We’ve recently launched our tenth Community Timebank, continuing to grow a network that now supports communities across the UK and US (and even Romania!).
The idea behind Community Timebanks is simple: people share time and skills with each other. Help someone out with gardening, give a lift, share a bit of knowledge or just spend time with someone who might be feeling isolated. Instead of money, people exchange time credits, which helps make the giving and receiving more equal and visible.
Reaching ten timebanks is a lovely milestone for us, but even more exciting is seeing the friendships, connections and acts of kindness that grow within each community.
We built this software as part of our B-Corp mission, with the aim of making our timebanking software available to small community groups that might not otherwise have the budget for their own bespoke community platform.
Small acts that build stronger communities
Kathryn Woolf, Director at Made Open, put it simply in a recent LinkedIn post said:
“One of the things I love most about building community timebanking software is seeing new relationships flourish and people finding simple ways to support one another.
When we talk about healthier neighbourhoods, it's easy to focus on services and infrastructure. But health is also shaped by something much more human - knowing your neighbours, feeling connected and having people around you who care.
Often, it starts with the simplest things: helping a neighbour with some gardening, sharing a skill or meeting up for a walk in the park. These small acts of kindness reduce isolation, create new friendships and strengthen the social fabric that helps communities thrive.”
Kathryn also mentioned the West Seattle Community Timebank, where members share a “Wall of Thanks” to recognise help they’ve received from each other. It’s a good example of how small exchanges of time can add up to something meaningful.
A small thank you from us
As the Community Timebank network grows, we’re always grateful when people help spread the word. That's why, if you recommend us to a timebank that goes on to use our software, we’ll send you a bespoke t-shirt from our friends at the Numara Project.
Not only will you get a nicely designed t-shirt, you'll see where you fit in the story of humanity. This is just a small, fun way of saying thanks for helping more communities find and use timebanking.