Since we opened in September 2015, over a thousand women have attended our classes. So far, students have had to come to the Finishing School, at a specific time, to take these classes. Unfortunately, this has meant that people who have time conflicts and commitments, prefer to learn on their own, or live outside the Wichita area, can’t come learn with us. I'm going to need your help.
I am super excited to announce that I am taking the Finishing School for Modern Women online! Starting in March 2018, you’ll be able to take our classes on the world wide web, anytime you want, anywhere you want, looking anyway you want. (Pajama pants optional.)
This won’t take the place of the live classes. I love seeing you and learning in person with you. I would miss that way too much to give up! It makes me sad just thinking about it. Christmas break is long enough.
I believe the live classes are important in bringing our community together. This is a big part of why I started the Finishing School and is my mission in life. We make new connections with other modern women, share information and resources, and help each other achieve more. It gives us immediate feedback and solutions to the skills we’re working on collaboratively. It helps us know we’re not alone in our struggles and gives us allies.
I’ve tried to keep pricing reasonable enough that, hopefully, you won’t have to make a decision between live or online classes. I’m creating ways to make it all work together, so you get the most value from being part of the live and online experience. Some classes will be offered at the Finishing School, that won’t be online, especially our most interactive classes. All new classes will be introduced live, so you’ll get a chance to experience them before anyone else.
I’ve researched and found ways to offer classes online, without having to compromise on bringing us together as a community – potentially a worldwide community. While it will be in a slightly different way, you’ll also be able to interact, or not, with other modern women around the world, making new connections and allies with people you may never have had the chance to meet.
The online classes will work through an affordable monthly subscription. Bona fide Finishing School Members will get an additional discount, so there’s never been a better time to join, or renew. You can sign up for a one month, three months, six months or a year subscription. Of course, the longer time you sign up for, the less expensive the monthly cost will be. Charter prices start at $39 for one month, and go as low as $16.99 per month for a year subscription. Not sure if you’ll like it? No worries, we offer a 30 day, money back guarantee, just in case.
Week One
The first week of every month you’ll receive the class of the month. Classes will be formatted into five – 20 to 25 minute modules, that can be done on your time schedule, on your phone, tablet or computer. There will be exercises, like quizzes or questions, to answer between modules, that you can take – or sometimes not – before moving on to the next section. You get all five modules at one time, so if you’re a binge watcher, you don’t have to wait to see what happens next.
Our user-friendly website will feature a personal dashboard, that keeps track of your progress and makes it easy to get back to where you were, find what you’re looking for and manage your subscription.
Week Two
In the second week, you’ll receive bonus materials, that complement what we covered in the class. Bonus materials could be additional resources, shared articles and podcasts, tip sheets, or other information that will add to your knowledge of the subject.
Week Three
This week you’ll receive an exclusive podcast. These will be 15 to 20 minute interviews with special guests, like experts on the topic of the month, students who have had success with the techniques, and other fun surprises!
Week Four
The last week of the month, we’ll have a live webinar, video conference for open discussion, Q & A, or special guests on a topic announced during Week Two. The webinars will be recorded, so if you can’t make it during the scheduled time, they will be available for you to watch later.
But wait – there’s more! Just like our live classes, you’ll get a downloadable class of the month workbook, to take notes and write down plans. You’ll also earn a digital badge, for every class you complete! As long as you maintain your subscription, all the content you’ve received will be archived, so you can go back and refer to it anytime, as many times, as you like. The forum, and social learning tools will make it easy for you to interact with other students around the world.
Are you excited yet? I know I am! I’m also a bit overwhelmed. This is going to be challenging to get going, but I am confident I can make it happen.
To do this well, and why do it any other way, it’s not going to be easy or cheap. I’m going to need professional help to get this up and going, like my web developer. There are a lot of other expenses, like the Wordpress plug-ins I’ll need to manage the customer experience and the behind the scenes automation, video studio set-up, software to produce the classes, marketing to spread the word and much more.
I’ve been working on asking for and accepting help, so know this isn’t easy for me. But, many people have asked how they can help with this project – so here it is. I have set up an Indie GoGo campaign, to raise $9,500 through a flexible campaign, which means I will be able to get help from the money raised through this campaign, whether I make my goal or not. I appreciate any help you can give me in taking our mission to a broader audience.
Check out the perks on my Indie GoGo campaign, and get something fabulous for your help, like a charter subscription to our online classes. If you want your perk to go as a gift to someone else, I’ll send you a bona fide certificate you can give them right away. You can also sponsor an online scholarship, for someone in need, who can’t afford the subscription and meets our simple criteria.
We also need help spreading the word to other women, and men, you think will be interested in our classes and will support our campaign. Word of mouth and referrals are one of the best ways you can help the Finishing School for Modern Women. Your personal endorsement shows others you believe in what we're doing and helps more than you can imagine.
I need your help, but please know that no matter how much money is raised through the fundraising campaign, I am going to do this! Together, we can achieve anything.
Thanks in advance for your help.