January Newsletter

Greetings my vivacious voluptuaries,
Wow, it’s been a whirlwind month. Let’s jump right in before January in no more.

Soft Openings Review
This is Lindsey, Jess, and my first time throwing a CSPC party and it was truly beautiful. The lighting and decor, outfits, aerial performance, and music all led to a dreamy ambiance. Tickets sold out in a matter of days, which speaks volumes. Attendees dove right into play and many even stayed late to help clean.

Deepest gratitude to Octavia, Nicole, and Jamie for the unbelievable amount of work they put in, not to mention all the other volunteers and members who have supported this very important step in the rebirth of the CSPC. We’ve collected lots of feedback and hope to make the next event even better.

The Next Event
If you missed our first sell out event, or can’t wait to get more, you’re in luck. The next event in the Soft Openings series is confirmed.

Soft Openings II : Hard Points
February 17, 2018, 8 PM - 1 AM
OmCulture in Wallingford

This will be a bondage and impact-focused party. We are still working out details with the venue. When all is settled, we will announce ticket links, orientation schedule, and the like.

Membership Status
A handful of members have reached out asking for clarification about the recent membership reactivation. Here’s a mini-FAQ.

Q: Why are you unfreezing memberships?
A: In order to attend events, you must have an active membership. This is in accordance with federal 501c7 guidelines. While some events were held during the freeze, holding further events could jeopardize our nonprofit status.

Q: With so few parties lined up, my membership doesn’t have the value it used to. What’s up this that?
A: This is something of a chicken and egg situation. We need active memberships to throw our first parties, but we need a full party calendar for a membership to have “value”. Thank you to all those who are taking a chance by re-upping your membership allowing us to get the ball rolling. It is totally understandable for the more risk averse to wait on the sidelines to see how the new CSPC shakes out. We respect this decision and hope that you decide to resume your membership soon.

Q: I want to participate, but feel weird about commiting to a year long membership when there is nothing concrete past the next month. Are there any other options?
A: We understand that it is a big ask for people to fully renew with such a limited calendar. As such, for a limited time, you can buy a 2-month membership for $10.

Q: Why are auto-renewing memberships mandatory in the member portal? 
A: We didn't realize "auto-renewal" was the default setting. It's off now. Anyone who wishes to opt in or out can do so in their member account. Go to the "What would you like to do" dropdown menu. Select "CSPC Membership". Look under "Current Membership", "Auto-Renewal".

Q: My unused membership from when the Center went dark is now live again, but I’m not ready to jump back into the CSPC.
A: We will be adding extra time to all active memberships while the event schedule is sparse. Though the details are still being decided, the current plan is to extend memberships until we procure a long term venue or facility where we can hold several events each month. This is a financial risk, but the Board believes it’s important that we do right by our members and demonstrate how important your continuing support of the CSPC is. If you currently don’t have an active membership, we encourage you to try a 2-month membership.

Building Search
The contract between the CSPC and our sister org, the FSPC has now been signed! This cements our future occupancy relationship, and gives the Foundation additional leverage in their building search. This has been several months in the making and both boards are excited to be moving forward together.

The search itself continues!

Volunteer Appreciation
Before signing off I’d like to give a special shout out to all the scrappy people who carried the Center through the dark period. With events at Club Sapphire, munches, writers clubs, not to mention the folks processing CSPC mail, tending to the bills, etc...you all have kept the hope alive. It is staggering to regularly hear stories of the passion and initiative you bring to the table.

That’s all for now. If you’d like to chat with the board or be on the bleeding edge of CSPC news, attend our next board meeting on February 13, 7 PM at the Phinney Neighborhood Association.

Until next time, keep it sexy =)

Nick
CSPC Board Member
Intersectional Business Strategy

December Newsletter

I hope everyone had a happy, hedonistic holiday! Brace yourself for a long awaited news.

Play Party Announcement!!
We are beyond excited to bring you our first party in well over a year. Let’s kick off the New Year right! The grand opening event will be saved for whenever we land a new space. In the meantime, we will have a series of soft openings entitled...Soft Openings! And who doesn’t love a soft opening?? Details are still coming in, but here is what’s confirmed. Mark you calendar and watch your inbox for the ticket link.

Soft Openings
January 27, 2018, 8pm-midnight
OmCulture; 2210 N Pacific St, Seattle, WA 98103

There will be racks, benches, and hardpoints for play. Sex is a go. Cuddle pit. Dance space with live DJ.

We have party confirmed for February 17 as well, so stay tuned.

Membership Status
Long long ago, September 2016 to be exact, CSPC memberships were frozen. But the erstwhile winter has peaked, flora is bursting from the soil, and memberships are thawing. This will occur on January 27, coinciding with the Soft Opening event.

Jamie, our tech lord, is preparing the new online membership portal, so you can renew membership, purchase event tickets, make donations, and the like from the comfort of your cozy den. Instructions will be included in the forthcoming Soft Openings email.

Building Search
The search continues! Our sister org, the FSPC, has combed through a score of properties in the last month, several of which were presented to us for comment, and a few visited in person. I’ll let you know the moment something pans out!

The contract detailing the financial and occupancy relationship between the FSPC and the CSPC for this endeavor is now being reviewed by lawyers. We are happy to negotiate and formalize this relationship, to get our hopes and fears out on the table, and make sure both organizations are feeling enthusiastic and taken care of. I am delighted that kink best practices are being used to guide our kinky institutions =)

That’s all for now. If you’d like to chat with the board or be on the bleeding edge of CSPC news, attend our next board meeting on January 10, 7 PM at the Phinney Neighborhood Association (blue building).

Until next time, keep it sexy =)

Nick
CSPC Board Member
Intersectional Business Strategy

November Newsletter

Happy Spanksgiving!
It’s been another eventful month on the path of resuscitating our beloved Center.

Meet & Greet Recap
I was truly taken aback by the turnout and enthusiasm we saw at Optimism Brewery. Some 75 people met up for recounting old stories, making new friends, getting updates from the Board, brainstorming, and flirting. There was a fairly even split of longtime members, newer members at the time of the Center’s close, and entirely new folks, forming what I would consider a healthy distribution. 

If you weren’t able to attend the Meet & Greet, not to worry. We plan to ramp this up to a bimonthly occurrence taking place in various corners of the Puget Sound. If you are interested in being an organizer, we could use your help! Please reach out for more info.

Seduction Photo Booth Recap
The Foundation (our sister org, heading up arts and education) threw a blowout halloween party known as Seduction. Fellow Board members Lindsey and Jess, photographer Andrew, and I jumped in last minute to document the lavish costumes and chat with visitors about the CSPC. I was delighted to have our booth sandwich between the electric scary chair and the puppy petting zoo. Such a fun time! Don’t miss the Foundations next big event, the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival on April 27-29, 2018.

Building Progress
As you probably know by now, the Foundation is taking the lead on the acquisition of a long term space to house both organizations. Their 501c3 status, as opposed to our 501c7 status, makes them the ideal lease holder. Their generosity in accommodating our needs for event, office, and storage space cannot be overstated. Lots of discussion and meetings have taken place this month, and we are in the final stages of formalizing an agreement with each other. The building hunt is well underway.

The most frequent question I get is, “When will we lock down a space?” This is difficult to answer given the chaos of Seattle’s real estate market, coupled with the nature of our hedonistic activities that are often misunderstood by potential landlords. In short, there is no predicting when the the right space will pop up, and when it does, we may have as little as a week to close the deal. In the meantime, the Foundation and the Center are getting their ducks in a row so that we are poised to move.

Rachel Joins the Board
Rachel brings much to the table and I am so pleased to have her on the CSPC Board. She is a pillar in the Seattle swingers community, a large segment of sex positive culture that admittedly the CSPC have fallen short of connecting with. She knows this city like the back of her hand: the people, the organizations, the venues, and the often opaque legal and political systems. Rachel is well versed in nonprofits, takes a systematic approach, and her emotional intelligence is through the roof. Welcome aboard!

KinkFest 2018
The Portland Leather Alliance is throwing KinkFest on the last weekend of March. There will be tons of workshops, an enormous dungeon, evening play parties, vending, and an art gallery tailored for our bdsm, fetish, and leather communities.

That's all for now. As always, you are welcome to attend our next board meeting on December 13, 7 PM at the Phinney Neighborhood Association.

Until next time, keep it sexy =)

Nick
CSPC Board Member
Intersectional Business Strategy

October Newsletter

Greetings kinky folk,

Fall is upon us, and October’s board meeting complete. Thank you to those who came out for your energy, questions, and encouragement. Before the meeting I sat down with a member and longtime practitioner of hypnokink. They schooled me on its unique appeals, risks, safety & consent, and walked through what a scene might look like. I am blown away by the depth of knowledge you all have and breadth of cravings represented in our community.

Workshops at the Foundation
And speaking of getting schooled, many of you have expressed interest in workshops. Educational programming is handled by our sister organization, the FSPC. They have workshops out the wazoo! Some upcoming offerings are rope bondage, predicament play, and an erotica writers group. The Foundation is also throwing a huge, sexy Halloween party known as Seduction.

Meet and Greet
The date has been set; and it’s soon! Come meet the community and get an update from the CSPC board. It’s this coming Monday, Oct 23 at Optimism Brewing Company in Capitol Hill. This is a beer only, 18+ joint and you’re welcome to bring in outside food and non-alcoholic beverages. UPDATE: We’ll have a few Sizzle Pies and booze-less libations for your enjoyment, and there are lots of close options for a proper meal. Please RSVP via [FetLife invite] or [Facebook invite]

Events
As we wait on a more permanent location, the hunt is on for one-off spaces to hold play and kinky dance parties. We have interest from a few venues but their check ins with owners and legal have been slow moving. Know that getting events up and running is our top priority. If you personally have a public or private venue of any size that can accommodate grownup activities, contact president@thecspc.org.

Volunteering
A number of people have asked how they can help with the relaunch of the CSPC. We are creating a skill-based database of who can pitch in and in what ways. But why sit around waiting to be tapped? We would also love to hear from those who see an opportunity to improve the current CSPC, can translate that into a clearly defined project, and take the lead on seeing it through. Scope can be big or small. We will compile a project list and post calls for volunteers.

As of June, we are 100% volunteer based. If you have the passion, initiative, and courage to get the Center back on it’s feet, head over to the Volunteer Form.

Until next time, keep it sexy =)

Nick
CSPC Board Member
Intersectional Business Strategy

CSPC Meet & Greet, Oct 23

CSPC Meet & Greet
Monday, October 23, 2017 at 7:00-9:30 pm
Optimism Brewing Company
FREE

Drop in for a casual meet and greet with members of the new board! Catch up with old friends and make new ones =)

Just in case you haven’t been to Optimism before, they do not serve anything but beer (no wine, mixed drinks, or food). Outside food is allowed. The Green Tree Shawarma food truck will be parked out back. A block away is my favorite vegan-friendly heavy metal pizza joint, Sizzle Pie. You are also welcome to have something delivered or bring your own take out food; remember to grab silverware and napkins. Just be sure to clean up after yourselves at the self-bussing stations.

Parking can be hairy in Capitol Hill. Metered parking is your best bet, which runs until 8 pm. Otherwise try south of Union. We encourage kinky carpools! Alternatively, the pub is an 8 minute walk south of the Capitol Hill light rail station.

If you’re on FetLife, please RSVP so we can let the venue know what to expect.

Hope to see you there!

Nick