If you are ready to jump into civilitics now, you are a little early. It would be something like jumping into a money system before the banks were built and coins minted. On the other hand, there are plenty of quasi-civilitic frameworks in which you can start contributing.

Beyond that, you probably already know some key contributors in your local community. Even if you don’t have the interest or capability to help them in their work, you can still contribute to them directly by providing something they need personally. By giving aid to those people, you make them more able to do their work while encouraging their behavior – particularly if you tell them so. And when you do contribute, don’t be ashamed to blog about it or post it to your favorite social networks. It’s okay for people to know that you are part of the solution. And don’t be surprised if someone offers their own support for you in turn. That’s how its supposed to work: what goes around comes around.

Finally, it may seem contradictory but, even though civilitics is not a currency-based system, we are embedded in a world that is. So gifts of money are still gifts and they can be a huge help to almost any effort. That is one of the truly remarkable qualities of money: its ability to effectively convey a token representation of value. We should feel all free to take advantage of that remarkable resource.

Whether you are contributing to the ICI or to some other cause, we want to maximize the reach of your efforts. In the big picture, helping people who help others is more effective (more socially productive) than helping those who don’t. We encourage you to observe how those around you are engaging in the world and to use discernment when you decide where and to whom you contribute your time, energy, and resources.