Our Sustainability Model
Why we keep a radically open sliding scale ($0 to $250)
Our take on a Buddhist approach to generosity is fundamentally anti-capitalist. It resists putting a price on everything, asking "what is this worth?" and re-enforcing transactional ways of relating. We think instead of mutual support: a system where we are all giving — of our time, or our resources — and helping one another in that.
The point is to give freely and joyfully, while taking responsibility together for sustaining ourselves and these practices for the benefit of all. By having a radically open sliding scale (from $0 to $250), with no barrier to entry, we are trying to introduce a modicum of justice within the larger structural inequities of our world. We are in this ocean together, but not all in the same boat.
Everything we do is freely offered on the basis of mutual generosity. All members have access to everything, regardless of their level of monthly support. No one is turned away for lack of funds. We call this “mutual” because teachers are also giving — of their time and skills, and they are taking a leap of faith that support will be there.
People are invited to freely choose their level of contribution. We encourage everyone to consider their financial circumstances and remind them that in contributing, they are supporting all the work that goes into keeping S2M going and freely accessible.
Gift Economics and Transparent Generosity
That sounds nice, and it is certainly in line with traditional Buddhist models of monastic/lay mutual support in Asia. For some people it works well. For others, it can be confusing, and even create a kind of decision stress.
Our culture expects financial transparency, and rightly so. In Buddhist contexts it is not typical to share publicly the income generated from a retreat or a sangha gathering. We suspect this is because it can produce a lot of mental proliferation and speculation, whereas the whole point of dana (the practice of generosity) is to give freely, without “emotional accounting,” fueling expectations, or regret.
In attempting to address these tensions between spiritual ideals, material needs and cultural expectations of transparency, we have been been inspired by colleagues in the Buddhist Geeks community, namely the meditation teacher Vincent Horn (see a blog post of his here). We are trying out what they call Transparent Generosity. In essence, it is an effort to both honor Buddhist ideals and be pragmatic.
We believe financial resources shouldn't be a barrier to practice, AND we value the sustainability of our teachers and community. Can we do that at the same time? We very much hope so!
We want to keep going, and to keep going joyfully, without burn out. Will you help us meet our goals?
Our Goals
Here is where we stand (last update: Feb 2026).
Number of members: 439
Average Zoom meditation attendance: 30-50 people per day
Number of contributing Members: 129
Average contribution from contributing members: $36
Current monthly contributions amount to $4610. This is a decrease of 20% over last year, which we attribute to attrition of contributing members and challenges in on-boarding new contributing members. Meanwhile, our expenses have increased.
Our goal is to reach $7000 a month. This would allow us to cover all our technological expenses with ease, to more adequately remunerate all teachers for their time, and to have enough funding to support more in person events such as retreats (this involves financial risks including putting down deposits for venues, covering travel, and offering scholarships). Right now we are at 66% of our target income, and as a result, operating with some strain.
Our target monthly budget:
Guiding Teachers Stipend $3500 (currently $2500)
Supporting Teachers $1200 (currently $1000)
Tech Costs (*) $230 (expected to increase in 2026-2027)
Weekly Newsletter / Web maintenance labor $1500 (currently $500)
Payment Processor (3% + fees) $200 approximately
Pro Rata Overhead Costs(insurance, bookkeeper) $200 approximately
Event Fund (scholarships, retreats, travel) $400 (currently unfunded)
Total target: $7000 (vs. $4600 current)
(*)It takes a little village of tech systems to run S2M: Google, Mailchimp, Squarespace, Membershipworks, Zoom.
We also hope to find a fiscal sponsor. Currently S2M is run through an S-Corp, which means that contributions are not tax-deductible. A fiscal sponsor is a registered tax exempt (501C3) entity that agrees to receive and disburse funds on behalf of another project. As we do not have tax exempt status, a fiscal sponsor would help us be more attractive to foundations and certain donors seeking tax benefits for charitable donations. Sponsors typically charge a processing fee. Setting up our own 501C3 is something we're also exploring, it's costly and a bit complex, but not impossible if we don’t find a fiscal sponsor.
Many ways to give
People sometimes contact us to express regret that they cannot contribute more finantialy. We encourage people to take personal responsability in their finantial welfare, and will always keep the doors opens to all. Importantly, there are many ways to give to the community beyond financial contributions, and these are very welcome and very important: volunteering at events, writing blog posts (really needed!), engaging during talks, showing up for meditation or sharing circle, sharing information about us with people who might be interested — all these help contribute to Space2Meditate's vitality and foster a sense of belonging.