Rope Study Studio Renovation
Donation protected
Rope Study is a group of rope art enthusiasts in the Richmond, VA area who are dedicated to bringing quality education to the local community to support the responsible, risk-aware development of the art.
We’ve been offering our services for the past four years at a cost significantly below the average. We keep our prices low because we want everyone who has an interest in rope art to have access to quality education, and we charge only enough to make the work sustainable for us to cover related expenses (like online hosting, video creation and storage, facility maintenance, and continued research and study). [For example, our current round of courses consists of 6 class sessions, each class session running 3 to 4 hours in length, for which we only charge $50/person for the entire course. Admission includes in-person instruction and access to online materials and training videos. That's about $2/hour for instruction and resources.]
Recently, we gained the ability to have a new (though small) studio space that will allow us to continue to offer low-cost classes (rather than the added expense involved in renting a space). While we are very excited about our new space, it will cost us quite a bit to make it truly “rope study ready.” We are installing steel rafters and cross-bars for safe up-line support (about $250), and will be insulating and covering the walls to make the space comfortable year-round (about $800). We also plan to add a few nice touches to the space to make it a pleasant place to work and study.
Breakdown of Expenses
If you're going to be donating money to a cause, we believe you should know where that money is going, so here's a fairly detailed breakdown of the related expenses.
Our total expenses for making this space appropriate as a rope studio include:
* Cost of steel (to make safe up-line anchors): $225
* Cost of insulation and covering (to make the space comfortable year-round): $800
* Cost of drywall and related supplies: $300
* Cost of paint, wood, and other supplies: $200
Total = $1,525
We also had to buy and build a second, smaller shed (about $1,200) so that we had actual space to put shed-stuff, but we don't include that in the total above. This is in addition to the regular, yearly expenses that we have for making the online content available (about $500), expenses related to video production (another $300 to $500) and the amount of personal time we spend developing content.
Thankfully, others have already donated their time, energy, and skills to help with the actual creation of the space (from cutting the steel and welding the pieces, to helping with the installation and construction, to general cleaning, moving, and painting), and we also had our flooring donated from friends (a HUGE savings), so we are very grateful to everyone for all of their help!
Asking for Help
We don't really like asking for help. And like we said above, we intentionally keep costs low (or free to those in need) because we want rope education to be accessible. But we also know that there are some people who have both the means and the desire to help.
The amount we charge for our classes covers the online content and video production while still offering some small compensation for our personal time. However, the cost to create the new rope studio have all come out-of-pocket so far.
While we are happy to give our time and resources to the local community and will continue to do so, we would massively appreciate any assistance with this new expense that others may feel compelled and able to give.
By supporting this cause, you help to ensure the continuation of low-cost, high-quality rope art education for the local community.
If you can give a little, that’s wonderful. If you can give a lot, that’s excellent. If all you can do is share this with others who may be able and willing to support us, that’s fantastic. We realize we may not meet our goal, and we're OK with that ... every little bit helps us to make this happen. We appreciate the help in whatever capacity you’re able to give it.
If you have questions, or would like to contribute in some way besides monetarily, feel free to get in touch with us through our website: ropestudy.com/contact
Thank you so much!
We’ve been offering our services for the past four years at a cost significantly below the average. We keep our prices low because we want everyone who has an interest in rope art to have access to quality education, and we charge only enough to make the work sustainable for us to cover related expenses (like online hosting, video creation and storage, facility maintenance, and continued research and study). [For example, our current round of courses consists of 6 class sessions, each class session running 3 to 4 hours in length, for which we only charge $50/person for the entire course. Admission includes in-person instruction and access to online materials and training videos. That's about $2/hour for instruction and resources.]
Recently, we gained the ability to have a new (though small) studio space that will allow us to continue to offer low-cost classes (rather than the added expense involved in renting a space). While we are very excited about our new space, it will cost us quite a bit to make it truly “rope study ready.” We are installing steel rafters and cross-bars for safe up-line support (about $250), and will be insulating and covering the walls to make the space comfortable year-round (about $800). We also plan to add a few nice touches to the space to make it a pleasant place to work and study.
Breakdown of Expenses
If you're going to be donating money to a cause, we believe you should know where that money is going, so here's a fairly detailed breakdown of the related expenses.
Our total expenses for making this space appropriate as a rope studio include:
* Cost of steel (to make safe up-line anchors): $225
* Cost of insulation and covering (to make the space comfortable year-round): $800
* Cost of drywall and related supplies: $300
* Cost of paint, wood, and other supplies: $200
Total = $1,525
We also had to buy and build a second, smaller shed (about $1,200) so that we had actual space to put shed-stuff, but we don't include that in the total above. This is in addition to the regular, yearly expenses that we have for making the online content available (about $500), expenses related to video production (another $300 to $500) and the amount of personal time we spend developing content.
Thankfully, others have already donated their time, energy, and skills to help with the actual creation of the space (from cutting the steel and welding the pieces, to helping with the installation and construction, to general cleaning, moving, and painting), and we also had our flooring donated from friends (a HUGE savings), so we are very grateful to everyone for all of their help!
Asking for Help
We don't really like asking for help. And like we said above, we intentionally keep costs low (or free to those in need) because we want rope education to be accessible. But we also know that there are some people who have both the means and the desire to help.
The amount we charge for our classes covers the online content and video production while still offering some small compensation for our personal time. However, the cost to create the new rope studio have all come out-of-pocket so far.
While we are happy to give our time and resources to the local community and will continue to do so, we would massively appreciate any assistance with this new expense that others may feel compelled and able to give.
By supporting this cause, you help to ensure the continuation of low-cost, high-quality rope art education for the local community.
If you can give a little, that’s wonderful. If you can give a lot, that’s excellent. If all you can do is share this with others who may be able and willing to support us, that’s fantastic. We realize we may not meet our goal, and we're OK with that ... every little bit helps us to make this happen. We appreciate the help in whatever capacity you’re able to give it.
If you have questions, or would like to contribute in some way besides monetarily, feel free to get in touch with us through our website: ropestudy.com/contact
Thank you so much!
Organizer
Rope Study
Organizer
Richmond, VA
