Enhancing Support, Incentives, and Resources: Developing a Local Time Dollars Program
This section has been written, with permission, from materials developed by the Time Dollar Institute (now TimeBanks USA)
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WHAT ARE TIME DOLLARS?
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WHY SHOULD YOU DEVELOP A TIME DOLLARS PROGRAM?
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WHO SHOULD DEVELOP A TIME DOLLARS PROGRAM?
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HOW DO YOU DEVELOP A TIME DOLLARS PROGRAM?
Many of us who volunteer our time, or work for not for profit organizations, do so because we want to help people; we hope to somehow improve their lives. Feeling better about ourselves through helping other people is an idea that has a very long history. For example, the Catholic Church's "Prayer of St. Francis" tells us that it is better to give than to receive. What the prayer doesn't say, however, is that it's sometimes easier to give than to receive.
Because frankly, it's hard for many of us to ask for help, whether that help is in the form of money, or assistance with a task, such as taking care of our children or getting our mail while we are out of town. And if we do ask for help, we're quick to offer something in return -- we pay the loan (often with interest!), pay the baby-sitter in cash or in taking care of her children in return, or bring a pie to the neighbors who watched our house. The last thing we want is for people to think we are "freeloading" or "not pulling our weight."
And yet many times when we as organizations offer to help people, that's exactly how we set them up to feel. "Don't worry about it," we say, as if somehow we are better than them, or have more to offer than they do. And messages like that -- even though they aren't what we mean, even if they are the last thing we want to communicate -- are often what gets transmitted, and they can be very hard to take.
That's where the idea of Time Dollars comes in. The thought behind Time Dollars is that everyone, no matter what they do, or where they are in their lives, has something to offer. And Time Dollars asks individuals to use their talents and skills; and in doing so, allows them to retain their sense of pride when they need help.
WHAT ARE TIME DOLLARS?
Time Dollars are a currency that turns time into money. Volunteers in Time Dollars programs earn credits for the time they spend helping other members. One hour of service earns you one credit, or "time dollar." Then in turn, you can "buy" an hour of a service you need. If you don't need all the credits you earn, you can save them up, give them to someone you know, or give them back to the "bank." That way, the people who run the program can use the extra "money" to make sure the members with the severest needs get all the help they require.
Unlike traditional volunteer programs, Time Dollar programs recognize that people who need help can often help others, too - just in different ways.
A minister's experience gives us an example of how this works. For fifteen years, this gentleman was the pastor of a Baptist church in Washington, D.C. People relied on him as someone they could turn to 24 hours a day for guidance, comfort, or just a little conversation. However, when the Reverend, who suffers from diabetes, lost his right leg to an infection, he retired from the church. He felt overwhelmed by the sudden changes in his life, and for a long time lived almost as a recluse, refusing to leave his apartment.
The local Time Dollar program helped him adjust to the seemingly insurmountable problems he faced. He is once again an active member of the community. He earns Time Dollars by conducting prayer services for his fellow tenants, and he spends them to have his meals prepared by another volunteer.
This kind of exchange isn't new. It has always occurred among families and friends. All Time Dollar programs do is provide a new structure for neighborliness - one that turns good deeds into real purchasing power.
So, what exactly do Time Dollars members do? To give you an idea of the possibilities, here's a sampling of the kinds of services Time Dollar members exchange:
- Personal care, such as grooming, meal preparation, feeding, letter writing, reading, and respite care
- Care for family members, such as baby-sitting and elder care
- Help with household chores, such as light housekeeping, gardening, home repairs, and laundry
- Help outside the home, such as with shopping and transportation
- An escort to the doctor
- Language translation services
- Telephone support services, both check-in calls (to make sure a person is okay) and social calls
- Peer counseling
- Education, such as literacy services, English as a second language classes, tutoring grade-school and high school students, and preparation for the GED
- Administrative support of the program
Many of these things are being done in some places by home care professionals, but can be done by individuals in our communities without paying money. And in allowing people to do things themselves to "pay" for the help they receive, we help people regain control over their own lives.
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