Seattle Pen Club's First Ever Membership Drive!
Updated: 30 minutes ago
After twenty-two years of inky fun, the Seattle Pen Club is now incorporated as a 501(c)7 nonprofit social club! Yay!
Why did we do this?
We've grown—a lot. The SPC began as a small group of friends occasionally meeting in a coffee shop. Now, we are dozens meeting multiple times every month in person and hundreds interacting online. Over the decades, we have aimed to be a welcoming, inclusive group who supports everyone’s unique approach to the hobby.
We incorporated to continue and enhance that support. Becoming a legal entity makes handling money easier so that we can rent more comfortable meeting spaces and continue improving communications and experiences. There will be more benefits for you in the future as we learn and improve.
What does this mean for you?
Two things: 1) better club experiences and 2) formal membership!
While the Stadler Room in Lake Forest Park has been a welcoming space for us for many years, we have definitely outgrown it! This month, we are moving to bigger, nicer digs!
We’ve also upgraded our events calendar on the website to one that allows subscriptions, more advanced planning, and seeing past events, and upgraded our email newsletter management to allow more subscribers (sign up here).
Our list for the future improvements includes:
a less restrictive space for the East Side meeting,
club insurance for peace of mind,
annual membership drive gifts (think NPR pledge drives), and
free name tags for meetings.
As a legally registered social club, we are required to track membership status. This means asking folks to formally register as official members. And all of the improvements listed above cost money, which means asking members to pay dues. (Don’t panic! Keep reading). We pledge that monthly meetings will always be free! More on that further down.
Membership dues? How much?
For our first year, we are using a “Pay What You Want” model. Pay as little as $1 or… as much as you want! We recommend $20–40. More is super helpful but there is no obligation. The best way to cover the club's operating costs, is to pay membership dues.
If you can’t pay at all or simply don’t want to and you still want to be an official member, that’s ok! We don’t want to exclude anyone. Have a quick conversation with anyone in a leadership post or send a brief message and we’ll get you sorted. We want Pen Club to continue to be welcoming and inclusive!
To cover anticipated 2027 expenses, we are aiming to raise $2,300.
What will club funds be used for?
In general, funds will be used for
Venue rentals
Communications (website and newsletter administration)
Insurance
Club incidentals like name tags (a frequent ask)
Future goals include finding a more consistent space for our East side meetings, co-sponsoring local events (like hosting visiting nibmeisters), and other ideas still simmering. Again, these are long-term goals and will depend on your interest, participation, and support.
Our projected 2027 budget is below. (View the budget in Google Drive. If you have the app, this is the best way to view it on mobile devices.)
Expense | Notes | Price Per Unit | Quantity | Total |
Not including summers | $68 per 2-hour meeting | 10 | $680 | |
The Cascade Room at the Spartan Rec Center is unavailable during certain summer months, so we need an alternative. | “$75: 4 reservations per year” (Minimum reservation is 4/year. Don’t have to use them all since they are so cheap.) | 1 package of 4 reservations | $75 | |
Insurance | Cost is estimated | $1,000 | Annual | $1,000 |
Annual Essentials Mailchimp subscription | Currently using a free trial | $133 with tax | 1 | $133 |
Wix Premium Events Calendar (website) | Due April 2027 | $96 plus estimated taxes | 1 | $100 |
Buffer money | $300 | $300 | ||
Total | $2,288 |
This sounds great! I want to keep the club going! What’s my next step?
Head on over to our sign-up page! “Select” the “Pay What You Can” option. Enter the amount you’d like to contribute to the Seattle Pen Club, and follow the payment instructions. You’ll receive a digital membership card and our gratitude! In a year, you’ll receive an email reminder to renew. Easy peasy!
To be totally clear, while we are a nonprofit social club, we are not a charity. This means that your membership dues are not tax deductible. All club membership dues directly benefit you!
Your monetary support will help keep the club going strong and improving for the next twenty-two years and beyond.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please reach out!
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