Frequently Asked Questions
The common questions about the Association are answered here.
01Common Questions
Questions11 entries
- What does membership include?
- Standard Membership is $10 per month. Access to the member pages, the library and the podcast. Premium Membership is $100 per month. Everything in Standard, plus credit in the Association's publications, on the website and at events, access to the private Signal chat with the researchers, and one free ticket to the annual live event.
- When can I join?
- Membership is open. Both memberships are on the membership page, each with everything it includes.The membership page
- How is membership billed?
- Both memberships are monthly subscriptions, paid through Stripe. A membership renews each month until you cancel it, and you can cancel at any time from Your Membership in the member portal. Access continues to the end of the month you have paid for.
- Can I move between Standard and Premium?
- Yes. A Standard member can upgrade to Premium, and a paying member can change plan, from Your Membership in the member portal. The change goes through Stripe, which shows the amount before you confirm it.
- How does the Premium chat work?
- The chat is a private Signal group for Premium members and the researchers who choose to join it. A Premium member asks to join from Your Membership in the member portal, and an administrator approves each request by hand, which can take a day. The join link is never sent by email or printed on a public page.Who is in the chat, and the house rules
- How are Premium members credited?
- Credit is off until you turn it on. Under Your details on Your Membership, a Premium member chooses the line they are credited by and can turn credit on or off at any time. The Supporters page lists the Premium members who have turned it on and is refreshed each time the site is updated. A publication keeps the credits it carried on its date of issue.The Supporters page
- How does the event ticket work?
- The Founders have not yet set a date for the Annual Live Event, and claims stay closed until they do. Once claims open, each Premium member can claim one ticket per event from Your Membership in the member portal. The member must hold active Premium at the moment of claiming, so a member whose renewal payment is past due claims once the payment clears. Comped Premium accounts can claim too.
- What is the Association, legally?
- Catastrophism Research Association LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company, with a 501(c)(3) foundation arm in formation for research grants and tax-deductible giving. Until the IRS determination lands, donations are not tax-deductible and are sequestered for Foundation use upon approval.
- What is your refund policy?
- Membership payments are not refunded, except where the law requires a refund. You can cancel at any time, and your access continues to the end of the month you have paid for. Questions about a payment go to members@catastrophism.org.The refund policy
- What happens if a researcher leaves?
- The Association is built to outlast any individual roster. The methodology standards, the archive, and the institutional functions are Association property and continue regardless. Member terms never change retroactively.
- Do you accept advertising or sponsorship?
- No advertising, ever. Sponsored research is accepted only when clearly disclosed and conducted under the Association's methodological standards, not the sponsor's.
Correspondence
For questions not addressed here, write to members@catastrophism.org.