Holy Cross Centre Trust

Nothing could be simpler than a basic Time Bank. You give an hour of help. You earn one Time Dollar. The person receiving the help owes one Time Dollar. They pay back by helping someone else.

Members list what they are willing to do and when they can do it. This is entered into a computer. When somebody calls in, their need is matched to available members by a computer search. The coordinator (or match-maker) then makes a call or gives the names to the person requesting help so they can work out arrangements. The computer keeps track of what has been earned and spent. You use your Time Dollars when you need them – or you can give them to someone else. There are lots of variations but that’s the basic idea.

Think of a babysitting pool – where babysitting for someone in the pool enables you to get an hour of babysitting from any other member of the pool.

Think of a pot luck. Everyone brings something. Everyone partakes – in different amounts. You give what you can when you can.

Amounts vary enormously – but there are some members with hundreds of hours, saved in their bank for a rainy day. And there are some who go into debt knowing that they can pay back later.

In Time Banking the math is simple: 1=1.

One hour = one Time Dollar. Every hour is equal because the most precious thing we have is a piece of our lifespan. Every hour is unique; every hour is irreplaceable. So in this caring economy, everyone’s time has equal value. That may sound unrealistic. But consider this reaction from a law professor: “I would give any number of hours of my time, if someone would take my mother-in-law shopping.”

Time Banks take many forms but all record what people do and all provide some way to spend and some way that those getting help pay back. Once people get it, they get really creative in thinking up new ways to use it.

Time Banking is catching on.

It is now being used in over twenty countries to meet needs and deal with almost every conceivable social problem:

• babysitting,
• child care and development,
• children with special needs,
• citizenship education,
• drug treatment,
• eldercare,
• employment readiness,
• environmental protection,
• home repair,
• hospital discharge and recovery,
• immigrant resettlement,
• juvenile delinquency,
• mental illness,
• monitoring government offi cials,
• opportunities for the disabled to contribute,
• protesting illegal behavior,
• restoring neighborhoods,
• social justice movements,
• studying and changing public policy,
• transportation for those without cars,
• tutoring and mentoring,
• voter registration,
• “wrap-around” help for troubled youngsters

Above all, Time Banks restore hope.

They rekindle the ability to dream of making a real difference – and more and more, they actually make that dream come true. Computer technology enables us to identify, store and access resources that the free market does not recognize, does not value and does not tap. Computers, the
Internet and new software help us create extended family and community linkages. And Time Bank members can earn Time Dollars at neighborhood events
or working together on projects that build community.

The era of Time Banking has just begun. We are only beginning to learn the possibilities that are within our reach.

Download Letter No 3 - What is Time Banking? How does it work? [PDF / 542.43 KB]