In an effort to make our programs more accessible to individuals without the economic means to afford our rates, we've set up a pay-what-you-can scholarship program in 2020. This allows people who want to join but cannot afford our full rates an opportunity to enjoy the life changing benefits we all know fitness and community can bring. Below are the details, should you want to implement something similar at your affiliate.
How to apply:
People interested in the program will first fill out our online application for consideration. Our admin and myself will review the application. This link is located below our normal gym rates on our website.
How it works:
- We offer one scholarship slot for every 30 active members we have. Find a ratio you feel comfortable with based on your gym size to determine your ratio and cap.
- Individuals who receive the scholarship let us know how much they can pay via the application and then we follow up to set them up on a membership. Most people are able and want to pay something, so it's not uncommon for folks to offer up $50-$100 per month if it's within their budget. We have had some people completely comped, but the majorty prefer to offer something.
- To maintain your scholarship status, participants need to attend at least 6 group classes per calendar month. We check this at the end of each month and if someone has fallen off we'll reach out to them to check in and assess their interest and status with the program before deactivating their membership.
- If someone is new to CrossFit, they do a pay-what-you-can fee for the Foundations course. When that is completed, another pay-what-you-can fee to start their recurring monthly membership.
- Scholarship recipients are kept private outside of myself and our admin who helps manage the program. To the rest of our staff and members they are just like any other CFSBKer. We recommend more than one employee has access to the participants' info and scholarship capacity to keep the gym accountable.
Additional Notes
- Make sure to advertise this program to your community. It makes them feel better about being members and keeps everything very transparent. We periodically post this up on our social media accounts and website to remind and educate members about it.
- This program has brought in new faces into the gym and created an opportunity for former members who fell on hard times come back.
- Having a consistent and transparent scholarship program is a much better system than just helping people out whenever they ask and you feel benevolent. It can be a slippery slope to try and be a nice person and give discounts here and there. It's hard to keep track of, unfair and can cause drama if word gets out that certain people pay less. At CFSBK, there are three avenues to receive a discount:
1. You are the immediate family of a staffer (50% off)
2. You qualify for our 12% discount (full-time teachers, students, FDNY, EMT, DOS, Social Workers, Armed Services)
3. You apply for and recieve a scholarship slot
Beyond that, everyone pays our posted rates, regardless of how long you've been a member.