Guided process for engaging with gifting
This process is for people who want to engage more deeply in gift economy. This is an opportunity to reflect on your values and how to support social change. If you prefer to make a quick decision, see our simple guidance.
Transitioning to a gift economy requires inner transformation and community collaboration. We are grateful for any step you are willing to take. You can engage with this process on your own or together with someone. We suggest taking at least a few minutes for each step.
Opening to receiving
Start by checking for any internal pressure to give. Many of us carry beliefs that we should earn what we receive. Notice what stories and emotions come up in you when you think about receiving this event as a gift. If you encounter resistance, see if you can release or transform it. Restoring the joy of receiving without debt or obligation gives us more access to choice and helps resources flow to where they are most needed.
Opening to generosity
Reflect on the purpose of this event and what it means to you and others. See if you can connect with your sense of wanting people to receive the gifts the event will offer them. Even if you don’t agree with some things, can you connect with the joy of wishing that others will be able to do things that matter to them and give them pleasure? If you encounter resistance, see if you can release or transform it. Restoring our access to generosity and wanting others to do well brings us back into community living.
Connecting with needs
Next, reflect on the costs of organizing this event and the material needs of the organizing team. Open your heart to see what these people need to sustain themselves and their families, without putting pressure on yourself to meet those needs.
We need to receive 20.000 EUR to cover all costs and care for the financial sustainability of organizers If we receive more, we will flow the resources to where they are needed, including:
- caring for the needs of participants who cannot join without financial support
- providing additional materials and support after the event
- covering the initial costs for our next event
We are planning to hold the event with at least 12 and at most 80 participants.
Assessing your capacity
Consider your own needs and capacity to give, imagining how much you can contribute without causing yourself hardship or resentment. Reflect on this independently of your decision to give, focusing on expanding your sense of possibility beyond scarcity. There is no obligation to give, just an invitation to explore your potential capacity.
Connecting with your capacity requires a moment of very honest self-assessment. A complex web of income, wealth, class, gender, race and other factors make up the realities of our ability to share money. It may also bring up cultural beliefs and habits that encourage us to underestimate or overestimate our capacity. For example, not wanting to acknowledge our financial difficulties, or wanting to protect ourselves from giving more than we want. Choose for yourself how much energy you want to put into this exploration.
The final decision: The last step is deciding whether and how much to give. From a place of self-connection, with openness to gifting and receiving, and some sense of your capacity, check with your intuition to see what you feel moved to offer. Remember, there is no requirement to give; choose based on your discernment and willingness.
If you find this process overwhelming or unclear, you can also use our simple guidance. We trust the choices you make, and we see this trust as essential for moving away from capitalism toward more community-based economies.
We also thank you for taking the time to read this and support our efforts to use gift economy principles. We welcome your feedback, we are all learning together.