Enki Closing

[umsami]

I just got a weird email from the Enki people.  Not sure if anybody ever used them, but they were famous for forbidding you to resell.  They also usually gave you way too much stuff, although the materials themselves were well liked.

 

It's sad, because I think they had some very good materials. I wish they would ether just switch to completely digital or sell the content to Oak Meadow or somebody else.

 

Enki Homeschooling Scheduled to CLOSE July 10th 2014

Dear XXX,

 

As President of the Enki Board of Directors, I wanted to update you, before we reach July 10th, the projected closing date for the Enki Homeschooling Program, and the removal of this curriculum from the market.

Over the last year, the Directors and Board of Enki Education have sought advice from experts in the nonprofit arena to find ways to make Enki viable and allow us to continue serving homeschooling families. After careful review of the options - including digital possibilities -  the decision was made to shift to the current Program model. The launching of this is dependent on contributions.

 

We had asked former Enki families to return materials no longer use, thinking this would be the simplest way for current Enki families to help, however, what we have learned is that these rich materials are important to most long after their children have outgrown them, and people don't want to part with them. On one level that is wonderful to hear, but to keep Enki Homeschooling open, support is needed.  Therefore, we are now opening a financial sponsorship option.

 

 

In order for this to succeed, we need your help. As it stands now, Enki Homeschooling will close July 10th, unless we receive the community support needed to shift to the program-based system.  We need to raise $30,000 to launch the Program - it takes $300 to print each package. Clearly not everyone can afford to contribute that amount, and any amount is welcome. However, covering the production of one package ensures that one more family each year can have the opportunity to bring Enki into their home. To date, we have received $2,100 in returned packages.

Some have asked why this is happening now. Enki has always been a labor of love for the Directors, the Board, and the volunteers who made the program possible - with no one receiving financial compensation for more than 1/3 of the time worked.  This was never intended to be a long term solution. Last year with the additional burden incurred by the breaking of parent commitments to Enki - including substantial resale of materials - it became clear that this approach could go no further. Therefore, a new approach was needed if we were to continue to offer Enki Homeschooling. And so the Program model was born.

**If you choose to help make this opportunity possible for a family, those contributions will be used only to make the Program option available, and, because of the structure of the Program, your one time contribution will support one family each year well into the future. If we do not need the donation for this, it will be returned to you. No contribution will be used for any purpose other than supporting the Program option.

Enki is a federally recognized non-profit so ALL donations are tax deductible. Donations can be made through our fundraising page**  (http://secure.enkieducation.org/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15)

Unless this goal is met by July 10th, we will close the Enki Homeschooling options. For those who would like to understand why this leasing program is necessary to keep Enki viable, see the following.  

As a group that has been observing and supporting Enki for more than ten years, the Board of Directors knows the great value Enki has offered families. We do hope that the community will join together to make it possible for other families to benefit from the Enki approach for years to come.

 
Deborah Hussey, President
Enki Education, Board of Directors


Transparency on Enki's financial solvency:  

Former Operating Budget (old sales system)
- The printing cost for each individual package averages $300. This does not include anything for the writing or administration; it represents only the actual costs for printing each package.
-  Above the cost of production, there is an average profit of $350 per package.
- In the past, Enki has sold about 125 packages per year, which means that approximately $37,500 was spent on printing costs, leaving a net of $43,750.
- Office expenses (web site licenses, computers, printers, ink, paper, Internet, phone, web and computer maintenance) run about $13,000/year
- Net income after basic costs (printing and office expenses): $30,750
- The $30,750 is used to cover all additional expenses, including material development costs (authenticators, audio-visuals, researching, writing, and advertising), AND to pay Beth (full time), and Blake, and Amy (each 1/3 time) for their work creating the curriculum, developing additional materials, working with parents, and administrating the program.  Unfortunately, the effect of package resales has been that the net income for the 2013/2014 school year fell to just $21,000 to cover ALL non-office costs and staff time.

 
New Operating Budget (new Program-leasing system):
The difference afforded by the new Program/leasing system is that the bulk of the $37,500 of yearly production costs can be put into salaries. This would make it possible to pay three part-time faculty. Because faculty will no longer work unpaid,  Beth will go to part time. This means that additional fundraising will be needed for development of materials for additional Grade Level Programs.

This new system also makes it possible for parents to receive needed support and lighten the load of beginning homeschooling, and of preparing to teach a different grade each year in this unique program.

 

[maize]

Interesting. I have never used their materials but they did look beautiful.

[Matryoshka]

I also don't understand why they couldn't just go digital (maybe they're still worried about reselling)?  I'm understanding they're proposing people return their paid-for curriculum after they're done using it so it can be resold to a new customer?  How odd.  I have I think the K (or 1st?) curriculum hanging about on a shelf somewhere - I think it's from before the revision, though, so I'm not sure it would do them any good...

 

A digital model really would make way more sense. 

[shinyhappypeople]

I found the letter - and really, their entire attitude - creepy and controlling.  Just go digital and problem solved!  

 

They're far too quick to blame reselling and customers not returning what they've already purchased :confused:  instead of the likely culprits:  their website is poorly designed, confusing and difficult to navigate; and they haven't marketed their products effectively.

 

So, to sum up, their pity party isn't working on me.  

[ebrindam]

I found the letter - and really, their entire attitude - creepy and controlling.  Just go digital and problem solved!  

 

They're far too quick to blame reselling and customers not returning what they've already purchased :confused:  instead of the likely culprits:  their website is poorly designed, confusing and difficult to navigate; and they haven't marketed their products effectively.

 

 

Seeing this thread I just checked out their website. It's awful. Even if I had wanted to order, I couldn't figure out how to do it and it was completely unappealing.

[Nicholas_mom]

Yeah, it was a shock to me to receive the e-mail, too.   Especially since it was saying, give up your bought materials or ENKI is closing. 

 

I have been with ENKI for a lot of the years and took some of the classes Beth offered, including writing some of the GRADE 2 Nature stories, which NEVER came out.

 

I could go on but I would then be liable for a lawsuit from ENKI Education.  SO, I am watching how ENKI is dying a verrrryyyy sloooow death.

 

It is a shame because she does have wonderful things in it.  Very sad indeed.

[Farrar]

That's just nutty.  Are they not going digital because they're Waldorfy and Waldorfians are Luddites?  They are Waldorfy, right?

[ocelotmom]

What I don't get is that they claim to have been in development since 1993, yet they still only have K-3rd grades available. I looked at it 5ish years ago, and it was much the same. What exactly are they doing with their time, considering that they have multiple directors and a Board and volunteers and all? I know that not having a clear development timeline (at a minimum!) makes people hesitant to invest in a curriculum.

[Hunter]

Stuff like this make me love TWTM so much more. When you buy TWTM books they are yours. You are allowed to talk about them, tweak them, resell them, quote them according to standard copyright laws, and do whatever else you do with non homeschooling books. They are BOOKS!

 

Why, in general, are homeschooling authors so weird and controlling about their work? I have stopped using curriculum I like, just because I don't want to have anything to do with the author. This is over the top.

[Farrar]

When you buy any material printed books, they're yours.  That's the law.  Companies like this are lying.  If they want to make an appeal to people not to resell, then that's fair, but don't say it's illegal when it's not.

[MommytoFour]

I would never pay ~$600 for a curriculum if the company considered it just a "lease."  I don't know anything about the company at all, but these emails are so weird to me.

 

The oddest line in the whole thing to me is this: "Unfortunately, the effect of package resales has been that the net income for the 2013/2014 school year fell to just $21,000..."  How did they determine that? There are many other reasons their sales could have fallen off in the 2013/14 school year, other than resales.

 

 

[kiwik]

Yeah when you own something you can resell it. It annoys me sometimes when companies sell PDFs at the same price as print but I guess you are allowed to make multiple copies within your family. I get them because unless you can purchase off Amazon or similar print copies are just too expensive to ship.

[Hunter]

I've seen authors say the high price of their curriculum is based on high printing costs, but then see them either refuse to offer eBooks, or go on to sell the eBooks for the same price as the print options.

 

Honestly with all the publishing options currently available, I don't believe any whiny stories. Not anymore. Times have changed.

[nature girl]

I'm an author, so I get why publisher's would be upset about reselling. I work for years to write a book, and there are tens of thousands of used copies being sold that I make nothing off of, it almost feels like stealing. Readers own the hard copies, but I (and my publisher) own the content. I'm sure it's ten times worse for curriculum publishers whose programs cost hundreds of dollars...But of course it would be ridiculous to"forbid" resale, or claim that it's illegal, that's just silly. And obviously I'd never ask that people take pity on me and return their purchased copies just to help me stay afloat financially.

 

I wonder if they think they can get away with it because those who espouse Waldorf philosophy truly believe that it's the only way to raise a child, that they'll make a better world if they help spread the message, like missionaries. To them it's a religion. (Does Enki teach anthroposophy?)

[Matryoshka]

I wonder if they think they can get away with it because those who espouse Waldorf philosophy truly believe that it's the only way to raise a child, that they'll make a better world if they help spread the message, like missionaries. To them it's a religion. (Does Enki teach anthroposophy?)

 

No, Enki does not teach anthroposophy.  It's a bit of a mix of Waldorf-inspired, Montessori-inspired, and some Shambhala Buddhist philosophy mixed in (the author is a Buddhist).  Any Christian religion or anthroposophy has been stripped from the Waldorfy elements (they do more cycle-of-the-year solstice/season based things rather than Michelmas and Martinmas etc. that Waldorf does).

[SarahW]

I've seen authors say the high price of their curriculum is based on high printing costs, but then see them either refuse to offer eBooks, or go on to sell the eBooks for the same price as the print options.

 

Honestly with all the publishing options currently available, I don't believe any whiny stories. Not anymore. Times have changed.

 

 

I agree.

 

Printing costs $300? Seriously? What are they doing, embossing it with gold leaf? If not, they're doing something wrong.

[nature girl]

It's crazy too that they've only sold 125 packages a year, and apparently less last year. Think of all the hs'ing Waldorf families, and they only can find 125 of them? Why don't they instead focus their efforts on improving their marketing (and website) in order to make the name well known?

[Haiku]

 

Last year with the additional burden incurred by the breaking of parent commitments to Enki - including substantial resale of materials - it became clear that this approach could go no further. 

 

I know that this is an old thread, but that is just insane. Homeschooling parents who purchase curricula do NOT make a commitment to a publisher. Their commitment is (and should be) to their children. How bizarre for Enki not to understand that.

 

I had a very brief fling with Enki the year my middle child was K-aged.

 

I ran far, far away without ever looking back. 'Nuff said.

[beachrose]

I just found they closed and it is a real shame. It does seem to be an issue with the management. Beth seems like a perfectionist that doesn't handle constructive criticism well. She is defensive sadly and can't let go. She has already done all the work it's crazy to not sell the work digitally. It could be set up so all the work would be done for her ,cha ching.  She could do it through a system like Amazon where it would be tethered to an individual. So her thoughts on reselling would be enforced without alienating her customer base. 

[Donna A.]

This is interesting.  I've never looked at Enki and only briefly know anything about it, but my girls' dance teacher uses it with her own kids.  I wonder what she's going to do now.