Meaningful Initial Contribution

What a person puts in on joining — the opening act of reciprocity, sized by them, that turns a newcomer into a member.

Joining a body that already exists means receiving something: work already done, sacrifice already made, value already created by people who were there before you. A Meaningful Initial Contribution is the answer to that — the new participant reviews the history and what it cost, and gives something back that reflects their appreciation of it and their wish for it to continue.

It is not a fee and it is not a test. A fee is priced by the seller; this is sized by the giver, and the sizing is the meaningful part. It can take any of the forms a person actually has: relevant expertise offered where it will help; a fresh idea or a solution to something stuck; time, money, or other resources; real participation — turning up, giving useful feedback, working well with others; and simply demonstrated commitment to the purpose and the people (Gift · Requests and offers · Participation).

What it does structurally is open a balance. Reciprocity that starts at zero is fragile, because nobody has yet shown anything; reciprocity that starts with a real gift has something to stand on. Trust and respect build from there, and the balance is then kept over time by a recurring Meaningful Monthly Contribution rather than by a single entry payment (Reciprocity · Trust · The Invitation).

In this Game the contribution is made to The Founder's Fund, which is where the value built to date is held and honoured.

The whole idea is illuminated by an old story about a widow who gave two small coins and was said to have given more than the rich did, because they gave out of abundance and she gave out of what she had. That is the measure: proportion, not amount — which is also what makes the practice survivable for anyone, and why nobody can buy standing with it (Voluntary Tithing · Sacrifice · Dignity).

Also called: the opening contribution Stands on: Reciprocity · Gift · The Invitation · Trust Opens onto: Meaningful Monthly Contribution · The Founder's Fund · Voluntary Tithing · Meaningful Work · Participation · Belonging · Pillar III — Sacred Economy and CurrentSee In play: the door — the last move of joining, and the first move of membership Sources: Meaningful Initial Contribution (root page, stub — the five forms, the reciprocity argument, and the Founder's Fund instruction) · Meaningful Monthly Contribution (root page, stub) · The Widow's Mite (root page, a story) · lionsberg.wiki: Meaningful Initial Contribution Open: The page says the contribution is voluntary and also that each new participant is invited to make one; nothing states what happens if someone does not, which is the question a person without means will ask first. · No guidance exists on how a body should receive an offering it considers too large.