Get Off the Ground with Community Investing

We're all familiar with the now ubiquitous Kickstarter campaigns, but what about some other tools to help crowdfund local retail and development?

1 minute read

June 2, 2015, 11:00 AM PDT

By JohnLavey

"When we see walkable development happen, it’s often at the hands of a professional developer, and often at a large scale. Successful retail takes an incredible amount of patience and skill too. But what about the small-scale entrepreneurs looking to start a café or a community bike shop without taking out a crippling loan? What about a small scale developer with plans for a great walkable infill project? What about personally investing in the specific business and development projects that give life and vitality to your neighborhood or main-street?"

Kickstarter, Indiegogo and the expanding universe of crowdfunding websites have brought a host of novel products to the market. But for the individual looking to make a community impact and a degree of return on their investment, options are limited. Limited, but not absent. This post explores four tools that pair community-minded individuals with investment models that have a local focus.

Community-Based Renovation Financing
Co-op Certificates of Deposit
“Investment Grade” Gift Certificates
Equity Based Crowdfunding

FULL STORY: Get off the Ground with Community Investing

Monday, June 1, 2015 in Community Builders

Community / Economic Development United States Investing Investment

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