What will you offer?
Here are some things to consider when thinking about what services you'll offer in time banking. Oh, and it does have to be a service. If you want to exchange goods, you can do so through the Columbia Freecycle group.
You don't have to be an open book.
Providing a service through time banking doesn't mean you have to offer the service to everyone. Quite the opposite, actually. For example, I have no interest in taking someone I don't know to the airport, but I'll happily drive a friend. Another example is a world-class photographer in Columbia's T-B system will provide instruction in wild life photography, but only to people who can walk a mile comfortably. I've even heard that there is a woman who cuts her friends' hair through time banking, but only her friends' hair. See, it's your choice.
You don't have to say "yes" to everyone.
Another thing to know is that you don't have to say, "yes," even if you've offered a service to the time bank network. Your reasons are your reasons: you might be really busy, you might sense that the person won't really benefit from the service, or you might not like the person requesting the service. It doesn't really matter. Engaging in an exchange is always your choice.
So, what will you offer?
Do you want to use time banking to meet people socially and find people with whom you share interests and values? Do you want to promote a business service you offer? Is there a hobby you love or special skill you have but don't use very often? One white waspy time banker I know offers to translate Japanese, a skill she doesn't use too often in her daily life. Another one offers to sew custom-made pieces; she loves to sew but just doesn't get around to it for herself. I want to use time banking to develop the community I want to live in. I also want to make available to small nonprofits and individuals the services that I provide professionally. But I don't want to bleed myself dry as a volunteer. Timebanking concurrently allows me to help others and allows my time to be valued and tracked.
Here's what I decided.
I decided that I'd offer blog consulting, Getting Things Done consulting, social media coaching and hyper-local marketing consulting. Oh, and hula hoop lessons! All of these things support the vision of the community I want to live in. And they are all things I love to do. So time banking is fun for me. It's a way to support people and organizations in the community, do what I love, transfer knowledge, meet new people and have fun. And earn T-B dollars I can use for things I want and need. How can you beat that? :-)