Rules

Please note these rules are only at the discussion stage and are still a work in progress. We are seeking to agree guidelines based on what our members want and how other similar groups manage their exchanges.... we will send all members an update as soon as we have a final document and meanwhile welcome any or all input

Cork Favour Exchange
CFE is a democratic organisation, and its rules are subject to agreement and open to review by its membership.  However, in common with similar schemes, it holds these key principles underpinning its work as unchangeable:

Goodwill
The CFE is a voluntary, not for profit, community self-help group and relies on mutual trust, support, respect and goodwill from all its members to run successfully.

Transparency
Advance notice of meetings, agendas, decisions and minutes are published on the website, as are members details, skills, work traded and favour balances.

Voluntary

All members are volunteers and all work undertaken is by consent.  There is no obligation to exchange, but the scheme will obviously work better if members are committed to exchange whenever possible.

Not for profit 
All work undertaken is for the benefit of the individual members and the CFE community as a whole. No money changes hands - all work is unpaid.

Membership
Membership is open to anyone who agrees to these rules and the exchanging terms of the CFE.  Members can start exchanging as soon as they have registered their contact information and skills/help offers.  Members exchange in CFE favours which are worth a quarter-hour of work-time each.  The work is paid by one member to another in favoursto the value of the time given, and the exchange is recorded by the webmaster on the website.  There is no obligation to return a trade with a particular member- the favour to be redeemed can be with any member of the scheme and for any of the jobs or skills or goods offered.

Balances of favours must be kept within 100 credit or 100 debit limits (25 hours of work).  Exchanging is not allowed if either limit is reached without the consent of the committee.  However, appeals for greater spends for special projects or to meet special needs can be reviewed and agreed by the committee when requested.  Members who become too much in 'debt' or 'credit' will be helped by the membership secretary to bring their balance back within the agreed limits.  This is necessary because the system will work best if exchanging is roughly equal, and will meet its aims better if it is seen as fair.

Administration and community contribution
CFE obviously takes time to maintain and run, from arranging and recording meetings to updating the records and website.  To run it as a volunteer scheme it needs to be supported by its members, which is done in the from of a levy of favours.  An administration and community (A&C) charge of five favours will be levied on all members every three months to maintain the administrative work of the CFE.  Members who undertake work for CFE can then apply to the committee for a reimbursement of their time in favours, paid to their personal account if the committee approves.

The balance of A&C favours will then be used to 'fund' voluntary projects agreed by the committee for the benefit of the community, and to help get indebted traders back in balance.

Committee

The election of positions on the committee will be open to all members and all members will have an equal vote.  The posts (accountable and open to review by the membership) include co-ordinator, membership secretary, treasurer, webmaster and outreach. 

The committe will be responsible for the promotion, maintainenance and review of the work of the CFE and will record progress at regular open meetings.  These meetings will also discuss member's queries, requests for increased balances and disputes (if any).  The favour and money accounts and the committee's work will be reviewed annually at an Annual General Meeting.

Problems
Only registered members can exchange skills and labour with each other under the CFE scheme.  However, all arrangements for work and resolution of problems that may arise are the responsibility of the members who agree to exchange.  Members should be sure to satisfy themselves about the safety or quality of any exchange they agree to, exactly as they would for any other offer of help from a friend or neighbour.  Any problems or disputes should be resolved between them wherever possible, bearing in mind the voluntary nature and principles of goodwill under-pinning CFE.  However, where a dispute can't be resolved either member may appeal to the membership secretary for help, and failing that, to the committee for advice.

Changes to these rules
Any changes to these rules and re-election of officers will be the business of the AGM.  These meetings are open and all members are welcome to attend.