We are grateful that you are interested in Ayni’s offerings and in joining the growing cadre of leaders we have trained over the past 12 years. Since our beginning, we have been committed to providing high quality trainings, self paced courses, and workshops that support social change leaders, organizations, and movements dedicated to building a more reciprocal world.
We serve communities with diverse experiences of class, race, privilege, and wealth, and we know that participation can be financially difficult for some. Our sliding scale and group rates are an effort to make our offerings more accessible, transparent, and sustainable while maintaining the quality of our materials and facilitation.
We are committed to not reproducing the systems of oppression that created the inequities our work seeks to transform. We recognize that we live in an economic system that rewards capital, accumulation, and wealth as the main route to access. Although we are not outside of this system, our hope is to limit its impact and to create practical alternatives that move us toward our values of reciprocity, accessibility, transparency, and equity.
Our goal is to avoid perpetuating stigma, shame, and guilt for those experiencing financial hardship and to ensure that money is not the only gatekeeper to quality training for social change leaders. For many in our community, speaking openly about finances is difficult, so we aim to create a process that is respectful, simple to navigate, and clear. We also invite those who come from wealth or are currently financially resourced to participate in building a more equitable society and to help challenge systems of oppression rooted in white supremacy, racism, sexism, classism, colorism, homophobia, colonialism, ableism, nativism, and related forms of harm.
Our values centered approach
Through research, learning, experimentation, and practice, we are developing a sliding scale process that is rooted in our mission and values:
Mutual Support
Ayni means reciprocity in Aymara, an Indigenous language of the Andes. This principle is at the heart of our institute. We encourage processes and systems that move us toward mutual support and shared responsibility. When possible, we offer programs that draw on gift economy practices grounded in reciprocity, helping us care for one another and imagine different economic relationships.
Accessibility and Transparency
Our aim is to remove barriers that keep people from accessing quality training for social change, regardless of their background or income. We work to make our rates clear and straightforward so that more people can participate. By making our sliding scale and group rates explicit, we hope to reduce confusion and hesitation for those who do not come from wealth. Our process invites participants to self assess their financial situation, choose an appropriate tier, and, when needed, access scholarships and group rates.
Equity
We know that long histories of oppression cannot be undone simply by naming inequality; we must also address the deeper inequities built into our systems. We want to move toward more equitable models and away from a mindset of scarcity and hoarding that sustains a society of “haves and have nots.” Our sliding scale includes higher tiers that help “pay it forward,” supporting redistribution of resources, cultivating a sense that there is enough for all of us, and inviting those with more means to contribute to a more just economic future.
What is the actual cost of our training
Our institute is sustained through revenue from courses, trainings, facilitation, and coaching. Grants, donations, and pay it forward tiers help subsidize offerings for underfunded and underserved leaders and organizations that share our values and commitment to a more reciprocal and just society.
Our rates are based on the long term sustainability of our operations. We consider what it takes to maintain and improve our materials, trainers, and technology to offer strong content and a meaningful participant experience. Training costs are shaped by factors such as number and type of participants, length of the program, and specific needs like language access, childcare, or disability accommodations.
Our sliding scale tiers
We have developed a four tier, self assessed scale that helps us continue offering quality trainings to grassroots, state, national, and international leaders and organizations. Individual tiers are based on a participant’s current financial circumstances and needs. Organizational tiers are based primarily on organizational budget, with the goal of gradually incorporating additional factors such as wealth, staff size, capacity, longevity, and partnerships.
Individuals: You are paying directly out of pocket to support your own learning, leadership, and growth.
Individuals sponsored by an organization: Your organization is investing in your development to further its mission in social change.
Organizational development: Your organization is hiring Ayni Institute for strategic planning, capacity building, onboarding, and or coaching for staff and leadership. The scope of work is co created and costs are based on: hours, half day, full day, or intensive and retreat formats of 3 to 7 days.
We are glad to be exploring this pay scale model together. We know it is not perfect, yet it is a step forward. Over time, with practice and feedback, we hope to strengthen this approach so we can keep expanding our offerings and better support the needs of our community.
