How would you perform in the workplaceif you knew a paycheck was out of the equation? Would your work ethic change ifyour professional efforts were met with goods and services rather than cash?

St. Paul’s Hour Dollars program, aninvigorated version of the time-honored barter system, offers a glimpse intosuch an economy. Members of the community-enhancing program earn hours byproviding services to their neighbors. Earned hours are entered into an onlinelog, from which they can be withdrawn for future use on a range of otherservices.

The Hour Dollars model fosters mutuallybeneficial relationships among people who might not independently connect.Board member Debora Drower became active soon after its inception. Sheremembers, “When I first moved to my neighborhood I didn’t know many people. Ithought, ‘Cool, I’ll meet neighbors.’ I did — and I still am.’ ”

Among Hour Dollars more distinctivequalities is an egalitarian vision, which assigns equal value to all membercontributions. Whether the service is legal counsel, a hot meal, or a roofrepair, an hour is an hour.

A glance at the Hour Dollars website(hourdollars.org) reveals a wide range of offerings, from checkbook balancingto childcare to gluten-free baking. During an age in which many Americansreport feeling increasingly isolated, Hour Dollars serves as a forum for thebaker to bond with the accountant. Moreover, as member Grecia Glass observes,“Even if [members] know each other already, we can connect in a different way.”

East Side residents Sue Stapleton andBeth Mueller spearheaded The Hour Dollars Service Exchange Program in 1998.Although it operates under the national organization Time Banks, the effort isfueled by locals. Since then, volunteer efforts have boosted membership to 140men and women who differ in age, professional background, and creed.Significantly, today Hour Dollars membership extends across all of St. Paul andsurrounding suburbs.

Due to limited financial resources,old-fashioned networking is a pivotal means of recruiting new Hour Dollarsparticipants. Thanks to word-of-mouth, a well-maintained website, and fineorganizing efforts, regular orientations attract people from across the city.During these brief assemblies board members distribute literature, articulatethe Hour Dollars philosophy, and invite prospective members to talk about theirinterests and skill sets. A membership fee of twelve dollars is recommended butcan be waived if necessary.

In today’s precarious economic climateHour Dollars carries the obvious allure of increased spending power. To the manwho cannot afford to take his truck to the shop for repairs, knowing he can mowanother man’s lawn to “buy” those repairs may come as a great relief.

Moreover, being able to “pay” in an honest,direct way can restore dignity to that man, who may not feel validated in otherareas of his life. The program assigns worth to a job well done even as itdivorces work from the familiar business motives of status and profit. Part ofthe paradigm’s beauty lies in this transparency and simplicity.

Hour Dollars takes the optimistic viewthat, granted the opportunity, people are prone to cooperate with one another.“Neighbors learn that trusting each other and being trustworthy bringsshort-term and long-term rewards,” the program’s official website reads. “HourDollars creates extended family and reduces fear and crime.”

These democratic tenets sound almostutopian. Do they hold true in practice? Do most members honor them? Drower haslittle doubt about the system’s efficacy. “Through Hour Dollars you’re helpingpeople figure out what their own skills are. And it’s a cool two-way system —you feel pride in your work and you know you’re helping others.”

Hour Dollars carries the potential tospread hope, dignity, and meaning throughout St. Paul neighborhoods.