  ===
 
Like the previous question, the main problem is finding someone to help you out.  HackPGH itself does not generally take commissions or projects as an entity; we've done it a few times and it's seldom gone well.  We aren't organized to be a contract shop and most members are here to have fun, not work for other people.  That said, it does happen.  What you need to do is find one or more individual members who are willing to help out.
 
To do this, you can email <code>info@hackpittsburgh.org</code> and we can pass on your request in our member chatroom channel, or come to a member's meeting and make a pitch. 
 
What we NEED is a mailing list people can post to for that sort of thing and easily connect to members who might be interested, but we don't have one yet.
 
=== I want to join but can't afford it, help? ===
 
Alas, memberships pay the rent for the space, so there's only so much we can do.  There's a few options though:
 
* We have lower-priced memberships for seniors, veterans, students and disabled people.
* Sometimes members will cover other people's membership for a little bit, though it's rare.
* If someone's been a member for a while it's honestly not uncommon for them to go broke for a few months and then make the payment up to the space when they can.
 
More options for helping people out with money are something we want to do, but it's been discussed for a looooong time and we've never found a satisfactory solution.  Providing some slots for people who get membership in exchange for helping maintain the space is probably going to happen at some point though.

Revision as of 09:15, 5 September 2020

HackPGH is a member-driven organization. We believe strongly in the principle of Do-ocracy and the entire space is maintained by volunteers. If that sounds appealing to you, come join us!

Becoming a Member

Regular membership is $50/month. You'll get an RFID card key for 24/7 access to the shop.

Discounted membership is offered for seniors, students and veterans at $30/month.

Unfortunately, members must be at least 18 years old. For some reason, insurance companies really don't like the idea of children and band-saws being part of the same institution, and since we're run by volunteers we can't promise that there will be people around to provide supervision. If parents are members then they are welcome to bring children 6+ though whenever they are present.

There are several other maker spaces in Pittsburgh that are kid-friendly though. In no particular order:

To become a member, sign up at at https://hackpgh.org/get-involved/ -- scroll down a bit to the "Join Now" button. To get an access key, come to one of the many public events at HackPgh including the members meetings and asking a board member for one. There should be a board member always available at member's meetings, and at open shop tours on Monday and Saturday nights. If you need to set up a time outside that, contact the board by either emailing info@hackpgh.org or asking on Slack.

Visitors

You're welcome to visit during public events, including the members meetings (see below) or to stop by for a shop tour, either by contacting the board and scheduling it or by coming to the space during one of the regularly scheduled Open Shop nights, which are currently at 7:30pm on Mondays and Saturdays (or check the calendar at https://hackpgh.org/calendar/ ).

I don't need to join but just want a place to work on a small project for a day or two, can you help?

Sure! The main problem is finding an existing member who can be there while you work, since non-members can't be in the shop un-escorted. If you know someone willing to do that already, there's no problem. If not, there's often people around anyway, especially on weekends, and during open shop hours on the calendar. Members meetings are open to the public and are also a good place to pitch ideas to people.

That said, we love doing this. Previous visitors have included traveling artists, school robotics teams, STEM education workshops from Zimbabwe, all sorts of cool stuff. All we ask is that you let people know on social media or whatever how awesome we are.  ;-) Though sticking a donation in the donation box is always welcome.

I want to build X, is there anyone who can help? Can I hire you guys to make something for me?

Like the previous question, the main problem is finding someone to help you out. HackPGH itself does not generally take commissions or projects as an entity; we've done it a few times and it's seldom gone well. We aren't organized to be a contract shop and most members are here to have fun, not work for other people. That said, it does happen. What you need to do is find one or more individual members who are willing to help out.

To do this, you can email info@hackpittsburgh.org and we can pass on your request in our member chatroom channel, or come to a member's meeting and make a pitch.

What we NEED is a mailing list people can post to for that sort of thing and easily connect to members who might be interested, but we don't have one yet.

I want to join but can't afford it, help?

Alas, memberships pay the rent for the space, so there's only so much we can do. There's a few options though:

  • We have lower-priced memberships for seniors, veterans, students and disabled people.
  • Sometimes members will cover other people's membership for a little bit, though it's rare.
  • If someone's been a member for a while it's honestly not uncommon for them to go broke for a few months and then make the payment up to the space when they can.

More options for helping people out with money are something we want to do, but it's been discussed for a looooong time and we've never found a satisfactory solution. Providing some slots for people who get membership in exchange for helping maintain the space is probably going to happen at some point though.