To obtain membership to the Dane County Timebank, an online sub-set of the international community Timebanks.org, always starts with a face-to-face meeting in real space.
A Timebank coordinator came to meet me on an early February afternoon at my business. After we exchanged friendly introductions, we pulled up two chairs in front of the computer. He signed on to his own Timebank account and gave me a complete tour of the virtual space. He went beyond the basics, giving tips on how to get the most out of the community. For example, he suggested that if I place an offer that fits into more than one category (teaching martial arts could fall under “Fitness”, “Sports” and “Classes”) I should re-submit the offer in as many categories as fit in order to get the most responses. Finally, I filled out some brief paperwork and he activated my account. His final advice? “Have fun with it!”
Getting started with the Timebank took an initial time investment.
Step 1: Add offers.
Timebank members request a broad range of services. Some are as simple as spending time socially, or providing occasional transportation. People want help learning how to use their computers or learning to speak better English. They need help with cleaning and home repairs, pet care and yard work. These are the requests for which there are many offers to meet the need. I decided to offer my more specialized services.
My professional background and expertise is in martial arts, fitness and wellness, and energy work (a complementary/alternative medicine). I started with the energy work.
Writing a good Timebank offer is like writing an advertisement. There were many existing offers in the “Complementary Therapies” category, so I set mine apart by creating multiple offers that specified symptoms which specific treatments were likely to help ameliorate.
Example offer: Black Pearl Sanctuary Technique--for deep relaxation, stress relief and emotional peace
Relaxation. Calm. Peace of mind. Emotional ease.
This technique involves gently holding points on the head to bring blood to the brain and circulate oxygen through the body. It is deeply relaxing and calming, and can help you to find peace in the face of emotional turbulence or trauma as well as the stress of everyday life.
Takes 30-60 minutes, depending on if you are interested in additional energy balancing. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have if you call me at work: 251-7755.
Green blocks indicate my availability for this service: (Weekday afternoons @ 532 State St.)
Step 2: Browse requests
After submitting my offers, I browsed the list of members requesting complementary therapies. If their requests seemed to match my services, I sent them a message through the Timebank about my offer.
Example message:
Send a message to (Name):
We have created the following message as a starting point; you can send it as-is, but we suggest you add your availability preferences:
Hi (Name)!
I saw your Request for I'd be interested in a complementary therapy.
There is a good chance that I may be able to provide what you are looking for.
Please respond to me through the TimeBanks web site, or you can call:
Daytime: 1234445555
Evenings:
Cell: 1234445555
I look forward to hearing from you!
Step 3: Browse offers
Even though I hadn’t yet earned any time dollars, I browsed offers to see what looked appealing and made a mental note of them.
Step 4: Add requests
My first request: “Speak Spanish with me!” I hoped to find a native Spanish speaker through the Timebank who could help me improve my fluency.
Step 5: Wait.
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