Gift economy

coregulatecoregulate
in Professional Cuddling

Does anyone have any experience with or know anyone who has transitioned their business to donations based only? Especially pro cuddlers and massage therapists! I've been waiting till my mortgage is paid off but considering just jumping in to it now.

Should I become a non profit? A church? How would one go about this?

I just hosted a zoom call on the topic of degrowth economics and all the ways capitalism is eating itself and it was pretty mind blowing.

Thanks for any thoughts or insights ❤️

Comments

  • CuddleHugs01234CuddleHugs01234

    I think on this platform, you could set your rate low, and then let them know they decide how much to donate. You would then put it in the booking fee, so you could book properly. (Because you can’t accept money as an enthusiast, or you could be banned.) You would still be making a profit, so I don’t think trying to be a non-profit would work. You could Google what it takes to be a non-profit. If you literally didn’t make a profit, say they donate $10, and your gas was $10, you would still claim the money, and you could deduct the irs rate on mileage, but you would still have to file taxes if you made more than $600 a year in this side job. (I believe that’s the guideline.) If you really want to do it with no profit at all, no taxes at all, just become an enthusiast, but don’t accept money.

  • TxTomTxTom

    Should I become a non profit? A church?

    The Coregulate Church of Cuddles.

    I like that.

  • coregulatecoregulate

    Hahahah cuddle church. We already have dance church in my city. I need a new denomination

  • starrynitecudsstarrynitecuds

    You need a tax pro and lawyer. The laws are too complex and penalties too steep to take it lightly.

  • jplemmonjplemmon

    If you were a non- profit I imagine you would have to give yourself a salary and invest anything beyond that back into the business. I’m not quite sure how that would work but it’s an interesting idea.

  • beaublissbeaubliss

    I want to acknowledge your impulse.....and your spirit, @coregulate
    Many men experience the exact opposite spirit in the cuddling biz, that of JUST doing it for the $$$; thus your post demonstrates that indeed there are voices here that clearly speak out of the joy of cuddling, but differently from the enthusiast. I still get that you are looking at your question not as wiggling between pro/enthusiast, but rather as a skilled practitioner wanting the cost to be as a donation, initiated by the client.

    I love it.

    I would recommend, echoing another respondent, that you merely set your price toward the bottom of the scale, say $50 per hr., with the caveat that you are doing thus as the only way one can for a donation basis business on this site. Make it clear in the intro screening process that many/most contribute more, but how much more will be left to them at the close of the session.

    Please report back how it goes!

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery
    edited April 9

    I have worked with/volunteered with several small businesses and non-profits that utilize pay-what-you-can donation systems or bartering as alternative payment systems. I third the talking to a tax and business law specialist, as local laws regarding what is allowed can get finicky.

    If not wanting to go full-charity mode, then offering tiered pricing, social justice discounts, pay-what-you-can, and bartering can all be utilized to create a payment structure that fits your goals. For instance, one business I worked with that specializes in working with chronically ill people had 3 different "needs" tiers that people could self-identity within (ex. Low support needs, mid support needs, high support needs). The business had a document outlining what sorts of circumstances might dictate each different need level (ex. Income level, level of disability, level of service involvement, social justice considerations), and had a suggested service price for each tier with higher discount given to higher needs. They also had allowances built in for people to offset the cost of services by bartering their own skills and time (ex. a virtual assistant could trade x number of work hours per month for services).

    Working with these sorts of payment structures is definitely more my jam and how I've structured my businesses when I'm able. I can't speak to your local laws, but if you just need to bounce around ideas lemme know :)

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