Tools Page 16

Tools

Video Tutorials

We’ve created several 2-3 minute video tutorials walking you through the key features of Common Change: how to sign up, create or join a group, donate to your group fund, submit a request, and discuss and approve a request. Watch them here: https://www.commonchange.com/video-tutorials/

Principles from the Charter Community

This is a living document drawing from more than 10 years of experience by groups participating in this collaborative giving model, especially the experience of the original Relational Tithe Charter Community. It is designed to help you as you start to think through forming your group and meeting needs around you. It is in no way prescriptive but does seek to help guide you through this journey – there are a hundred different ways to do this! Our biggest advice: Don’t wait till all your “boxes are checked”. Start small where you are at and grow and learn together.

Foundational Principles

Economy of Enough

We believe God has created an economy of enough and one of our core values hinges on the saying “There is enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed”. This economy of enough enables us to step out and look boldly into the lives of others, realizing that we are not limited by scarcity or competition for limited resources or crippled by mindsets and notions of lack of resources; we are empowered to seek out needs and respond generously and with open hands to those around us because we operate within an economy of abundance.

Relational Value

We believe our value is found less in the contribution and more in the relationship. We are not an organization offering services as much as a community offering community, relationship and friendship. Within the context of friendship and a common commitment to overcome barriers that tend to keep us isolated from our neighbor, we share a portion of our income to meet needs. 

Eliminating Economic Isolation

We believe it is possible to eliminate economic isolation by connecting those with needs to those with resources through relationship.

Beyond Finances

We believe the gift of greatest value is giving of ourselves relationally. Sometimes the needs we meet come from within the community – covenant members who find themselves in difficult situations. Many times, however, needs are for neighbors, friends and families that members are in relationship with.  We offer to walk their journey with them and search out avenues for meeting whatever needs they may have by exploring options together in the context of relationship – this may mean we give of our time, our energy, our skills, our knowledge and our connections and networks.

One Degree of Separation

We believe in maintaining one degree of separation between the recipient of the gift and a member of the group. We certainly experienced, on a couple of occasions in the past, the need to be somewhat flexible on this (the tsunami of 2004 in Southeast Asia and the hurricane of 2005 in the South of the US).