Number of internet resources created (the Project website): 1
Number of registered users on the Project website: 1,100
Number of mutual expressions of gratitude on the website in Mites1: 28,224

Total number of Mites: 188,160
Number of projects registered on the website: 40
Number of goods listed on the Project website's social market: 170
Number of services listed on the Project website's social market: 580
Number of local communities established by participants on the Project website: 5, including Shcherbinka, Yuzhnoye Butovo, Butovo, Pokrovka, Sadovoye Koltso

Number of participants at events and activities: 16,200 (51,2% of the population)
Attendees at lectures on social planning, workshops and webinars: 2,679
Number of events and activities: 257, including sociocultural, charitable, volunteer events organized by the local community with the assistance of locals – 121; educational and training events organized by the regional Bank Of Merits team for the most active members of the Project and local residents – 136 Number of local leaders identified: 15
Number of Project partners: 52, including government agencies – 5, non-profit organisations (NPO) and state institutions – 23, commercial sector – 24 Number of press briefings on the Project: 2
Number of media outlets that supported the Project: 28
Sociological studies performed: 2
Standing "Active Townspeople Centre social initiative agencies established to administer civil activism projects : 1

Over the Project's two-year duration, 16,200 people took part in its activities. This number slightly exceeded expectations, justifying the statement that a breakthrough occurred. However, it is considerably higher than the average percentage of people's participation in voluntary, sociocultural and other activities in the Russian Federation. Whereas, on average, 5% of the general population participates in voluntary activities, with TBoM we were able to exceed 15% participation during the Project's first year.

Among the factors that influenced the increased activity and people's response to appeals by the TBoM team to take part in the events and activities aimed at developing their district, the negative features of the region are noteworthy: remoteness from the main cultural centres in Moscow, complexity of the transport infrastructure, shortage of development courses and limited possibilities for self-fulfilment. This paradox actually helped increase activity in the Project. The people were sincerely eager to make the life of their district more varied and introduce new colour. This was the basis for art projects involving street art, development of gardening, and attention to the environment, reclamation of local ponds, and various workshops, which many participants are ready to conduct independently with support from institutions providing venues.

It is also important to raise residents' educational level. This affects the skills involved in both social project development and fundraising, crowdfunding and crowdsourcing needed for implementing these kinds of projects, and it helps make civil initiatives sustainable and independent. Moreover, this impacts residents' awareness of the nature of charity and voluntary work. People previously looked upon them as something remote, mainly involving missionary work, trips to orphanages and giving donations. Using events initiated when the TBoM Project team got underway, we succeeded in demonstrating how easy and close charity and volunteering could be and how it could influence the overall climate in their district.

However, the System achieved its objective. The hypotheses about the impact of the "Merit Economy" on increasing social activity were proved. The TBoM System effectively:

  • motivates System participants to implement social projects

  • takes into account activity in social networks by System participants

  • involves new participants in the System

  • reflects activity by system participants

  • promotes and popularizes social activity

  • solves many social problems (employment, possibilities for further education, joint leisure activities and positive

    mutual attitudes, identification of anti-social elements, joint management and development of the region)

  • identifies and develops leaders

  • develops civil society and local communities





The motivation of various groups of participants can be categorized and described as follows:
  1. Small and medium-sized businesses, social entrepreneurship:
    • alliance with the local community
    • sustainable development opportunities within the region
    • client base loyalty
    • PR
Municipalities:

  • PR, social balance in society

  • possibility for using volunteer resources to solve municipalities' problems

  • reporting on achievements

  • shifting the populace's protest mood to a positive direction

  • regional development

  • independent rating

  • additional transparency of local government

  • advantages during election campaigns

  • identification of community leaders

    Housing cooperatives, condominium associations:

  • additional bonuses for activity

  • resident loyalty

  • attraction of outside resources for household activities

  • additional PR

    Non-profit organizations:

  • obtaining access to resources

  • technical mechanism for resource allocation and accounting

  • additional PR

  • a tool for public evaluation of activities

  • a reporting tool

  • a project implementation tool

Communities of volunteers:

  • obtaining access to resources

  • technical mechanism for resource allocation and accounting

  • additional PR

  • a tool for public evaluation of activities

  • a reporting tool

  • a project implementation tool

  • leadership position in local communities, expanded influence

  • possibilities for obtaining discounts and bonuses

    Residents of the region (Project participants):

  • companionship, new associations and acquaintances, a chance to see and evaluate other people in action, "hanging out"

  • belonging to something good

  • community of like-minded people

  • discounts, bonuses

  • possibility for recognition by the community

  • curiosity, a desire of being informed

  • fear of being "left out," of missing something valuable, important and available to neighbours

  • egotism: my home – my family

  • a desire to improve the district

  • personal fulfilment

  1. Project leaders:

    • opportunity for personal fulfilment

    • improvement of one's reputation; possible alternative – a political career (or community leadership)
  • development of the region

  • establishment of an active community of neighbours

  • drawing the attention of local government to the micro-district, solution of recurrent problems

    About 1% of the participants are team players (people who sincerely believe, share and promote the ideas of the TBoM, prepared to constantly initiate projects on their own, offer new ideas for regional development); 1% to 10% are like-minded people (people who share the ideas and are ready to become leaders); about 20% are the loyal audience (always ready to participate in regional events, but are not ready to initiate projects themselves); 25% to 30% are consumers (people who are only interested in the resources provided by the TBoM System – intellectual resources: courses, workshops, lectures; and material resources: services and household goods); about 40% are observers (people who readily participate in activities and events but do not undertake anything on their own).


Project activities were organized in several major areas:
- culture and entertainment: community and cultural activities, festive events and creative contests, joint leisure activities
- science and education: workshops organized by local residents dedicated to applied research, arts, studies in other cultures, and languages
- environment: clean-up, environment-related activities and lectures, awareness-raising lectures on energy saving by households, planting of trees
- mutual help and charity work: topical Really Really Free Markets (RRFM) and art events to help orphanages and animal centres, in-home volunteer help for WWII veterans and home front workers, charity auctions
- health and sports: festivals and tournaments in various sports, winter sports, organization of the cycling and runner communities
- improvement of the city environment: street art events, improvement of local ponds, horticulture and flower show contests


Tasks from customers requesting development of programs can be further used to boost the Project's consulting component from the standpoint of potential sales and funding:

Government (municipal and regional): public relations, achievement of targets for development of the region, including the introduction of innovative technologies, improvement of people's loyalty to the authorities, receipt of federal grants, efficient models to be used in preparing for and running election campaigns, development of a new image for the government, boost to social work programmes in the communities, use of TBoM features in preparing comprehensive investment plans.

Business community:

Category 1 – business owners in single-industry cities facing high employee turnover rates, low social activity, a lethargic populace: the need to form a new environment for socially active people and create a positive image of the city and, first and foremost, their business (PR and GR), launch new initiatives aimed, directly and indirectly, to grow existing businesses (sociocultural initiatives, coherent initiatives), identify opinion leaders, influence people's attitudes, and develop corporate social responsibility programs (directly or indirectly).

Category 2 – corporations interested in investing in one or more projects as part of certain activities (festivals, actions): the need to have PR and GR, implement the company's mission, improve the company's image (or, say, create a new image in response to changes in marketing policy).

Category 3 – corporations that supply goods and services to the TBoM Market and resources for members of the community: the need to have PR and GR, implement the company's mission, create a positive image for of the company and receive documents regarding charity donations to volunteer groups within a certain region.

Category 4 – companies that cooperate under joint programs (career guidance, increasing financial awareness, etc.):a direct interest in promoting and guiding new products, PR and GR, R&D, elements of corporate social responsibility.