Local Exchange News
44 Upper Browns Creek Road Burnsville NC 28714
Phone 828.564.1084
130 MEMBERS 539 HOURS EXCHANGED
If you have any questions or feedback for us we'd love to hear your thoughts!
Become a partner in a local, sharing economy
of neighbor helping neighbor
without the need for money.
Toe River Skill Exchange
The Toe River Skill Exchange (TRSE) is a time bank, a network of individual and organizational members that earn time credits for the hours they spend providing services to other time bank members. One member provides a neighborly service to another member and then records the time they spent providing that service in their account on the time bank member registry. The hours the member has earned are "banked" until they choose to exchange them for services they need. An hour is an hour regardless of the service provided. Each member is valued equally.
It is a “pay-it-forward system.” You don’t have to figure out what to give back to the member who provided a service for you. You can choose how to “pay it forward” doing what you want when you want. Members can log on to the secure TRSE member registry to post requests for services, respond to other member's requests, and record hours credited and debited. (Phone access is available for members without internet access.)
A time bank is NOT a barter network, since no goods or payments are exchanged.
To see a short video about how a time bank works click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DovdsMBVmCs
For a short video explaining how to use the Toe River Skill Exchange software on hOurworld click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1JoTVv_Y-0
Who Can Become a Member?
Anyone in Yancey County over the age of 18 can sign up to be a member. (Younger members may participate but must be registered under their parent or guardian's membership.)
Community organizations can also join the skill exchange. Their free membership enables them to use the time bank system to encourage volunteering and to obtain services to further their mission. (Please contact TRSE for more information.)
How to Become a Member
Step One: Click on the "Become a Member" button at the top of the page, fill out the short membership application form and hit the "Submit" button at the bottom of the form.
Step Two: You will receive an email message from hOurworld confirming that your application has been received.
Step Three: The TRSE coordinator will activate your membership and send a second confirmation email message. Please view the short video tutorials and read the Member Handbook.
CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a member and you have earned two hours of time credit just for signing up.
Step Four: Now you can go into the member registry, complete your member profile, which includes the skills and services you have to offer, and begin posting requests for services you need.
Member Handbook available here
The Toe River SKill Exchange Member Handbook contains membership guidelines and helpful information about how to use the Skill Exchange. All members should have a copy of the Member Handbook. A copy is available at www.hOurworld.org/pdf/TRSE_Member_Handbook.pdf
Member Recruitment Pamphlet Available Here
The most effective way to recruit new TRSE members is for a current member to invite a friend, neighbor or family member to join our TRSE community. The one-page, tri-fold TRSE pamphlet is a useful tool for speaking to potential members. It contains basic information about how the skill exchange works and instructions about where to go to sign up for membership. The Adobe file will easily print in color on most home computer printers, so you can download and print as few or as many as you like.
https://www.hourworld.org/pdf/TRSE_Member_Outreach.pdf
Remember, the more members we have, the more skills we will have to exchange, and the stronger our community will grow. You are our most effective recruiter, so share this information as widely as you can.
