The Anti-Anti-End

Hello beautiful Bunzers!

We have something to share with you, please give us a minute of your time and leave a comment or your favourite emoji in the comments below to let us know you’ve read this 🫶

You may have noticed the post last week from this app’s investor, Firat (if you didn’t, don’t worry about it and read this one instead 😁).

It’s no secret that this community has faced tremendous challenges in the last decade, including challenges that led to broken trust, broken hearts and what has, at times, felt like a broken Bunz ❤️‍🩹

There is a reality that this app ran into: it isn’t easy to sustain something outside the boundaries of monetary exchange (we wouldn’t be living through late stage capitalism right now if that weren’t true 🙃).

But there is another reality worth noting: we are still here. There may be fewer of us, and the future of Bunz may feel like it’s teetering on the edge right now – but one decade later, the community that emerged organically from one girl trading for one can of tomato sauce to make dinner one night still exists.

That’s because there is something special here that you can’t find anywhere else. It isn’t tangible. It’s not something you can put a price tag on. And it’s not anything that any single person can create on their own.

It’s found in the act of the trade itself.

It’s not the treasures you find here (although there are many treasures worth finding) and it isn’t even really the money we save by re-circulating what already exists in the community (though money certainly gets saved and in a cost-of-living crisis, you can’t go wrong).

It’s the experience of being present, of feeling like no matter what happens, somebun, somewhere, has got your back. It’s the magic that gets made when human beings meet other human beings, solve problems, support each other, listen and grow. Together.

Which brings us back to Firat’s post. Whether you have been infuriated by him or not, he has poured A LOT into keeping this app alive. It hasn’t been perfect, and there is still a long way to go. But there have been a number of improvements and updates that have carved a path forward towards sustainability.

In a strange way, we are once again at the beginning. But it’s going to be up to every single bun of you to help us start actually walking down that path.

So here’s the first thing you need to know: Firat’s communications have brought some Bunz from the good old days out of the woodwork and we’re here to bring this thing back to life. We’re here to inspire, connect, motivate and – most important of all – to LISTEN.

Is it going to be perfect right away? Absolutely not. The fact of the matter is we need to build up the user base and get the community active again in order to begin moving in a sustainable direction to keep the app from shutting down. This means that we will have to take feedback and make improvements where possible while we build up our numbers. Then down the road, we can improve the app of the Bunz, for the Bunz, by the Bunz.

We wouldn’t be doing this if we were not absolutely certain that Bunz is needed in the world right now more than ever before. And in many ways, that’s the very thing that makes it feel a little like the stars are aligning and what may have felt impossible yesterday feels within reach today.

Over the next several weeks, we’re going to work with you all to Make Bunz Great Again (too soon to use that 😬), to rebuild trust and set this app on a course towards a resilient, secure future.

Who’s with us??

Stay tuned for more updates, and in the meantime, let’s get this party started by committing to making ONE TRADE this week and posting ONE BUZZ about that trade.

And if you want to take it to the next level, tell one person about the app and encourage them to download it.

Love and gratitude,
The Bunz Volunteer Team