2024 New Membership Pricing

LMDA Members and Community,

LMDA is introducing a new pricing structure on a pilot basis starting October 1, 2023. We have set these prices in close consultation with and the approval of the LMDA Board and Executive Committees. All of these actions have been taken with care and rigor to ensure that the programming and community you’ve come to expect from LMDA can continue in earnest even amidst a changing theatre landscape. However, the programs of LMDA and the financial resources available to us are not separated from one another, and our pricing tiers working committee has worked diligently in approaching these changes in a way that supports our continued success and sustainability as an organization. Additionally, as part of this pilot process, we ask for your feedback, either by email (feedback@lmda.org) or through participation in an upcoming town hall, date to be announced soon. At the end of this process, our committee will come back together to review the results and feedback from the pilot year in the spring of 2024.

The LMDA Membership and Pricing Tiers Committee

Updated Membership Tiers & Prices

2024 LMDA Memberships will be available for purchase beginning October 2023 at the prices below. (Although membership dues are collected annually, monthly cost breakdowns are provided for reference.)

Investment Membership: $200 ($16.66/mo)
- covers one True Cost Membership plus the price difference of one Reduced Membership, supporting wider access to LMDA.
True Cost Membership: $150 ($12.50/mo)
- reflects the average per-member cost to keep LMDA running
Reduced Membership: $100 ($8.33/mo)
- a one-third price reduction to the True Cost Membership
Accessible Membership: $15 - $95 ($2.08 - $7.92/mo)
- a further reduction to the price of True Cost Membership along a sliding scale in increments of $10
Institutional Membership: $300 ($25/mo)
- Includes up to 4 individual memberships plus access to advertising in LMDA’s newsletter and social media. This membership is ideal for theatre companies or departments with multiple people who would benefit from LMDA resources and programming. Additional memberships under this tier are available at $75 per person by emailing admin@lmda.org.

All individual memberships receive the same benefits. While considering LMDA’s fiscal sustainability, we encourage individuals to choose the pricing tier that best aligns with their professional and financial circumstances, which may shift from year to year. LMDA is committed to raising funds to cover any shortfalls – no one will be denied membership based on ability to pay. If you are in a position to support this endeavor, please consider joining or renewing at the Investment Membership level or adding a donation of any amount at checkout.

If you have any questions, please contact admin@lmda.org, president@lmda.org, or membership@lmda.org or post to LMDA’s “Membership Questions” Slack channel.

Context

As a member-driven and largely volunteer-run organization, LMDA consistently engages in conversations about the most effective and efficient ways to support literary management, dramaturgy, and related professions across the continent. Over the past three years, LMDA has increased year-round programming, created new online gathering spaces, and built out a virtual winter conference that complements our in-person summer gathering. We are proud of how robustly, thoughtfully, and expansively our organization has grown, particularly in response to the rapidly changing landscape of our industries in the wake of the pandemic.

At the same time, we’re mindful of our responsibility to ensure LMDA’s financial sustainability so that the organization can continue to provide valuable member programs and services for decades to come. While modest grants and sponsorships help support our conferences, the balance of LMDA’s lean, but fixed, annual operational costs – administration, website, awards, resources, etc. – must be covered by membership dues and fundraisers. The Pay-What-You-Can membership option introduced in 2021 sustained our numbers through the shutdown but now requires re-evaluation as we rebuild our field (i.e., dramaturg the phoenix).

Process

The task at hand: providing accessibility and value for LMDA members through variable economic circumstances while securing the organization’s long-term financial stability.

The membership tiers for 2024 are a pilot project, as a result of seven months of the Membership Tiers & Pricing Working Group’s volunteer labor, which has included historical and comparable research, member surveys and analyses, multiple proposal drafts, countless Zoom sessions, and consultation with the LMDA Board and Executive Committee. LMDA’s Board and Executive Committee then voted to approve piloting these tiers over the course of 2024.

The new tiers represent a significant departure from LMDA’s traditional membership pricing structures, which had been rooted in assumptions about career status and income that no longer reflect the reality of the field.

The ultimate impact of our piloted changes – on LMDA’s budget, on LMDA’s community, and on individual members – is unknown. Implementing the new pricing tiers in 2024 on a pilot basis will allow the working group to analyze membership numbers and dues income, solicit feedback, make adjustments, and move toward permanent implementation with intentionality. Our hope is that a clear and transparent process will yield insightful data, productive conversation, and ultimately positive results for the membership and the organization.