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?

June 2, 2015, 11am PDT | 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.