Dear CTX members,

The Chicago Time Exchange is transitioning out of being. After many years of fruitful events and great exchanges, interest in the timebank has waned, many key stewards have moved elsewhere, and there simply isn’t the infrastructure in place to keep it going. We feel very comfortable with transitioning out- because we believe there is a new, vibrant and exciting timebanking opportunity in Chicago – The Kola Nut Collaborative.

The Kola Nut Collaborative came into fruition in 2017 as part of a course in permaculture hosted by Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Renewable Living. Pre-launch best practice exchange began in 2015 with Cowry Collective in St. Louis who helped them envision a broader outreach campaign for building energy around timebanking and social commons in Chicago.

Its guiding vision is to make the valuable social infrastructure (communal bonds and relationships) more visible within our communities. Its mission is to promote and sustain a robust timebanking infrastructure to support non-monetary exchange within local communities.

Membership in the Collaborative may be initiated by completing the online application through their Hourworld website. The annual membership contribution is $25 for individuals, $35 for households (covers up to three members), and $50 for organizations. Each tier also has an hour contribution which is explained in depth on the membership section of our website.

The request for a monetary contribution may be different from how CTX was administered, but is a sustaining practice which allows the necessary funding to continue growing the timebank, printing literature, and paying for web hosting which allows us to be visible to the global community. The Collaborative has structured a reciprocal agreement for transferring CTX members which waives the membership contribution for the first year and enables you to explore the new interface to determine if the service meets your needs.

The Collaborative invites your input and participation in development. It aims to create a resilient organizational structure which will ensure the continuity of timebanking in Chicago well into the future. Therefore please share your thoughts on the type of organizational structure you think might be most beneficial and what role you wish like to play in shifting the organization in that direction.

We really would like to encourage you to consider joining the Kola Nut Collaborative and keep Time Banking in Chicago alive! Michael, the steward of the Kola Nut, has offered to transfer over hours for any CTX members who are interested in joining Kola Nut. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to Michael at  connect@kolanutcollab.org