TimeBanks USA Mission

Our mission is to expand a movement that

• develops, supports, and promotes a network of Time Banks that rebuild community, and
• reforms economic and social systems, policies and practices so that they empower human beings to contribute to the well-being of each other through reciprocity.

A note about the mission statement

The mission statement above is the long version. It is far too long for most people to remember. A much shortened version has been put at the bottom of our website pages.

The longer version is more precise. It keeps us on track. It reminds us that our primary task is to expand a movement – one whose central aim is the empowerment of human beings through reciprocity. (Reciprocity in this context means "paying it forward.")

The longer mission statement reminds us, too, that the movement can accomplish that ultimate goal of empowerment in two ways. One is through the development and support of Time Banks. The other is by seeking to bring change to our institutions and systems to make them more aware of what has been called “the joyous dance of give and take.” To give and to receive are mutually balancing actions. Most of us find that it can be a very great challenge to receive in the same spirit of openness and generosity that we like to think of ourselves as being givers. So, for many, Time Banking is a spiritual as well as a practical and social practice. All of that is embedded in the mission statement.

A note on the Five Core Values

We have been asked many times for a standard version of the Core Values. We have never been able to produce the standardized list that people call for. The reason is that Time Banking is used in so many different contexts, which means that the words that people usually use, and the way they usually use them, can vary hugely. The wording that works in one community doesn’t work so well in another. We have operated on the principle that as long as the meaning of each of the core values is clear, we can choose to let a thousand flowers bloom when it comes to the specific words. Below are two versions. One is very short. The second is more commonly found on TimeBanks USA materials

CORE VALUES (Short version)

1. We can all be valued contributors
2. Honor real work that is beyond price
3. Helping works better as a two-way street
4. Networks make individuals stronger
5. Respect demands accountability

Here's the second, longer version:

Assets

We are all assets.

We all have something to give.

Redefining Work

Some work is beyond price.

Work has to be redefined to value whatever it takes to raise healthy children, build strong families, revitalize neighborhoods, make democracy work, advance social justice, make the planet sustainable. That kind of work needs to be honored, recorded and rewarded.

Reciprocity

Helping works better as a two-way street.

The question: "How can I help you?" needs to change so we ask: "How can we help each other build the world we both will live in?"

Social Networks

We need each other.

Networks are stronger than individuals. People helping each other reweave communities of support, strength & trust. Community is built upon sinking roots, building trust, creating networks. Special relationships are built on commitment.

Respect

Every human being matters.

Respect underlies freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and everything we value. Respect supplies the heart and soul of democracy. When respect is denied to anyone, we all are injured. We must respect where people are in the moment, not where we hope they will be at some future point.