Frequently asked
questions.
A short list of the questions we get most often. If yours is not here, the door is open — write to us at the bottom of the page.
What exactly is a Joie?
A Joie is a virtual token carrying the name and likeness of someone whose memory you wish to honor, or a place or a value. It travels from one porteJoie to another accompanied by a personal message — a recognition, a thank you, a quiet salute. It cannot be bought back, traded, or converted into anything. It simply exists to be given.
How much does it cost to issue a Joie?
Each Joie you issue corresponds to a one-euro contribution to our reserve fund. The fund is permanent: your euro stays in it. The interest the fund generates, together with additional donations, covers the running costs of the system. Nobody profits.
Where does the money go?
Money used to acquire issuance rights for Joies goes straight to a reserve fund managed by the association. The revenues from this fund are applied towards the expenses necessary to provide for the free circulation of Joies. General donations are used to support the development of the association — we are all volunteers and need your help to pay our external suppliers.
Can I send a Joie to someone who is not yet a member?
Yes. When you give a Joie to an email address that is not yet registered, the system creates a placeholder porteJoie for that person and sends them an invitation. They can choose to accept the Joie and complete their account, or simply ignore the message.
Can the recipient refuse a Joie?
Always. A proposed Joie sits in the recipient's porteJoie as a proposition — they can accept it or decline it. If they decline, it returns to your wallet, no questions asked.
Why the Chinese character 手?
手 (shǒu) means "hand". It appears in the association's logo as the sign of the giving hand and the receiving hand — the chain of gratitude that links them. It also echoes, by happy accident, the initial of "Joie" and the first letter of Jean-Pierre Joussemet, in whose memory the project began.
Is this a charity? Are gifts tax-deductible?
Pour la Joie is a non-profit French association (loi 1901). It is not a charity in the fiscal sense — its purpose is to foster gratitude, to bring the joy of being recognized to those who feel ignored, even estranged, from society, not to distribute material support to people in need. Contributions are therefore not deductible.
Can I create a porteJoie if I am not in France?
Yes. The association is French, but a porteJoie can be created from anywhere — and Joies travel across borders without difficulty.
Another question?
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