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Learn more about the basic elements of MANs


The cooperative structure is the circle around us. As members of this cooperative, each of us has a say in governance and a stake in ownership. The economic tools, on the + axis, are how we support ourselves and our projects. The social tools, on the x axis, are how we learn to organize ourselves to do our work and create lively humanhoods for ourselves and our communities. The MAN in the middle is how we organize the whole cooperative to move these pieces in concert.
The Economic Tools for Pooling and Exchange: The Social Tools to Make it Work Ready to try?
 Watch a 13-minute video overview here.

The Economic Tools for Pooling and Exchange:

  1. Sharing - watch an 11-minute video overview 
    • Provides a mechanism for people to share material resources
    • Allows people to have access to resources together that may otherwise be unavailable to them individually
    • Examples would be tool libraries, makerspaces, shared equipment, and supplies
  2. Timebanking - watch an 11-minute video overview
    • Method for people to exchange services using time as a currency instead of money
    • Enables services and skills that are not valued by the market economy to be valued
    • Everyone’s time is valued equally no matter the task
  3. Price Based Mutual Credit - watch an 11-minute video overview
    • Mutual credit denominated in national currency
    • Taxable for businesses, goods, and professional services
    • Allows everyone to contribute to the community
  4. Common Fund
    • Provides a mechanism for people to invest in a shared resource pool
    • Enables people to have start up capital when starting new initiatives
    • Allows people to have a say over what projects get funded in their community
    • Enables people to have a safety net if an unexpected occurrences arise

The Social Tools to Make it Work

  1. Poshterity Budgeting
    • Assistance exploring, designing, and utilizing the variety of compensation options available to replace monetary need
  2. Project Facilitation Assistance
    • Assistance designing, developing, and carrying out projects
    • Assistance with decision-making and governance structure
  3. Community Investment Assistance
    • Assistance garnering, stewarding, and allocating the resources for initiatives in the community
  4. Work Redesign Assistance
    • Assistance designing a work life that includes a variety of types of work: art, learning, professional services, community contribution, etc.

Ready to try?

Join the HUMANs, and when you're a member go to our marketplace and start sharing and exchanging!