So, if you have easy access to dollars please give as much as you're able, and consider making it a regular automatic contribution, via Paypal.

If dollars aren't an option and you wish to contribute any other form of credit (hours - 1 hour of work = 1 hour of credit; MANY - 1 MANY = $1 worth of goods or services, never redeemable for cash; Common Good fee free wealth-pooling debit card tied to your bank account). Create a transaction with the Madison MAN Cooperative here.

Thanks for joining! Hope to see you at an orientation or other gathering soon

Thanks for your interest in the Common Fund and how The Madison MAN Coop Madison Mutual Aid Network | Madison MAN Co-op and others are growing our combined economic power to use in community. 

The Common Fund’s pool is accumulating at the Heartland Credit Union and its activities are tracked through Madison MAN Common Fund record-keeping spreadsheet. You will be added to the list of contributing members upon your first deposit. The spreadsheet shows the detailed standing of activity, balances, loans, and the overall pool available to the group as a whole for sociocratic-based decision making of how our community will benefit.  

Want to join? Email info@madisonman.coop or come to an orientation (check calendar here)

For more information contact the Madison MAN Coop at Madison Mutual Aid Network | Madison MAN Co-op

EveryWhere Gardens where we work collectively on the garden space of members who need help, building skills and sharing the bounty. This includes using and increasing access to commonly held tools and supplies.

Community Peace and Justice includes the Homelessness Restorative Justice Project (HRJP) which we helped create in 2016 under the auspices of our parent organization the Dane County TimeBank (DCTB). The HRJP works in partnership with law enforcement, community organizations, and other partners to relieve people of fines in favor of participating in restorative circles. We then uphold a mutual agreement that builds skills, social connections, and opportunities for the respondent while also benefiting other circle participants. In addition, we build neighborhood-level peace-making capacity -- called Peace Practice -- so individuals, neighborhoods, organizations, and law enforcement can refer people and conflicts directly to neighborhood-level solutions. Current Peace Practice locations including Occupy Tiny House Village on Aberg Ave (2 years), the East Side Men's Shelter (4 months) and the Social Justice Center on Williamson St. (beginning). We're seeking to add more Peace Practice locations in places with need, such as permitted encampments and shelters, and interested organizations and workplaces.

Our budding Health + Care Network adopts models from other partner communities and is building our capacity to support people with disabilities, aging bodies, injuries, or illness, with the kinds of care they need. One of the EveryWhere Gardens locations came about through helping an older member with garden work that is no longer possible for her. Another member who uses a wheelchair is beginning to get weekend meals and working toward more cares.

Community education is woven through all of these activities, each of which is open to the public at large and each of which creates opportunities for all the participants to decide together on their learning journey. We maintain a living archive of community learning sessions via shared recordings.

All of these activities earn the participants hour credits (timebanking) and we regularly offer swaps where members can exchange what they have for what they need, so members begin to engage in more reciprocal acts, building the community network, building skills and leadership, and building economic resilience. Every participant is a member, with a say in the governance and a stake in the ownership.

Fill out this easy 2-minute survey to let us know how you'd like to be involved!

Sharing

Timebanking

Price-based Mutual Credit

Common Good community wealth-building debit card

Common Fund cooperative saving and lending/giving pool

Click these links to begin using each economic tool:

Timebanking - you're here, where you can earn and exchange HUMAN hours.

If you were a member of the late great Dane County TimeBank, we'll honor your hours in the MAN network if you want to bring your balance with you, or you can start fresh like the old-time jubilees.

Common Good community wealth-building debit card

Madison MAN Cooperative Common Fund

We also use software, apps, and other communication tools to manage peer-to-peer and cooperative work.

Use this site to post your local offers and wants, and connect with local projects.

Use our HOME open source tech ecosystem to manage your projects' work flows and mass communications. Here is a one-hour HOME Economics 101 video, an overview of the cooperative economic practices we're connecting and the tech tools we're using to support those.

Our 48 Founding Members, April 2018

Board of Directors

Board Minutes (running document)

Bylaws

Madison MAN Coop Member Agreement

Governance Principles

Mission: To create means for everyone to discover and succeed in the work they want to do, with the support of their community.

Madison Mutual Aid Network Cooperative adheres to the Core Principles of the Humans United in Mutual Aid Networks (HUMANs) global cooperative network, adapted locally.

Madison MAN is a WI Chapter 185 Cooperative. We are a multi-stakeholder cooperative with a Board of Directors (see bylaws and other documents above) and govern ourselves with Sociocracy.

Madison MAN Cooperative members engage in mutually beneficial sharing and exchange, in service to equitable and sustainable communities, and embodying the following practices:

• Timebanking, Mutual Credit
• Shared resources: technical assistance, process support, tool and media libraries
• Stewardship of community resources
• Existing and growing networks of MANs
• Unique, community-based partnerships
• Access to diverse expertise, platforms and skills

We aim to use mutual aid to create good livelihoods for one another - meeting community needs while fulfilling individual dreams - extending an open invitation to all community members to participate on their own terms.

• To always operate with integrity in word and action, uphold the core values, and honor commitments and other members.
• To maintain honest, clear, and timely communication with MAN administration regarding experiences, needs, challenges, and other aspects of participation as may arise.
• To be responsible for his/her own safety and comfort and to ask for references and publicly meet Members for your first meeting, if desired. MAN does not conduct background checks on members.
• To notify info@madisonman.coop with any changes to Member’s contact information whenever it changes.

NATURE OF PARTIES

MAN operates the day-to-day administration and marketing of the Network. That MAN regulates the sharing and exchange Network as a third-party record-keeper for the transactions that occur therein.

The Member is an individual, organization, or bona fide business, that Member desires to exchange with other Members and participants in the Network and subscribes to MAN’s services. Member complies with all applicable State, Federal, industry, and professional laws and regulations.

The MAN reserves the right to refuse services to anyone as a Member for any necessary reason.

NATURE AND USE OF HUMAN HOURS

A HUMAN hour is an hour of time given and received within a system of reciprocity. Reciprocity is the basis of mutual aid, and we believe that each person can be more of a giver or receiver at different times in their lives, and everyone deserves to get the help they need if someone is willing to provide it.

• One hour of service always earns one HUMAN Hour, and one HUMAN Hour always buys one hour of service.
• For fractions of hours, round up to the nearest quarter hour. (For example, 52 minutes of service earns 1 HUMAN Hour; 1 hour and 10 minutes of service equals 1.25 HUMAN Hours).
• HUMAN Hours are not redeemable for cash.
• There is no credit or debit limit for HUMAN Hours.
• Every member has the responsibility to be prompt and keep scheduled commitments.

MEMBER ACCOUNT

By joining the MAN you activate your Member Account. To maintain “Good Standing” status, which is interpreted as:

• Abiding by all the terms of the Membership Agreement,
• Keeping current on any and all fees and dues to MAN,
• Maintaining an active marketplace.at-home.coop account
• Communicating with MAN about any changes regarding the Member Account. Accounts are not transferable in any way to any other individual or business.
• Supplying MAN with permission to use Member’s name, website, logo, and any other marketing assets in promotional and marketing materials, as well as any other content Member may provide through participation in the Network.
• Securing all passwords, Personal Identification Numbers (“PINs”), and other pertinent details of a Member’s account. This applies to online, phone, and any other forms of transaction that occur via the Network. MAN will not be held liable for a Member’s failure to secure relevant details.
• >Reporting to MAN any security concerns and/or fraudulent activity as soon as it is discovered.

FEES

All fees will be billed annually except for those otherwise denoted. All fees are for services rendered, due within 30 days of the billing date, and non-refundable.

If you cannot pay the suggested membership dues, please be sure to contact us at info@madisonman.coop and let us know what you can contribute. While we need money to operate, we value all kinds of contributions and will happily work with you to find something that works.

Invalid Payment Fee - A $30 fee on all returned checks and/or invalid credit/debit cards.

Member authorizes MAN to charge any credit/debit card or bank account submitted in writing or online.

It is the sole discretion of MAN to waive, refund, or allow any USD fees to be paid in MC$.

All billing disputes should be submitted in writing to 1202 Williamson St., Suite 102, Madison, WI 53703, or emailed to info@madisonman.coop within 30 days of the billing date. If 30 days have passed and no dispute has been received, the bill will be assumed to be accurate.

CLOSING OF MEMBER ACCOUNT

To submit a request in writing (mail: 1202 Williamson St. Suite 102, Madison, WI 53703 or email info@madisonman.coop) to close an account. Such requests must be made at least seven days before the next billing period to avoid charges, and any remaining fees will be due immediately.

SUSPENSION / TERMINATION OF MEMBER ACCOUNT

MAN reserves the right to suspend or cancel any account at any time. This includes but is not limited to delinquent accounts on fees, acts inconsistent with the Membership Agreement, complaints from other Members, fraudulent activity toward MAN or other Members, inactivity on the account, inability to establish contact for an extended period of time, or a Member’s holding a negative balance without duly working towards repayment through the supply of goods and services.

If a terminated account has a negative balance in MC$, the Member will have 60 days to bring the account to a $0 or positive balance through the sale of their goods and/or services. If 60 days have passed and a negative balance remains on the account, the remaining balance becomes due immediately. If the terminated account has a positive balance, the Member will have 60 days to spend it down, after which any remaining balance will be forfeited to MAN unless MAN agrees otherwise.

If an account is terminated due to illegal activity, any negative balances in USD or MC$ become due immediately, and any positive balance in USD or MC$ is automatically forfeited to MAN.

If an account is late on paying any of the monthly fees in USD or MC$, MAN reserves the right to temporarily suspend, limit, or terminate the account until the account is brought current. This may occur even if the account has a positive balance.

The MAN may, at any time, limit or terminate any account if MAN believes the Member to be abusing the system in any way or otherwise harming the network's or other members' effectiveness.

DISPUTES

Members should work to resolve disputes with other members directly. Members may seek assistance from MAN to handle disputes they cannot resolve directly. All efforts will be made to handle disputes between members through mediation, and MAN reserves the right to mediate and/or have a staff person be included in any mediation of disputes between two or more members. If members have a dispute with MAN itself, they should communicate in writing via mail to 1202 Williamson St., Suite 102, Madison, WI 53703, or via email to info@madisonman.coop).

Members agree to cover any and all legal and attorney’s fees incurred by MAN in the course of its enforcing any part of this Membership Agreement, provided the ruling is in MAN’s favor.

PERSONAL GUARANTEE

Members personally guarantee all fees in USD and MC$ associated with being a Member.

EQUIPMENT

Members agree to take good care of any equipment provided by MAN. Such equipment is the property of MAN and is leased to the Member, who is responsible for any loss, theft, or damage that may occur to it.

INDEMNIFICATION

Members hold MAN, its officers, employees, representatives, and affiliates harmless concerning any claim, debt, or other liability arising from participating as a Member. MAN makes no warranty or guarantee about the services of other members and disclaims all liability for the fitness, quality, delivery, etc., of its Members’ goods and/or services.

SEVERABILITY

If any term or policy of this Membership Agreement is judged unenforceable, it shall not affect the enforceability of the other terms or policies.

WAIVER OF RIGHTS

MAN’s delay in exercising any right shall not operate as a waiver thereof, and any single or partial exercise of rights shall not preclude any other or further exercise of its rights in any way.

DISSOLUTION

MAN will strive to maintain a viable, balanced market, but no guarantees are extended to any account balances whatsoever, and neither MAN nor its officers, employees, affiliates, or other associated parties will be held liable for any remaining balances.

PRIVACY

MAN will not share or sell its Members’ private information to any third party or other Member.

AMENDMENT

That MAN reserves the right to amend this Membership Agreement from time to time as deemed necessary and will send notice before it takes effect. Members will have 14 days to dispute changes, or they will be assumed to agree to them.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT

This Membership Agreement comprises the sole and whole representation of the agreement between MAN and the Member, and no oral or other representations will supersede the details contained and agreed to herein.

APPLICABLE LAW

In all respects, this agreement shall be construed under the laws of the State of Wisconsin.