‘Time2Trade' for the 'time rich and cash poor'

Learning Points

Dan Grainger said that he had learned the following during his time running the Timebank:

• The project needs to be local, community-based and driven by its members to give them ownership over it and ensure their sustained involvement.

• Expectation management is important. Dan had to make sure members were realistic in the kinds of services they would receive. As members were ordinary people (often in retirement age) they couldn’t expect to get services that required high-levels of skills and training (such as plumbing or electrical work). It was important to get this clear to prevent the possibilities being alienated further along the line. Managing the expectations of Primary Care Trust has also been important.

• Where there is an imbalance in the services that are provided the Time Bank has to be creative in catering for services. This can be through buying in services or linking with other organisations.

• The size and growth of Time Banks are linked to the size of the staff that can process all of the information to allow it to run efficiently. Dan and Donna have been able to ensure that the Time Bank has grown to its current size. However, to increase the scale of the Time Bank would require additional investment in more paid staff.

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