I believe in economic justice and financial accessibility, and as such I offer all of my group workshops and masterclasses at a sliding scale rate with no shame and no questions asked. If you need help making your decision about which pricing tier to choose, here are some tools that will help you honestly assess your financial situation and choose an appropriate price. The tools are borrowed from Alexis J. Cunningfolk.
adapted from Alexis J. Cunningfolk
The top price class ticket is the actual cost of the class. If you choose a ticket price below the top tier you are receiving a discount.
The middle price is for those who are able to meet their basic needs but have little-to-no expendable income. Paying for this class may qualify as a sacrifice, but it would not create hardship.*
The bottom price is for those who struggle to meet basic needs and paying full price for this class would be a significant hardship.*
The Pay-It-Forward price is a few bucks above the actual cost of the class and that extra money goes towards supporting scholarships as well as future free and low-cost classes. Essentially it's an opportunity to not only take your class but also support your fellow community members while you're at it. Sweet!
Sacrifice vs Hardship: If paying for a class, product, or service would be difficult, but not detrimental, it qualifies as a sacrifice. You might have to cut back on other spending in your life (such as going out to dinner, buying coffee, or a new outfit), but this will not have a long term harmful impact on your life. If, however, paying full price for a class, product, or service would lead to a harmful impact on your life, such as not being able to put food on the table, pay rent, or pay for your transportation to get to work, then you are dealing with hardship.