MakerFX Membership

MakerFX needs your support to exist. Membership dues pay for rent, utilities, supplies & more for our shared 5,000+ sq. ft. space. Your monthly membership helps this maker community exist, and provides you 24×7 access to the makerspace, the tools and other resources.

Membership Process

  1. Tour MakerFX
    • To schedule a tour, please use our MakerFX Tour Request Form (and check out our Virtual Tour!)
    • If you can tour on a Friday night between 6pm and 7pm, this is easiest for our volunteers, and you are likely to meet other members who will be attending one of our Friday night “Guild” meetings at 7pm. If you can’t make this time, you have the ability to indicate other times on the above form.
  2. Join MakerFX
    • Review the Membership Options below and decide on your desired membership level
    • Use our MakerFX Membership Form to complete both the waiver form and start a recurring payment option via PayPal
    • Check out the Getting Started on our wiki for more info and the items we will cover in your orientation.
  3. Orientation
    • We will receive an email notifying us of the new subscription and one of our volunteers will email you to schedule an orientation - note: this typically takes a few days for us to schedule with you.
    • Check out our New Member page on the MakerFX wiki - it is full of useful information!
    • If you do not check the email attached to your PayPal account regularly, please email us with a better email address!
    • During your orientation, one of our volunteers will make you a key fob and show you the basics (doors, lights, etc.) and make sure you are connected with others so that you can get started!
  4. Tips for New Members
    • Slack usage is required for reserving tools, learning about class dates, asking questions, getting help, and working together. Please install on mobile and turn on notifications to stay informed!
    • We recommend attending the Friday night “Guild” meetings (Laser, Woodworking, 3D printing and Soft Arts) to meet other members and learn about the tools and techniques that interest you.
    • We highly recommend attending the Monthly Member Meeting the last Wednesday of each month to stay informed on current events, changes, and to provide input.
    • If you aren’t sure about something, ask in the appropriate Slack channel, we are here to help, even if we aren’t at the makerspace at that moment :)

Membership Options

Individual

Individual plans provide a single key (not shareable) with 24×7 access to the tools and community at MakerFX Makerspace.

Family

Family plans provides related family members in the same household with 24×7 access to the tools and community at MakerFX Makerspace.

Booster

For those that have the means and want to give a little more each month, we have the Booster membership that has the same benefits of the individual or family plans.

Donations

If you’d like to support us with a one-time donation, or want alternate monthly payment options, please email treasurer@themakereffect.org to discuss further.

FAQs

What are the differences in membership levels?

The standard membership with 24×7 access is $50 for an individual, and $75 for a family living in the same household. The booster membership is for the individual (or family) that wants to give a little extra support to the community in this way. (There are many other ways you can help the community – like volunteering!) You get all the same member benefits of the standard level, and a bit of extra gratitude.

What is the minimum membership age?

Members must be 18 or older. Minors can accompany their adult parent, and can be unaccompanied at events that specifically allow unaccompanied minors. Minors are restricted from using specific tools without direct supervision from parent or legal guardian.

What tools are available for members?

This list may vary (typically gets longer!) – we currently have the following tools (and more!):

Check out the Zones & Equipment section on the homepage for links with more detail…

How do I get trained on tools?

Most training at MakerFX is 1:1 - while we do host group classes, we don’t want you to have to wait until the next scheduled class. The best way for a member to get training is to go to the Slack channel for that tool, and ask for help. One of our members will schedule a time with you and show you what they know.

Do some tools require training before use?

Absolutely - some of our larger, more expensive (and more dangerous) tools require training and a “check out” process before use. If you are new to MakerFX this is a great topic for your orientation, and we can pair you with another member to make this happen quickly.

Do you have a business membership?

At this time, we do not have business memberships. MakerFX space and tools may be used for business prototyping and design work, but should not be used for production of goods sold, or to stock your online store.

A simple way to think through this – if you are calculating the cost of a MakerFX membership into your budget for your business – large or small, then you are thinking of a business membership, which we do not have. Factur has business memberships and may be better suited to help your business grow.

If your business would like to purchase memberships for your staff as a benefit, or if you would like to support MakerFX as a sponsor with sponsor benefits, we are happy to create a custom program for you. Please email info@makerfx.org to discuss.

Do you require a minimum length of membership?

We do not have a minimum membership term, however we respectfully discourage short-term membership. There is a time commitment from our all-volunteer team to get a new member enrolled, oriented, and trained on specific tools, and we’d prefer to do this for those who are joining the community, not just looking for a specific tool to complete one project.

Do you have discounted plans for students, retirees, or others?

We are happy to discuss your individual situation. There are other ways to contribute to our community (such as teaching, helping clean the space, contributing to group project, etc.) and we are happy to work something out if you are looking to make a contribution. Email us at info@makerfx.org to discuss.

If I’m not a member, can I participate in online discussion, group projects, volunteer, etc?

Absolutely! Email us at info@makerfx.org to request an invite to our Slack workspace where we communicate about tools & projects as well as post about group projects and volunteer opportunities.

How do I cancel my MakerFX membership?

  1. Go to your PayPal account, find your subscriptions page (it is a bit hidden on the PayPal site, you may need to search for it), and cancel the monthly MakerFX subscription.
  2. Email us at treasurer@themakereffect.org to make us aware you are cancelling your membership.
  3. Don’t forget to grab any materials / projects you have at the space!