English cathedrals are reinstating admission charges to overcome lost donations since 9/11. While raising prices in an economic downturn is fairly typical, that doesn’t always mean it’s successful (eBay tried it this week).
The Daily Telegraph explores the history of cathedral admission prices, focusing on Frank Bennett who abolished the Chester cathedral’s sixpence admission price in the 1920s. In addition he reworked the way the cathedral operated and as a result voluntary donations brought in four times as much as the admission price did.
It seems grace is not only at the core of our faith, but it’s also an idea that can work in the business world (see Seth Godin’s Free Prize Inside).
