Hi Iuval,
I would definitely be interested in any advice you have to offer. We are (I think) largely in the category of "sharing our gifts/talents/goods/services primarily with our community members, not about money". Some people are more willing to let go of what I call "score-keeping" than others. I have always tried to promote the concept of karma in this regard though very informally. We are all still dependent upon the mainstream economy because we have yet to become self-sustaining, but that is our (common) goal. Perhaps this is a bit of the "shared dogmatic beliefs" you referred to? I don't think anyone here is particularly dogmatic, but we do have pretty clear shared goals that tend to help bind us together.
One thing we definitely want to avoid is any kind of Guru or rigid hierarchy. I have been developing the legal framework for an intentional community that we all agree on. It incorporates the community and creates rules for decision making at the local level that do not conflict with, and are enforceable at higher government levels. In most cases decision making requires consensus minus one. A few cases only require a 2/3's majority. I am confident that we are implementing a system Dr. Ostrom would recognize and applaud.
