Covers your participation in the Liberating Structures Immersion and supports fair facilitator compensation.
We use a Contribution Within Capacity model because this is more than a training. It’s a regional build.
Liberating Structures immersions are often joyful and energizing. But after the “workshop high” fades, some participants stop using them: not because the methods don’t work, but because they’re practicing alone. Without ongoing peer support, deliberate practice, and visible use in real work, it's harder to get the habit of distributing participation and control to stick.
If LS is going to truly take root in our community, we need more than a great day together. We need a diverse, cross-sector community of people who continue experimenting, learning, and applying these structures in real meetings.
That’s why this immersion is also like a talkoot: a kind of barn-raiser for participatory practice in our region. If we can get 20-40+ participants together here, we'll easily be able to continue hosting ourselves in an ongoing monthly free/by donation local "LS User Group."
We believe Contribution Within Capacity helps make this kind of participation possible. It allows us to:
Keep the door open to facilitators, nonprofit leaders, internal managers, and civic actors alike
Avoid scholarship gatekeeping or awkward justification
Sustain the real costs of hosting and facilitation
Share responsibility for building something that benefits all of us
The simple guideline, inspired by Miki Kashtan, is:
Give the most you can without overstretching or resentment.
If your participation is organization-funded or you’re well resourced, we invite you to contribute at the sustaining or commons-builder level.
If finances are tight, choose the accessibility level.
When more people can participate, the practice spreads.
When the practice spreads, it becomes normal.
And when it becomes normal, it lasts.
That’s the intention behind this model.
Can you comfortably meet your needs for housing, food, and transportation?
Do you experience financial stress regularly?
Would this registration create real strain in your monthly budget?
The Green Bottle image below offers examples of what different financial realities can look like, as do the questions you can use here to help you discern what pricing would be supportive of the context:
Consider:
Do you own property or have access to family financial support?
Do you have savings, investments, or retirement accounts?
Is your participation covered by your organization?
Do you have high earning potential due to education, class background, or social privilege; even if you are not currently exercising it?
If you are well-resourced or organization-funded, we invite you to contribute at the Sustainability or Commons Builder level.
You may consider contributing at the Accessibility level if you:
Live paycheck to paycheck
Carry significant debt
Support dependents
Experience structural discrimination that limits income or opportunity
Receive public assistance
Have limited or no savings
You do not need to justify this to anyone.
After reviewing the tiers, notice:
Which number feels spacious?
Which number feels tight?
Which number feels aligned; supportive but not stressful?
That felt sense matters for your selection.
This immersion is also a regional barn-raiser. For Liberating Structures to truly take root in our local community, we need a broad mix of leaders, facilitators, nonprofit staff, civic actors, and community organizers practicing together. Our goal is to have a large, diverse group of participants.
When participation widens, the practice spreads.
When the practice spreads, it takes root.
And when it takes root, it grows.
Your contribution helps make that possible.*
*And if you want to see the logic for the pricing that makes this possible.
I was introduced to this helpful graphic by Hadassah Damien's blog post HERE.