Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: recognizing time versus financial investment in early days

[Mabel Liang (mabel]

For the first question, we periodically had to raise prices to make our
finances work.  I don't remember the details, but we kept the prices of
earlier members lower, both to try and keep it affordable for them and
to recognize the additional risk the earlier members took.  In the
incarnation that actually got built (there was a previous LLC that had
to fold), we were originally working with a developer and were planning
on fixed prices.  For various reasons we parted ways with the developer
and also incurred additional costs that had to be met somehow.  Everyone
was required to do committee work.  We didn't do anything to costs based
 on the amount of hours of work people were able to put in.

After move-in (2001-2002), while there have been ideas floated for
people to pay if they don't participate in community work, we have never
agreed to such a system.

-- Mabel :-)

mabel [at] twomeeps.com
Mabel Liang
Software Engineer turned Gardener
Cornerstone Village Cohousing
Cambridge, MA

On 2017-06-12 12:48, R Philip Dowds wrote:

> Is your question mostly, How to restore equivalence between any current 
> members, and other future members who inevitably come late to the party?  Or 
> is it, How to acknowledge inevitable inequalities in investment of time and 
> money, or other sorts of contributions?  Both these questions tend to have 
> relevance during both the development and occupancy phases of cohousing.
> 
> Thanks,
> Philip Dowds
> Cornerstone Village Cohousing
> Cambridge, MA
> 
>> On Jun 12, 2017, at 11:05 AM, Michelle Keiserman <msmakman1 [at] gmail.com> 
>> wrote:
>> 
>> We are a group of five enthusiastic households who want to bring cohousing
>> to Nevada.  Four of us are investing both the time and money ($2500 each so
>> far) for initial marketing to attract more members.  One individual has
>> invested that amount but does not have the time to dig in and help us get
>> the work done.  While we recognize the value each of us brings to this
>> effort, we are wondering if other communities have accounted in some way
>> for the time/effort invested in the early days.  We are familiar with the
>> benefits of making an early financial commitment, but what if you've made
>> both and some other members cannot?
>> 
>> Your pearls of wisdom on this issue will be most appreciated!
>> Michelle Keiserman
>> Southern Nevada Cohousing
>> _________________________________________________________________
>> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
>> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/