Timebank Grand Rapids

Table of Contents

What is Timebank Grand Rapids?

Why Join a Time Bank?

How Does a Time Bank Work?

How Do I Become a Member?

Membership Application

Offer and Receive Services

How Do I Make an Exchange?

Through Oakdale Neighbors

Online

Can I Exchange Goods Through Time Bank Grand Rapids?

How Will I Get to Know Other Members?

Why is Everyone's Time Given the Same Value?

TimeBanks Community Weaver Website Quick Start Guide

Legal Stuff

Insurance

Taxes

Benefits of a Community Currency

Mobilizing the Real Wealth of a Community:

Fostering Self-Reliance & Self Esteem:

Increased Personal Savings & Disposable Income:

Creating Local Economic Control:

Building Community Support Networks:

Fostering Social Justice & Equality:

Building a Sense of Community:

Keeping Wealth Where it is Created:

Bringing the 'Money Power' Back to the Commons:

Keeping One Another Safe and Comfortable

Volunteer Insurance:

Member Signed Acknowledgement:

Working in Teams or Pairs:

Online Access to Time Bank Grand Rapids Member Profiles:

Photo Identification Cards and Online Photos:

Reference Checks:

Criminal Background Check:

Reference Check Form

Time Bank Grand Rapids Brochure

Table of Contents...... 2

What is Timebank Grand Rapids?...... 3

How Do I Become a Member?...... 3

Application...... 3

Reference and Background Check...... 3

How Do I Make Exchanges?...... 3

Online...... 3

Through Oakdale Neighbors...... 3

Legal Stuff...... 3

Insurance...... 3

Taxes...... 3

Membership Application...... 4

TimeBanks Community Weaver Website Quick Start Guide...... 6

Sign In...... 6

Set up an Exchange...... 7

Record Your Hours...... 7

View Directory/Offer/Request Reports...... 8

Exit the System...... 8

Benefits of a Community Currency...... 9

Mobilizing the Real Wealth of a Community:...... 9

Fostering Self-Reliance & Self Esteem:...... 9

Increased Personal Savings & Disposable Income:...... 9

Creating Local Economic Control:...... 9

Building Community Support Networks:...... 9

Fostering Social Justice & Equality:...... 9

Building a Sense of Community:...... 10

Keeping Wealth Where it is Created:...... 10

Bringing the 'Money Power' Back to the Commons:...... 10

Keeping One Another Safe...... 11

What is Timebank Grand Rapids?

A time bank is a community of people who support one another. It is a system for exchanging services with others. As a member you earn a time dollar by doing a service for someone else. The time dollar you earn is “stored” in the time bank. You can spend time dollars by asking another member to do something for you.

A time bank helps people work together for the common good. It brings out the best in people by matching their skills and talents with unmet needs in the neighborhood. You can read more about time banks and similar complementary currencies here:

Time Bank Grand Rapids is hosted by Oakdale Neighbors in partnership with TimeBanks USA. Oakdale Neighbors is a community development organization in southeast Grand Rapids. You can read more about Oakdale Neighbors here: TimeBanks USA is an international network of time banks. You can learn more about time banks and TimeBanks USA here:

Why Join a Time Bank?

Joining a time bank can benefit you personally. The time dollars you earn are a form of currency that you can use to “purchase” services that you need. The time bank also benefits our community and society by building relationships of trust, caring, and reciprocity.

Through a time bank we:

  • get to know our neighbors
  • support and care for one another
  • build a sense of community
  • affirm one another’s contributions
  • promote equality and social justice
  • increase personal savings and wealth

Our time bank holds to five core values:

  1. Assets: Every human being has something to contribute.
  2. Redefining Work: All kinds of work needs to be honored and rewarded.
  3. Reciprocity: We serve others and let others serve us.
  4. Social Networks: By helping each other, we build communities of support, trust, and strength.
  5. Respect: We listen to and are accountable to one another.

You can read more about the value of time banks and similar exchanges below in the section called “Benefits of Community Currencies”.

How Does a Time Bank Work?

This diagram is a simple explanation of how the time bank works:

How Do I Become a Member?

To become a member of Time Bank Grand Rapids take these simple steps:

1.Attend an information meeting.

2.Submit an application form. (Authorize a background check.)

3.Attend an orientation meeting.

4.Create a Profile at or ask Oakdale Neighbors to create a profile for you if you don’t have access to a computer.

5.Request a service from another member within two weeks.

6.Attend regular events to get to know your new time bank community.

Application

Reference and Background Check

1

11/6/2018

Timebank Grand Rapids

Oakdale Neighbors

1260 Kalamazoo SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49507

Ph: 616-248-2848

Email:

Web:

Membership Application

Full Name ______Nickname ______

Previous Names: ______

Address ______Date of Birth _____/______/______

______Home Phone ______

______E–Mail ______

Social Security Number ______

Driver’s License of State ID Number______State Issued:______

Sex: M FRace: ______

Other ways to reach you:______

We hope everyone will participate in Time Bank Grand Rapids. We’ll be taking certain steps to keep everyone safe.

Please give two non-relative references:

1. Name ______Home Phone ______

Email:______Work Phone ______

1. Name ______Home Phone ______

Email: ______Work Phone ______

Have you ever been convicted of a felony?YesNo

Are you on probation or parole?YesNo

Do you have any pending felony charges against you?YesNo

Have you been a resident of the State of Michigan only for the past ten (10) years? Yes No

If not, in what other states have you resided? ______

(A federal background check will be required including a fingerprint card).

On the attached page check up to five services you would most like to receive from other members.

On the attached page circle up to five services you would like to offer to other members.

By signing below, you are indicating that you understand and agree to the following:

  1. As a member of the Time Bank Grand Rapids I agree to undertake and request neighborly acts of kindness, caring and assistance with other members of the time bank.
  2. I have the sole right and responsibility to determine whether and when to accept services and/or goods offered through Time Bank Grand Rapids and assume the risk of injury, harm or damage in connection with my providing or receiving Time Bank services. The services I receive come with no warranty, express or implied. No contractual relationship, either express or implied, exists now, or will be formed, between me and Oakdale Neighbors or other Time Bank Grand Rapids members by virtue of my membership and participation in Time Bank Grand Rapids.
  3. I will hold Oakdale Neighbors, its employees and board members, harmless from any and all liability, actions, claims and damages of any kind, including those caused by or arising from negligence, for injury to person or property.
  4. I hereby authorize Oakdale Neighbors to conduct a comprehensive review of my background causing a consumer report and/or an investigative consumer report to be generated. I understand that the scope of the consumer report/ investigative consumer report may include, but is not limited to the following areas: verification of social security number, current and previous residences, employment history, education background, character references, drug testing, civil and criminal history records from any criminal justice agency in any or all federal, state, county jurisdictions, driving records, birth records, and any other public records. I further authorize any individual, company, firm, corporation, or public agency to divulge any and all information, verbal or written, pertaining to me, to Oakdale Neighbors or its agents.
  5. I authorize Oakdale Neighbors to release relevant information concerning my ability and fitness to work as a time bank member to those seeking to utilize my services.

By signing below, I certify that I have read this document carefully, that I understand its terms, that I recognize that it constitutes a waiver of legal rights, and that it is enforceable to the extent allowed by law.

Signature ______Date ______

Thank You!

Please return to: Oakdale Neighbors, 1260 Kalamazoo SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507.

See or call 248-2848 for more information.

11/6/2018

Offer and Receive Services

Check () five services you want to receive from others.

Circle five services you want to offer to others.

11/6/2018

Transportation

Errands / Shopping

Local

Long Distance

Medical

Train / Bus / Airport

Worship

Miscellaneous

All

Help At Home

Child Care

Cooking & Sewing

Hair & Beauty

Housekeeping / Chores

Pet Care

Respite Care

Miscellaneous

All

Companionship

Clubs

Dining Out

E-mail / IM

Home Visits

Medical Errands

Telephone Calls

Miscellaneous

All

Community Activities

Clean-up / Recycling

Community Service

Fund-raising

Help Our TimeBank!

Special Projects

Work For Social Change

Miscellaneous

All

Wellness

Complementary Therapies

Counseling

Diet & Nutrition

Fitness & Exercise

Medical Services

Yoga / Meditation

Miscellaneous

All

Recreation

Books & Videos

Dancing

Events

Games

Sports

Travel

Miscellaneous

All

Education

Advocacy

Classes / Workshops

Computers / Technology

Languages / Translation

Personal Finances

Tutoring / Mentoring

Miscellaneous

All

Arts, Crafts & Music

Classes

Crafts

Entertainment

Lessons

Photo & Video

Theater

Miscellaneous

All

Home Repair

Car Care

Carpentry /Construction

Electrical

Garden & Yard Work

Painting

Plumbing

Miscellaneous

All

Business Services

Clerical

Computer Support

Financial

Legal

Marketing

Research

Miscellaneous

All

Miscellaneous

Freecycling

For Sale

Wanted

All Other Services

11/6/2018

How Do I Make an Exchanges?

Once you become a member you should try to request a service as soon as possible. If everyone waits to be asked, no exchanges will happen. Similarly, if everyone tries to maintain a positive time dollar balance, the level of time bank activity will be low. For the time bank to function well some of us will have positive balances and some of us will have negative balances.

During the application process you indicated what services you can offer and what services you want to receive. Whenever you are facing a task, consider asking another time bank member to do the task for you. Look over the list of member profiles regularly to acquaint yourself with services that are available. Once you have decided to request a service, you can do so in two ways:

Through Oakdale Neighbors

If you don’t have online access, Oakdale Neighbors will be glad to make exchanges for you. Simply call Oakdale Neighbors at 248-2848. Explain what service you are seeking. Oakdale Neighbors will look for someone offering that service.

Online

If you have online access, you can offer or request services using the online time bank service at You will receive information about how to login and set up your profile when your membership is approved. The TimeBanks Community Weaver Website Quick Start Guide below describes some of the basic features of the online system. You can view an online video to see how the software works:

Can I Exchange Goods Through Time Bank Grand Rapids?

Yes. For example, you may want to offer a bread-baking service to other members. To do this and maintain tax-expempt status for the exchange and Oakdale Neighbors, you should charge for the hours it takes to produce something in Time Dollars, and charge the cost of the materials in regular dollars. Read more about this topic here:

How Will I Get to Know Other Members?

Get to know other members by:

  1. Reviewing the Profiles of other members on line or in the paper directory.
  2. Attending bimonthly potlucks for members.

Why is Everyone's Time Given the Same Value?

In the “caring economy” of the time bank everyone’s time is valued equally – just like it is inside a family. At first glance, it seems crazy that someone is paid the same for web design and pulling weeds, but this turns out to be the core of what makes the time bank really work.

In the market economy people invest in special training to make their time more valuable. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, it has taken over too much of our experience of the world. Putting different prices on people's time separates us by making some people more valuable than others. Time dollars aren’t meant to replace standard dollars. They are designed to counterbalance the market economy where almost everything is monetized.

The time bank builds relationships because it assumes that everyone has God-given gifts that are valuable. It treats everyone as valuable persons created in the image of God. Because of that it places an equal value on everyone’s time. With the time bank we are building a parallel economy where people take care of each other as family members. We are building an extended family by geography and shared concern, not by bloodlines.

Through Oakdale Neighbors

TimeBanks Community Weaver Website Quick Start Guide

11/6/2018

Sign In

(Everything on this page requires that you sign in first.)

  1. Go to
  2. Click Sign In button (upper right)
  3. Enter your full email address and password
  4. If this is an unshared computer, click the “remember me” box.

View Profiles of Other Members

  1. Click the Community tab, then on the Member list link.
  2. Click anywhere in a row to see a Member’s Profile

Look up Community Events

  1. Click the Community tab
  2. Click the Events listed on the right to see a fuller description.

Locate an Offer / Request

  1. Click the Give & Receive tab.
  2. Click a specific category to view When you find an interesting ad, press the See More button
  3. If you want to reply to the message, click on the Reply Now button. Reply Now takes you to a draft reply message that is pre-built for that ad and contains contact information from your profile. You can use the message as is or edit it to your liking.
  4. Click the Preview Message button to see how your message will appear before sending it.
  5. If like how it looks, click the Send Message button or click Edit Message to go back and make some more changes.

Set up an Exchange

  1. When someone responds to your ad or your response to their ad, you will get an email inviting you to come to web site and see their response. Click on the underlined link in the email to get to you Message Center Inbox.
  2. Each row in your Inbox contains a summary of the all the emails about an ad. Click the read conversation button to see all the emails about a particular service exchange.
  3. At the bottom of the Conversation page, the latest response is in a grey box on the left and you type in your rely in the white box on the right.
  4. To structure the conversation we have three additional fields:
  5. Availability: click in the time blocks that you are available
  6. Projected date: click on the calendar icon on the right of the Projected Date field to choose a date from a calendar.
  7. Change Status to:
  8. Keep the Yellow Pending setting, if you are still negotiating a date and time.
  9. Click the Green Agree setting, if you can do the proposed date and time.
  10. Click the Red Can’t Do setting, if you can’t or don’t want to do the service. Please don’t be shy about using the Can’t Do setting.
  11. When both people use the Green Agree setting, the date is set.

Record Your Hours

  1. Click the My Account tab, then the Message tab, then Inbox.
  2. Click the Record Hours button inside the message summary row for the competed task.
  3. On the Record Hours screen, enter the Date of Service, Time Spent in quarter hours.
  4. Click the Preview button.
  5. Click Confirm. This will subtract Time Dollars from the account of the person who received the service and add them to the account of the person who gave the service.

Place Your Offer / Request

  1. Click the Give & Receive tab.
  2. Click the category you’re interested in. Looking at these ads might help you in writing yours.
  3. Click the Add Your Offer or Add Your Request button to go to the Add a Service screen.
  4. Write your Ad.
  5. Click the Preview Service Ad, then Submit Service Ad.

Edit or Stop Your Offer / Request

  1. Click the My Account tab, then My Services, then My Offers or My Requests.
  2. Find the ad you want to change, and click the Edit or Stop button.

View Your Account Status

  1. Click the My Account tab, then My Hours, and View Activity.
  2. To change the date range. Use the View Transactions pull down menu, then click on the View button.

View Directory/Offer/Request Reports

  1. Click the My Account tab, then the My Reports tab.
  2. Choosing the Member Contact List will provide you with a shortened list of all members that can be sorted by clicking on any field header, including first and last name, city, or zip code.
  3. Choosing the List of Service Offers will generate a report which can be sorted by first or last name, service category, or service offered (ad title). Clicking on any field in the report will take you directly to a corresponding list of services, or the specific ad or the member’s profile.
  4. Choosing the List of Service Requests will generate a report which can be sorted by service category, service requested, member name, or expiration date. Clicking on any field in the report will take you directly to a corresponding list of services, or the specific al or the member’s profile.
  5. Any of these reports may be printed using your browser’s print options.

Exit the System

When you are finished, you don’t need to sign out of the system unless you are using a public computer or share your computer with someone else. In these circumstances, it is a good idea to sign out so other people can’t use your account. Simply click the Sign Out button (upper right). That’s it!