The Care Commons Organiser Hat emerged through the LOTI pilot in commons-based care. Worn by a member of the local Circle, this Hat bridges community organising, resource mapping, and relationship stewardship. The person holding it acts as the connective tissue of the local care ecosystem—weaving together formal care teams and informal community support through practical coordination, facilitation, and network-building.
Developed and iteratively refined through hands-on practice and feedback loops during the pilot, this role embodies a grounded approach to commons-based care. It supports the realisation of key outputs, including:
People gifting time, skills, and resources to teams and Circles
Commons Resource Circles made up of volunteers
Connections between Circles and local resources or community networks
Partnerships with local community hubs and anchor organisations
Diverse and representative Circle memberships
Evaluation of cooperative connections between teams, Circles, and neighbourhood actors
As the pilot progressed, the Care Commons Organiser Hat was formalised into the role description and resource below. It offers a practical framework for replicating and adapting the role in other neighbourhoods or care initiatives. The description outlines the Hat’s purpose, key responsibilities, guiding principles, and core skills required. Crucially, it is designed to be flexible enough to be co-held or shared among a group of organisers, in keeping with Equal Care’s commitment to distributed power and shared stewardship.
This role doesn’t just support the work of care—it embodies the care commons itself, building and sustaining the social fabric that makes collaborative, community-rooted care possible.
Care Commons Community Organiser Hat Description
Role Summary
You’ll act as the connective tissue of Clapton Common’s emerging care ecosystem, weaving together formal care teams and grassroots networks. Using your facilitation and network-building skills, you will:
Map and mobilise local “care wealth”, capturing both paid services and the volunteer time, skills, and in-kind resources that sustain our teams and circles.
Cultivate and celebrate volunteer contributions, ensuring every gifted hour and act of support—whether from professional helpers or informal neighbours—is visible, valued, and recorded.
Host regular Care Commons Huddles, community forums where participants coordinate activities, steward shared assets, spark new collaborations, and deepen mutual support.
Connect circles to local resources and community networks, proactively linking care teams with anchor organisations, faith groups, schools, mutual‐aid collectives, and other neighbourhood actors.
Broker and document partnerships with community hubs—churches, community centres, libraries, and more—so that care teams can tap into shared spaces, equipment, and expertise.
Design and execute inclusive outreach, recruiting a diverse, representative membership for each circle so that every age, background, and life experience is reflected in our care commons.
Measure cooperative connections using social-network analysis—tracking the number, strength, and impact of cross-network ties—and feed those insights back into continuous improvement of our self-governing, sustainable care teams.
Key Responsibilities
1. Build & Animate the Care Commons
Network Engagement
Identify, map (in Kumu), and onboard local care actors—organizations, informal groups, volunteers, businesses, and supported people.
Motivate participation in fortnightly huddles, Care Circle meetings, and LOTI pilot activities.
Collaboration Facilitation
Convene monthly community huddles to exchange resources, co-design solutions, and celebrate “care commoning.”
Surface success stories that demonstrate the value of a commons-based approach.
2. Enrich Care Teams
Quality of Interaction
Participate in fortnightly Care Circle meetings to review how well care teams engage with local networks.
Analyze strengths and gaps, then co-design strategies to deepen support (e.g., tapping new volunteer pools).
Resource Management
Maintain an up-to-date inventory of shared assets (spaces, equipment, volunteer time).
Support transparent fundraising via Open Collective; help establish protocols for resource provisioning.
Co-curate a community calendar (PlaceCal) for care-related events and opportunities.
3. Sustain & Govern the Commons
Membership Development
Recruit and retain a diverse membership, ensuring broad representation across care providers and community supporters.
Collective Stewardship
Co-facilitate a member-led governance circle (sociocratic format), providing training and ongoing support.
Embed co-production and multi-stakeholder ownership into all activities.
4. Knowledge Sharing & Evaluation
Learning Dissemination
Document and share insights on commons and circle development with Equal Care Co-op and external partners.
Impact Feedback
Feed into the LOTI evaluation: report barriers, opportunities, and emerging impacts of care commoning.
Communication
Draft minutes, maintain shared documentation, and contribute to communications materials.
Skills & Experience
Essential
Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills
Proven experience in community organising or network-building
Familiarity with peer-led governance (sociocracy or similar)
Proficiency in digital tools (Kumu, PlaceCal, Open Collective, video conferencing)
Data-literate: comfortable capturing, analyzing, and reporting on network data
Desirable
Knowledge of local care landscape and social care issues
Background in collective impact or asset-based community development
Personal Attributes
Passionate about social justice and equitable access to care
Collaborative, resourceful, and flexible
Strong organizer with excellent time-management and documentation habits
Welcoming of diversity—actively committed to disability confidence and closing mental health employment gaps
This role is open to multiple co-organisers working collaboratively. By sharing responsibilities, we ensure power remains distributed and the Care Commons stays sustainable.
