Photo by omarali.md.
The National Cathedral will begin charging an admission fee next year to deal with a growing deficit.
According to a memo first obtained by religion reporter George Conger, Cathedral visitor traffic has been down slightly this year and donations at the Welcome Desk fell by about one dollar per hour. The Cathedral currently asks for, but does not require a $10 contribution from visitors.
Rob Sokol, the director of strategic programs at the National Cathedral, said in the memo that the Cathedral will make the $10 admission fee mandatory for adults. Admission would cost $6 for children under 12 and seniors over 65. The Cathedral would be free to visit on most Sundays and for worshippers.
“The issue of accessibility for those who cannot afford the price of admission will need to be addressed,” Sokol writes in the memo. “The Cathedral’s recommendation is that a time or day, repeated regularly by month or week, be instituted to allow access for free.”
The fixed-price policy will be piloted until June, when it will be evaluated.
The National Cathedral has suffered from a number of unforeseen issues that have caused financial hardship, including the 2011 earthquake and more recent green paint incident.
The memo lists both pros and cons for this new strategy. One pro includes the obvious: “Additional $150,000 in FY14, $300,000 in FY15 (assumes 10% decrease in traffic) – this could increase the average ticket price from less than $4 to approximately $7/guest.”
One con? “Bad Press – This change in entry policy has the potential to generate bad press. We will need a communication strategy to mitigate any voiced opposition raised by local constituencies.”
