Operating With The Gift Economy

Since 2018, I have operated within a gift economy framework for my coaching and some of my consulting work.

The fundamental idea of a gift economy is that we seek to support each other to meet our basic human needs. This approach creates deeper engagement, allows me to focus energy on the work I'm most passionate about, and shifts the reward system from power accumulation to individual-level appreciation.

Five Guiding Principles

When thinking about engaging with me on a gift basis, I encourage people to consider these five questions:

1. Means: What are you reasonably able to contribute? (can be money, but if you have a vacation spot on a beach, I'm all ears)
2. Sustainability: What will help me continue to do this work?
3. Value: How much value does what I create help you?
4. Feeling: What feels right?
5. Community: How will my contributions encourage a deeper connection between people and doing work that matters?

Related Writing

• Experiments In The Gift Economy
• The Gift Economy: Path to a Better Working World?
• Receiving Incredible Gifts in Pai, Thailand at "The Split"

Browse all Gift Economy posts →

Recommended Reading

If you're curious about the gift economy, I highly recommend Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein. It's the book that first opened my eyes to this way of thinking about money, work, and connection.