It’s about time. UMM is launching a Timebank for the University Hills community.
After informally assessing with neighbors over many years, it’s clear there is enough interest in the UHills community to create a Timebank. At UMM, we believe alternative economies are possible. We imagine a complementary local economy that is not alienated from social capital but rather intertwined with it. UMM invites all UHills neighbors to join the global Timebank movement by participating in this project.
Register and set up your account here
FAQs
What is a Timebank?
A Timebank is a community system where people exchange services using the currency of time instead of money. For every hour you spend helping someone—like tutoring, fixing something, or running errands—you earn one hour time credit. You can then use that credit to receive an hour of help from someone else in the Timebank. Everyone’s time is valued equally, no matter what service they provide.
How is a Timebank different from bartering?
In bartering, two people trade directly—like swapping vegetables for a haircut. But in a Timebank, you don’t have to trade with the same person. You help one member and earn a time credit, then spend that credit with anyone else in the network. Any kind of activity or skill can be part of the collective exchange pool.
How does it work?
UMM’s Timebank uses a software platform called TNT (Time and Talents), which is maintained by one of the largest Timebank collectives in the world. UMM manages the software implementation and membership, including verifying that members are part of the UHills community through a simple reference process. Once you create a (free) account in the software system, you will be gifted 2 hours of time to get you started, and you can post both offers (to offer a service to others) or requests (to ask for something you need). Timebank users login to the system through a web browser on a computer, tablet or phone, and do not need to install any app.
How does the software system track and verify hours?
Once you receive a service from someone, you confirm those hours in the system and they are credited with the time. All members can see their own transaction history, and the system also allows you to add a positive rating to someone, to help build trust in the network.
What kinds of skills are you looking for?
Beyond professional training, everyone has a skill, talent or ability to share with the community. A last minute grocery pick up, dog walking, storytelling, making fresh hummus, translating, pet sitting, umbrella repair, a guided forest walk, nature meditation, a cooking lesson, laughing therapy.
Who can I contact with questions?
For any other questions about the UMM Timebank or to get involved helping us spread the word and support the system as an UMM Timebank Ambassador, please contact us at hola@unconfirmedmakeshiftmuseum.org
Last updated: November 2025
Special thanks to the hOurworld® volunteers who maintain the TNT Timebank software platform, and to Michael Dessen for UMM Timebank technical support
Further reading
"The Eurocentric nature of economics has stifled, devalued and erased a plethora of economic knowledges, hindering the equal participation of non-Western and non-capitalist economies (often labelled as ‘less developed’, ‘developing’ or ‘global South’) in the global construction of social meaning and economic well- being."
- Carrasco-Miró, Gisela. “What Kind of Economies Do We Want?”
Cahn, Edgar S. “Reinventing Poverty Law.” The Yale Law Journal 103.8 (1994): 2133–2155. Web.
Carrasco-Miró, Gisela. “What Kind of Economies Do We Want?” Decolonizing Feminist Economics. 1st ed. Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press, 2025. 125–147. Web.
Goodwin, Neva, and Edgar Cahn. “Unmet Needs and Unused Capacities: Time Banking as a Solution.” Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies 5.1 (2018): n. pag. Web.
Gray, Anne. Radical Approaches to the Care Crisis: Solidarity, Community and a National Care Service. Bristol University Press, 2025. Project MUSE, https://muse.jhu.edu/book/126666
Korsunova, Angelina et al. “Digital Platforms for Nurturing Circular Neighbourhood Spirits.” Consumption and Society 4.2 (2025): 296–315. Web.
Konieczna, Patrycja. “Exploring the Relationship Between Complementary Currencies and Sustainable Development: A Comparative Study.” Sustainability 17.8 (2025): 3627-. Web.
Robinson, Kwame. “Computing for Community-Based Economies.” ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2024. Print.
Kothari, A. (2024). Radical Well-Being Approaches for the Global South. In: Müller, M.HP. (eds) Indien im 21. Jahrhundert − Auf dem Weg zur postindustriellen Ökonomie. Ökonomien und Gesellschaften im Wandel. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-43014-6_18
Valor, Carmen et al. “Sharing Economy to the Rescue? The Case of Timebanking.” Handbook of the Sharing Economy. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019. 136–151. Web.
Kunstnernes hus, host institution, and Katya García-Antón. Art and Solidarity Reader : Radical Actions, Politics and Friendships / Edited by Katya García-Antón. Ed. by Katya García-Antón. Oslo, Norway: Office for Contemporary Art Norway OCA, 2022.