Q&A

Participation

How does it work?
  1. Add your listing (service or product) to the directory and pay the $8 donation.
  2. Then we’ll give you 3 hOURs (worth $30 US dollars).
  3. Call someone in the directory and trade some of your Barter hOURs for their service.
  4. When someone calls you, trade your service for some of their hOURs.
Who can participate in this great community-building project?
A strong community needs to be inclusive, so anyone who approaches with good will can participate. Your participation means you are supporting an innovative, grassroots, community-building organization!
How can I become a participant in the Bitterroot Barter hOURs system, and what does it mean?
Any business, organization or individual may submit a listing or listings to the directory. Simply contact us!
Who can use hOURs?
Anyone who chooses to do so! Participants listed in the directory have made a formal commitment to accept and spend hOURs. All folks who patronize participants in the directory may spend and accept hOURs.
Am I obligated to make every trade?
No! The service you provide is your own time and energy, so you can decide how to delegate it. But PLEASE REMEMBER: Active participation is the cornerstone of community building!

Directory & Listings

How do I use this directory?
Simply contact a neighbor in the directory to get what you want! You have the options of direct trade, paying entirely with hOURs, or negotiating any combination of trade, hOURs, & Dollars. Have fun and be creative!
I‘m not listed in here, can I use this directory?
Sure! Please contact us with a listing of your own goods/services for our website and the next directory. Then people can initiate exchanges with YOU!
I came up with something else to trade that isn‘t listed, can I offer it?
Absolutely! Be creative! Use the sign-up form to add your listing to the website & future print directories.
What if I want to list something that’s already listed?
No problem! Just think of the directory as a phonebook. The more people that participate the more selection and variety available.
Where can I pick up a printed directory?
Stevensville
- Valley Drug
Hamilton
- Flower Happy
- Wild About Pets
Darby
- The Little Blue Joint Restaurant
- Suzanne’s Silver Spoon Restaurant
What is “relisting?”
Relisting means continuing to offer your product or service in the directory. There is a $5 charge to relist due semiannually in May and November. When you decide to stay in the directory (relist) you will receive another 2 hOURs!
How to you sort (prioritize) listings?
All listings are sorted alphabetically by title.
I want to place an advertisement in the directory - how does that work?
“Advertising” is different than adding listings. An “ad” is a business-card-sized infomercial/promotion separate from your normal listing. Create and design your own ad using a picture, slogan, logo, and save it in a picture format (png, tif, jpg, gif, etc.) then send it to us. It costs $25 to place your ad in both the online directory and the print directory.
I can’t think of anything I can offer!
  1. What do you love to do in your spare time? Could you offer this service to others? Could you teach the basics of this skill?
  2. What’s collecting dust in your basement? Could you sell or rent if for hOURs?
  3. Look around your house, what do you take for granted that others may appreciate access to?

Local Currency: hOURs

Why is our local currency called an HOUR?
The name hOUR is meant to remind you that, besides being a medium of exchange, it also represents someone‘s labor, the time taken to provide a skill or perform a service. Your time is worth something to someone else. When you give someone an hOUR, you are telling them I appreciate your efforts and how much you did, please give the equivalent back.
What is one hOUR worth?
The average hourly wage in Ravalli County is approximately $10. So one hOUR represents ten dollars. All portions of an hOUR are worth equivalent subdivisions of $10.
* 2 hOURs = $20
* 1 hOUR = $10
* 1/2 hOUR = $5.00
* 1/4 hOUR = $2.50
* 1/10 hOUR = $1
Why do we need local currency? Can’t I just trade straight across?
Of course you can trade straight across - use the directory to trade service for service. But what if you want something from someone but you don’t have anything they want? That’s when the hOURs come in. That person will take hOURs from you in exchange for what you want and later trade those hOURs with someone else.
Does this mean that I should never pay more than one hOUR for an hour of services?
No. Often the cost of providing a service includes much more than the time spent by a single person performing the service. There are other factors (overhead) that add to the cost per hour. These factors include materials, rent, equipment, and supplies. So, if you have something worth $50, you should charge 5 hOURs for it.
Why don’t all participants accept 100% hOURs for purchases and services?
Most businesses have economic relationships that extend beyond the local community, where Bitterroot Barter hOURs are not accepted. These businesses must take in U.S. currency to do business with suppliers outside of the hOURs system. We encourage participants to accept any percentage of hOURs, and then participate at a rate of hOURs acceptance that is proportional with their ability to put them back into the local economy. Please accept them AND spend them!
How can I get hOURs?
  1. Add your listing to the directory and receive 3 hOURs.
  2. Continue to relist in each semi-annual directory and receive 2 hOURs each time.
  3. Accept hOURs at a yard sale, for household chores, or in other temporary or informal economic arrangements.
  4. Exchange U.S. dollars for Bitterroot hOURs.
  5. Volunteer to help Bitterroot Barter hOURs community projects.
  6. Volunteer to help Bitterroot Barter with administrative duties.
  7. Accept change in Bitterroot hOURs at participating businesses.
  8. Refer people and have them get listed in the directory.
Are Bitterroot Barter hOURs real money?
Yes. At present, no monetary systems are backed by an actual commodity, but instead notes are simply declared to be money by an authority. In the case of US Dollars that authority is the national government. In the case of the Bitterroot Barter hOUR, participants are the authority who dictate value. As such, they are taxable for professional services and counterfeiting them is illegal.

Operation

Who’s organizing this anyway?
A handful of middle-class Bitterroot folks who love our community and want to do our small part to help it develop and flourish. We make no monetary profit, and we don‘t work for an agency. A Bitterroot hOURs Directory and local currency are great ideas! We are willing to invest our time, energy, and personal $$ to make it happen!
This sounds too good to be true. Somebody has got to get something from this.
We ALL get something from this: a stronger community where wealth is not measured solely by dollars and is generated and kept in the area. The value of this system is backed by our trust in our own work and that of our Flathead neighbors. EVERYONE benefits!
Is It Legal?
The Bitterroot Barter hOUR meets all criteria for legal scrip as defined by the IRS, Federal Reserve, and Treasury Department. Among these are the provisions that the Bitterroot hOUR must:
* Have a U.S. dollar equivalent (for taxes)
* Not look like U.S. currency
* Equal at least $1 in value
What About Taxes?
The law generally requires that all earned income be declared to the IRS, including that earned in Bitterroot hOURs. You must pay taxes on your local currency income with U.S. money. Our rule of thumb is to treat the Bitterroot hOUR like cash. Ask yourself, “What would I do if this were a $10 bill?” If you would declare it on your tax return in U.S. Dollars, declare it for hOURs. If you would deduct it in U.S. Dollars, on your tax return, deduct it for hOURs.
Has This Been Done Before?
Nearly 75 communities across the country support some form of local currency. The HOUR in Ithaca, NY, which has been circulating for over a decade, has more than 2000 members. Five million US dollars worth of transactions in HOURs has invigorated Ithaca’s once faltering economy. Another successful example is BerkShares in western Massachusetts.
Is Bitterroot Barter a non-profit?
We consider ourselves a non-profit because no one makes any money from this. We will officially register as a non-profit organization in the future, but our main focus right now is to get the project up and running.
Why is the website a .com instead of .org?
Since the semantics of a domain name don’t establish profit or non-profit status, we chose a .com instead of a .org because people naturally tend to type .com. But we also have bitterrootbarter.org which redirects to this website.
How are administrative operating costs paid?
Overhead costs are paid through private donations and fundraisers, the Horizons program, the $8 registration fee and the $5 relisting fee.
What is Horizons?
The Horizons program has been our biggest supporter by providing us with grant money and community-building direction. The Horizons program aims to build leadership to reduce poverty in small rural communities. Horizons provides locally delivered training, skill building and coaching to help impoverished communities commit to action to bring about lasting change.
How can I support the Bitterroot Barter hOURs?
* Add your listing to the directory.
* Buy a whole bunch of Bitterroot hOURs and use them at any of the many stores, restaurants, and services that accept Bitterroot hOURs.
* Promote Bitterroot Barter through the media, posters, word of mouth.
* Get merchants involved. Talk to them, get them to sign up!
* Offer ideas to improve this project.
* Donate cash to the fund.
* Donate printing, printing materials and stamps.
* Donate items for contest prizes and auctions.
* Inform us of errors and typos.
* Advertise in your publication and write articles about Bitterroot hOURs.
* Man the Hamilton Farmers Market booth for a few hours on Saturday.
* Let your storefront business be a place to exchange currency and distribute directories.
* Volunteer for one of our upcoming community charity projects.