Time Banking
ABOUT TIME BANKING
Any registered Love Your Community team is eligible to participate in the Time-Banking program.
Time-Banking allows teams to track eligible activity volunteer hours and “cash in” those banked hours at established award levels to obtain grant funding. The banked hours accrued by teams may continue to increase beyond each threshold level in order for a team to “cash in” for a larger grant award. The banked hours do not expire and remain in the tracking system until they are used to obtain grant funding. Grant funds obtained through the LYC Time-Banking program must be used for projects and/or purchases in public rights-of-way, public spaces, and common areas within Mobile County.
All Time-Banking information including volunteer hours, dated pictures, and description of eligible activities must be submitted to the Love Your Community Coordinator to be entered into the Time-Banking Tracking System. Teams may view the Tracking system online at the LYC website to check on their submissions and Time-Banking status updates. To submit information, SUBMIT YOUR HOURS ONLINE. Alternatively, you may download TIME-BANKING REPORT FORM and return all required submissions to LYC Coordinator Evelyn DeAngelo at coordinator@loveyourcommunity.com or 1150 Government Street, Suite 200, Mobile, AL 36604.
Activities Eligible for Time-Banking Hours
Litter pickup and disposal
Volunteering at a recycling center
Beautification of right-of-way areas or public spaces
Hosting community recycling/cleanup events
Education related to recycling or litter removal*
Compiling Love Your Community reports*
TIME-BANKING PROJECT GUIDELINES
When a Love Your Community (LYC) team reaches a desired time-banking grant award level, time-banked hours may be cashed in to use for an eligible project, event or expense.
- Beautification Projects
- Landscaping of right-of-way areas or public spaces/common areas
- Recycling Projects
- Recycling receptacles for public collection of recyclables
- Cost of hosting recycling events
- Community Garden Projects
- Implement community garden, butterfly garden or hydro-garden in a public space/common area
- Park Projects
- Provide park benches or trashcans
- Create pocket park on public property
- Miscellaneous Projects & Expenses
- Purchase cleaning supplies for use in public space
- Compost bin for public use
- Bird bath fountain
- Litter trap
- Project permitting costs
HOW TO GET STARTED
When a team elects to cash in time-banked hours, a brief narrative based on the attached information must be provided to LYC Coordinator Evelyn DeAngelo at coordinator@loveyourcommunity.com or mailed to 1150 Government Street, Suite 200, Mobile, AL 36604. For more information, call (251) 444-7144.
DOWNLOAD PROJECT NARRATIVE INFORMATIONTime-Banking FAQs
Time-banking provides an excellent opportunity to raise funds for beautification and environmental improvement projects.
Yes. To begin participating in the time-banking program, teams simply turn in a completed report form for eligible activities.
No, hours do not expire and can be rolled over from year to year.
No, teams may bank as many hours as they choose each month.
Yes, team members can earn hours for any eligible activity in which they participate.
However, those hours will only count for your LYC team and the other participating team will not receive credit for your hours. Therefore, volunteer hours for separate teams must be reported on separate time-banking report forms.
Teams can “cash-in” time-banked hours when a desired grant award has been met.
Grants are awarded when the required project narrative has been received and approved by the Mobile County Commission. There are no set dates for awards.
No, the grant awards are not loans. Teams are not required to pay back any funds that are awarded as long as the proposed project is implemented.
Any changes to a team’s proposed time-banking project should be reported to the Love Your Community Coordinator as soon as possible.