According to the key concepts in this playbook, building an open and inclusive community requires a decommodified approach to hospitality and gathering. Participation should not be dictated by a purchase or transactional interaction, since this would set up an implied paywall to be a part of the community. However, this does not mean there is no cost to things and that money is not necessary; it means that there is a need to find different means to obtain funding and go beyond monetary value (see Decommodification). In this sense, in the process of building a community of care, the use of money might be necessary to cover the costs of activities (such as materials) and can be used to grow or strengthen the community’s physical infrastructures.
Among the ways to collect the necessary amount of money, crowdfunding is a strategy for raising smaller amounts of funds from a larger collective of individuals. A decommodified approach to crowdfunding can be used to raise small monetary funds for the community but more importantly can be done in a way that allows for the contribution of valuable decommodified resources (e.g. time, participation).
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Create a platform where your crowdfunding system will reside. It is suggested to establish an online presence for the community where this can be updated and reach a wider audience. However, an additional physical space to contribute is beneficial to reach those who might not have access to online resources. At this point, it is important to identify someone or multiple people in the community who will take on the role of managing this platform.
Gather some key players in the community to identify some initial activities or events that will take place in the near future. These activities can be developed using the Activity Lab.
Set up the platform to showcase the upcoming activities or events in the community that are in need of resources (ex. time, materials, leaders, food, etc.). These may be organized by length of time or by priority. For instance, a short-term event in need of catering may appear before a long-term project that is raising resources for implementing a community garden.
The platform should include a function where any member of the community can donate or contribute whatever they can offer to the activity of their choosing. For instance, someone may donate an hour of their time to help organize a local event or contribute by giving their old gardening tools.