How can I support you?
The organizing team offers all Decide Together events as a gift. This means that no one is required to pay to participate, and we ask everyone to contribute as much as they are willing and able.
If you want to learn more about our gift economy approach, you can read through this page.
If you just want to send us money or offer support, here are two quick things you can do right now:
- Invite people to join our events or gift us money
- Send us a financial gift to support our events
You can choose your own amount or read this simple guidance to help you decide.
What do you mean by financial gifts?
We ask people to gift us money to help cover our costs and some of our living expenses. We are taking on more risk by choosing not to charge people for participating in our events because we really want to move away from capitalism. This is a small step towards our dream of a world where resources flow freely to where they are needed, also called the gift economy.
We invite you to choose an amount that considers both your needs and ours, including any funding you can use from an organization or program. You can gift us money even if you don’t participate, and you are more than welcome to participate even if you are not able to gift us any money.
Yes, you can join our events without sending us any money, they truly are a gift. At the same time, we need money to be able to offer them. So we ask for your help with making our offerings sustainable. We appreciate any contribution you choose to offer.
If you want to engage more deeply with what it takes to transition toward a needs-based economy, we also offer a longer guided process.
How can I send you financial gifts?
The easiest way to send us money is through our fundraiser on whydonate.
If you need alternative options or support, please contact us.
Gifts are not related to your participation. We are grateful for any amount you are willing to offer.
If you need a specific price to get access to training funds or financial support from your organization, use the paid registration option.
Simple guidance for gifts
One way to choose an amount is to consider what your gifts would enable us to do. We hope this helps you connect with the meaning of your gifts and how they care for the needs of organizers and participants.
You are also welcome to choose a different amount, this guidance is just here to support you. If you would like to reflect more or do some inner work on transitioning away from capitalism, see our guided process for gifting.
- €30 is about what we need per participant to offer an online session for 20 people
- €50 feeds one participant at an in-person event
- €100 – €200 covers a basic expense like storage space or materials
- €350 provides everything we need to support one participant during in-person event
- €400 – €600 cares for the sustainability of two facilitators offering an online session
- €700 or more can cover expenses and travel for people who need financial support to be able to join an in-person event
Can I help in other ways?
We welcome anything you feel moved to offer. Here are a few examples for inspiration. You could:
- invite people to gift us money or join one of our events
- post or share about our events
- self-organize additional sessions or satellite events
- help create content for our website or materials for the events
If you want to join the organizing team or coordinate a satellite event with us, please email us at cdme-support@googlegroups.com or stop by one of our weekly planning meetings.
Can I get a standard price?
We realize that gifting can be a big leap for some people when most of us live in capitalist societies that value profit and competition. Social norms and habits like “I should get a good deal” or “it’s not ok to pay less” often disconnect people from their needs, sense of choice, and the joy of giving and receiving.
We want to welcome everyone regardless of their willingness or ability to engage with gifting. If you want simplicity, just send us whatever is affordable for you between €20 and €450. Our simple guidance may also help you choose an amount. Every gift helps!
If you need a specific price to get access to training funds or financial support from your organization, use the paid registration option.
How much money is needed?
We self-organize using collaborative leadership, with people joining and contributing as much as they are willing. Some work is offered as a gift, while some is still provided in exchange for money. This makes it a bit difficult to predict what would be sustainable over time.
Our current estimate is around 18.000 euros to organize an in-person event with a series of online sessions before and after. This includes costs for the venue, catering, and travel for organizers. We provide updates on how much money we have received and how we use it (we value transparency!).
What if I’m only attending an online session?
We realize it may be a difficult shift, and our hope is that people will gift us money based on what they are willing and able to, not based on what they attend. You can send us $20 or €1000, regardless of how you choose to participate.
If we don’t receive enough money to cover our costs, we will choose and adjust what we offer based on our sense of what would serve the most needs. We may only offer sessions online – but we really want to meet in person.
If we receive more than we need, we plan to gift some of the money to people who would not be able to join without financial support. We may also use it to hold another event (yay!).
What if I need a paid registration?
If you need proof of a paid registration or a listed price to get access to funds, please use these guidelines and process (for example if you are using a training budget, expense reimbursement, or grant money). We also send receipts for gifts, but they are not related to your registration or participation.
Prices for paid registration (in-person event):
- Standard registration – main event: 350 euros
- Registration for half-days before or after: 75 euros each
- Discounted registration for non-profits: 200 euros
Process for paid registration:
- Complete the registration form and select the option for paid registration
- Include your organization’s or program’s invoice details and payment process
- We will send you an invoice or contact you for additional information