Anyone who wants to regularly spend time at Alder Commons should consider becoming a Member! Some Members are only around twice a month, and others come most days of the week. Members can join AC as a household, as an organization, or individually.
Membership Benefits
All Members gain access to…
- Members-Only Alder Commons classes, workshops, and clubs.
- Amenities
- Woodshop with woodworking tools, art supplies, and room to make a creative mess
- Community Kitchen
- Library with books galore
- Coworking Space
- Play and Imagination Room with an indoor rock wall
- Outdoor loose-parts playground
- Reservable rooms
- Parking lot
- Community Events
- Speaker Series
- Movie Screenings
- Trainings on Equity & Social Justice
- Craft Markets
- Other Pop-up Events
- A community of Members who align with our Core Values
Younger Members
Alder Commons Members are people of all ages! Young people of any age can attend without a parent so long as another adult Member has been designated as their caretaker. Designated caretakers can look after 3 non-family-member kids at most.
Members who are 10 years or older may be present at Alder Commons without a caretaker if they don’t need significant support from Staff, and with consent from them and their family. Some of the young people in our community are homeschoolers and unschoolers, while others join us outside of school hours.
Pay-What-You-Can Membership Fees
It’s our mission to make membership financially accessible to anyone who’s interested in becoming a member. With this in mind, we don’t ask anyone to justify the amount they decide to pay for membership. During onboarding, a member is able to enter the amount (minimum $15) they feel comfortable paying each month on our website. If your situation changes and you’re able to pay more or less, just let a staff member know the new amount you want to pay and we’ll update it for you.
You can use the widget below to see the suggested membership price for you or your family. Note: reserved desks and space come with additional costs.
Background Checks
Alder Commons is an all-ages community center, which means that we have adults and young people alike in many shared spaces. To comply with child safety laws and to ensure a safe environment for our younger Members, we require that all Members who are 18 years or older complete a background check. Background checks do not transfer, so even if you’ve recently gone through the background check process with another organization, you’ll still need to do one through Alder Commons.
We understand that background checks do not provide an accurate picture of someone’s character and instead, often show the systemic racism and discriminations prevalent in the criminal injustice system. Having a record does not necessarily bar you from Membership as we are primarily looking for violent crimes and crimes against children. If you have any questions regarding this process, please email us.
Next Steps
If you’re interested in becoming a Member, you can fill out our interest form, or register for an Open House below!
Alder Commons is not a Membership Corporation. Alder Commons Members do not have official voting or governing duties.
