Tiered Payment Scheme - An Explanation

Why the complicated array of payment options?

It results from the confluence of two facts.
  Fact #1 is fundamental: TheTreasures.org is committed to keeping its basic prices low. The goal is to offer access to great texts to a wide audience, and cost should not be an obstacle. Hence “Tier 1,” the basic asking price, has risen only very slowly across the years.
  Fact #2 comes from experience: it has turned out over the years that the basic prices in Tier 1 are simply not enough to sustain the program long-term. By way of comparison, even a non-profit corporation has to pay its employees minimum wage. When Tier 1 was the only option, the conveners of the groups were getting paid somewhere around half that.
  So we needed a way to allow and encourage participants who have the means to do so to contribute more. That’s Tiers 2 and 3, which work out to roughly 1.5x and 2.5x the basic prices, respectively.

Which Tier should I use?

Ultimately that’s entirely up to you. But here are a few suggestions:

(1) Contribute by your ability! (Compare, if you like, Acts of the Apostles 4:32 ff.) People come to the program from a wide range of backgrounds, and it makes perfect sense that some would pay less, others more.

(2) Contribute according to how much you value what happens here! We have repeatedly heard participants say that they would willingly pay two to three times our basic asking prices. Of course, not everyone can do that; but if you can, please do. It will be a great short-term help and a serious contribution to the ability of TheTreasures.org to keep functioning for years to come.

(3) Repeat customers who are willing and able to use one of the higher tiers are particularly helpful, because they give the program a higher level of predictable income. (Some businesses - notably glossy magazines - more or less force their customers to pay more as time goes on, by offering low introductory rates and then sending the price through the roof at renewal time. Here we’re trying a gentler approach by asking instead.)

(4) Participants in biweekly groups are particularly encouraged to use the higher tiers if they can. Since prices are calculated according to the number of class sessions, biweekly groups provide about half the income of the weeklies; but because they frequently cover difficult or unfamiliar texts, they often require the convener to do much more work each week. Those who are able to contribute more will help restore a more equitable balance between effort and reward.

Do users of Tiers 2 and 3 receive anything for their larger contributions?

Only the satisfaction (we hope it’s a strong one) of being involved, of supporting the long-term survival and health of a program they care about. As far as material rewards go, the program will treat every participant the same, regardless of the level of contribution. The convener of your group may well forget who has paid what.

What about the different payment options within each Tier?

Those are the same as they have been for years; they offer participants maximum flexibility. Participants who are uncertain about how many sessions they can attend may wish to pay one at a time. Those who are confident that they will be at many can receive a discount by paying three at a time or (the cheapest option) by paying for an entire term -- Fall, Winter, or Spring -- at once. Please do take note of the refund policies shown just above the buttons for purchasing the multi-session options.

And that wildcard option at the bottom of the page?

That adds flexibility to the Tiers! For example, some people may want to contribute more than Tier 2 but less than Tier 3; they can do so by electing Tier 2 and then adding more (in $10 increments) by “purchasing” one or more “wildcard additions.” It’s possible to go beyond Tier 3 that way too, of course, as you’ll need to do if you’re one of those enthusiastic participants who values the groups at 3x the basic price.
  Of course it’s also still possible to pay by check, which makes it easy to contribute any amount you like. Use the contact link at the top of the page if you’d like to request that option.

Payment Page