The Community Fund

Time Trader has a Community Fund that is listed just like any other member of the timebank. It was established at the very beginning and was originally envisioned as a place where members could donate TD$ and other members could draw from in times when they were unable to earn TD$.

It has worked that way in some cases, when a member had an injury and needed a lot of help. Once the TD$ in their account were used up we turned to the Community Fund to help them receive services they needed until; they recovered.

We have found, however, that the Community Fund serves another purpose; it serves the larger community. Other agencies are learning about Time Trader and they are beginning to turn to us when the need a client has is outside the realm of the agency. In one instance, a woman needed to mow the lawn of her rented home but her lawn mower was broken. Her landlord was expressing concern and she did not have the money to have someone fix the mower or pay someone to mow for her. Time Trader was contacted and a member agreed to bring his mower to her home. Her lawn was mowed, and, as a bonus, the Time Trader was able to repair her mower with a $5 part, which he simply gave to the woman. There is really no other group or agency that could provide that service quickly; despite the fact that many people in our community would likely be willing to perform a service like that, there is no place other than Time Trader that can connect someone who needs a service with someone who is able to perform the service.

In another instance, a person who was new to the community had rented a home that proved to be unsafe. He was recovering from surgery and was unable to move, and for a variety of reasons, his move had to be accomplished quickly. Another community agency contacted Time Trader, and some volunteers went and assisted with the move. Again, this kind of service falls outside of what most agencies can provide.

In situations like this, the request will come through Community Weaver and it will be clear the person is not a member of Time Trader but that the TD$ earned will come from the Community Fund. Often people from the referring agency will be involved in the transaction as well. People who receive this service may later join Time Trader, going through the same orientation and background check as any other member, but if they do not join Time Trader they have no access to any information in Community Weaver.

This is a very important service Time Trader can provide for the Community, and we welcome inquiries from agencies. We are always open to discussion of one-time services as well as organizational partnerships.