It is a great way to save money and time, take advantage of others' expertise, and meet new friends. The Time Bank is sponsored by a volunteer council called the PalladiuM and strives to strengthen the community through the neighbor helping neighbor approach of the frontier, transplanted into our modern day. The Time Bank uses a computer database to track skills people have and matches these services that fellow community members need.
Volunteers use the database to keep track of the deposits and withdrawals of time, just like a bank.
Participants attend an orientation meeting before they can exchange time. The Time Bank holds a monthly orientation in the form of a potluck. At the end of the orientation, new members fill out an application and learn how to make a Time Exchange. New participants automatically receive 4 hours of credit. In addition to being an informational meeting for new members, these potlucks allow members to meet each other and arrange trades.