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SHARED PRINCIPLES

PRINCIPLES are the guardrails that keep Contributionism honest and alive. Values name what we care about and measure; principles make it operable…making “people and planet before profit” a daily choice that meets needs, strengthens commons, and returns surplus to life. If the measure of our values gets off track, principles get them back into alignment. They’re living processes, not rigid rules: simple, shared ways to decide, measure, and correct so the system stays within bounds. When storms hit, principles shorten feedback loops; when we succeed, they keep us from drifting. Values are our north star, principles are the path beneath our feet…practical, executable and resilient.

Principles
How We Align
Shared Power
We redistribute power so that decisions and actions by people in the community and impacted by the decision.
Value Difference
We embrace the richness of human life experience as a valuable asset and actively seek to include people with diverse experience and perspectives.
Choose Collaboration
We draw strength from our collaboration, our connection and our responsibility to one another and the planet.
Earn and Maintain Trust
We believe trusting relationships are the bedrock of meaningful change so practice openness, transparency and accountability.
Challenge Assumptions
We ask difficult questions of ourselves and others, agitating and telling the truth when it is the right thing to do. We're not afraid of shaking things up.
Be Prepared to Break the Rules
We know that to many rules uphold systemic inequality and need to be examined and challenged regularly. To keep our code on the edge, we regularly challenge our own rules.
Protect What Matters
We protect people and the planet by respecting boundaries. Putting human and environmental welfare before the need to generate surplus. We value impact over surplus.
Share the Surplus
The surplus generated is the result of collective actions. The collective decides where the surplus flows. All individuals receive an equal share. Bonuses may be given by the collective to individuals doing less desirable tasks or an exceptional job.

MOVEMENT BUILDING

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Realign With a Cause
•Start with Why
•Identify Purpose
•Hold intention
Rewrite The Rules
•Challenge Assumptions
•Identify Core Values
•Measure Results
Reorganize Yourself
•Explore Legal/Financial Structures
•Define Contribution Needs
•Create Engagement Process
Redistribute Power
•Who Makes Decisions
•How Decisions Made
•How Is Conflict Resolved
Retell Tall Tales
•Stories of Success
•Lessons from Failures
•Give it Away
Code Of Contribution
The Way We Do Things
Take Responsibility
We encourage everyone to make a contribution to the community. This doesn’t mean working when you shouldn’t or volunteering for things you don’t want to do. It means taking responsibility for yourself by understanding what kind of contribution you can make, protecting your own boundaries when needed, and being receptive to feedback from others.
Be Your Word
Do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it. If you are unable to guarantee you can meet a request, then say so and make a counter offer that you can deliver on or just hand it back. If during the course of carrying out something you realize circumstances are going to make you miss your commitment, say so immediately (see Practice Openness).
We And Me
Keep our egos in check. No one person is more important than the collective. We are all fully committed to the shared objectives and to do whatever is required of us. We all have our own agendas but we do not seek status above others, and we do not get hung up on ourselves. No one is as smart as everyone.
Practice Openness
To ensure we make transparency and honesty a priority we do not try to hide our mistakes or withhold information or opinions. We voice any concerns we have at the earliest opportunity. We ask every question in our mind, even the stupid ones – especially those, they are the most valuable.
Practice Respect
Argue The Issus not the Person. Conflict is inevitable in a diverse group of people, but we always criticize the issue being discussed and not the person raising it. No idea is above scrutiny, but personal criticism or unkindness can do lasting damage. We practice QTIP - Quit Taking It Personally.
Deliberately Development
As a purpose driven organization we each utilize our gifts and will confront our weaknesses in working together. We are as committed to our own personal development as human beings as we are to the purpose of the organization. As a group we support each other in our personal development.
Forgive Fast
We all make mistakes, and/or something goes wrong. We do not stay with the anger and frustration but forgive fast and commit ourselves to working on the solution. We don’t carry on playing the blame game or carrying resentment, we express our emotions and let them go, get support if needed (may involve swearing).
Challenge Assumptions
Often things are taken for granted, just the way things are. If we don't look at the underlying assumptions on which we are building we may propagate the flaws of the assumption.
Keep Imagination Alive
There is nothing that is too silly, unrealistic, stupid or ridiculous. We let our imagination run free. Work on removing your limiting beliefs and constraints on your thinking and help others remove theirs. We encourage each other to push the boundaries, to think the unimaginable. There are 3 possible answers to any question, yes, no and not now.

ALIGNED ACTIONS

OUR CODE OF CONTRIBUTION is how we turn good intentions into shared practices. It asks us to be our word, take responsibility, forgive fast, and grow on purpose…so trust compounds and work moves. By making commitments visible and small enough to keep, we align our collective actions: clear roles, clear decision rights, quick feedback, and conflict turned into repair. The Code connects the “why” of our values to the “how” of our days…showing up on time, closing loops, sharing credit, and routing surplus back to the commons. When each person’s promise is legible, crews sync; when a crew syncs, communities scale. Contributionism becomes real: thousands of kept promises, needs get met, woven into one movement.