Think of community shares as a group fundraising project. They’re run by community groups who want to raise money to own or save the assets they care most about, such as their local pub, a neighbourhood park, or a historic building in their community. With a community share offer, the people who donate to the cause are doing so in order to gain a future share in the asset. This may mean they effectively own a small share in the pub, or will need to take shared responsibility for upkeep of the local park. Community shares are a type of share capital; running yours through a trusted fundraising platform like Crowdfunder means your community shares fund will be secure and transparent for everyone involved.

All kinds of community groups can set up a community share offer to fundraise for the assets that matter to them. You might be a group of loyal punters who want to crowdfund to save your local pub or live music venue, or neighbours who are passionate about maintaining the green spaces in your community. Join forces to support a community-owned enterprise, or get together to launch a community share offer to keep your town’s newspaper circulating. Whatever your cause, raising money for a community shares fund could transform your local area.

Anyone can set up a community fundraising project via Crowdfunder to raise funds for a local business, sports club, or individual in your community. With a standard crowdfunding project, individual supporters can donate to your fund, and you can choose to give back to them with rewards or prize draws. In contrast, a community share offer is launched by the community, and it’s the community that donates to the cause too, in order to gain joint ownership of a particular asset.