How to Complete an Energy Exchange Cheque

The cheque itself is pretty straight forward but here is a description in the interests of absolute clarity.

It begins when download a page of cheques from here. You may download either a black-and -white or a full colour version. The difference is purely aesthetic and a matter of your personal preference. Once you have downloaded the page of your choice you need to print it on your printer. Some people even like to download the colour page and print it with a black-and-white printer! So this is simply up to you.

Once you have cut the cheques along the dotted line you are ready to transact. Here is a description of each of the entries:

1. Cheque Number: This is for you to keep a record of all the cheques you have made out. When you write your first cheque you can number it “1” and keep record of what you offered and to whom. When cheque “1” comes back to you and you are asked to make good on its offer you can then cross that cheque off your list. If cheque “1” comes back AGAIN you can refuse on the grounds that it has already been serviced. So, not only does this help you keep track of what you have offered but this is also a little anti-fraud feature. Not that we think it is likely for this to be necessary.

2. From: This is you. Write your name and some basic contact details like a telephone number and an email address.

3. To: This is the person you are making the cheque out to. A great part of the power of the EEC lies in the fact that the person you give this cheque to might pass it on to someone else that wants or needs it more than they do. They are then using your cheque as a negotiable instrument. If you specifically don’t want this to happen and ONLY want the person receiving the cheque to be able to return it to you for servicing then you should cross out “or bearer”.

4. For: This is an optional entry. You many specify what you are offering this EEC in exchange for. If Joe gave you a haircut you can say “A haircut received from Joe”. If you want a haircut but have not yet received it, it is recommended that you ask Joe to also write out a cheque to you. This way you are each offering the other a cheque to be serviced at a later date.

5. I hereby offer to provide to you my energy gift of: This is where you describe the product or service you are offering. It can be as broadly or narrowly described as you wish. It can be as simple as “an hour of my time to use as you wish” or it can be as complex as “the redesign of your website to incorporate a virtual market-place with check-out functionality”. You can also offer options such as “A two-hour full body massage with aromatherapy oils OR two one-hour reflexology sessions”. Longer descriptions may be continued on the back of the cheque.

6. Tick-box: Offer INCLUDES all consumable materials. Servicing cars is an examples of an offer that require consumable materials (oil, spark-plugs, etc). These materials are costly. If you are offering such a service then it is up to you to decide if you offer includes these consumables. If it does place a tick in the box. If it doesn’t place a cross. If there are no consumables at all (such as baby-sitting) then place a tick. If you are offering a product such as garden vegetables, place a tick as you cannot give the product without giving the consumables inherent in the product.

7. Tick-box: There IS an additional cost (for consumables and similar) in an amount of… If you placed a cross in the box above and the offer does not include all consumables then you must place a tick in this box and indicate the additional cost they will be required to pay in money terms. If someone will be required to pay for a part of your offering in terms of your EEC then this MUST be made totally clear and explicit upfront anything else might be construed as misleading and dishonest.

8. Tick-box: Contact me to arrange to receive this offer as booking is essential. Some products and services can be delivered any time (place a cross). Some need to be scheduled (place a tick).

9. Tick-box: This offer expires on… This option is for those rare cases where a product or service can only be offered up to a particular date. In such an instance the recipient of the cheque needs to know that they must return it for servicing before it expires. If this is the case then you must place a tick in this box and enter the expiry date (10.).

11. Date: This is the date that you completed the cheque.

12. Signed: Place your signature here. You are completing a contract to offer the stipulated product or service according to the terms you have indicated in the EEC. Your signature makes this binding.

What’s next? Once you have made the cheque out there is one last step. You must keep your own record of this cheque on your “Energy Exchange Record” form. This is a very valuable means for you to keep track of what you have offer, which offers are still outstanding and which have already been honoured. In the remote eventuality of someone trying to use your EECs fraudulently you will immediately pick it up if you keep this record.

It is also highly recommended that you cancel the cheques returned to you for honouring by crossing them out and writing across them something like “honoured” and then file them away. This is your final protection against fraud (read more about protecting yourself against fraud here).