Get Off the Ground with Community Investing

"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