We are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for

This year’s CoCap (Community Capital Conference) was our best yet, and I walked away feeling very hopeful. One of the main themes was this: we don’t have to wait for a white knight to move capital into what we love. For example:

• Anyone in California can invest in the East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative, an organization that protects land from the speculative market—everyone can buy equity in the co-op for $1,000. Those who cannot make a one-time payment of $1,000 may set up regular payments, with a minimum first payment of $100.
• Anyone (if you have self-employment income) can work with The Next Egg to set up a low-fee self-directed retirement account from which you can invest your retirement funds into businesses you care about.
• Anyone can go to Crowdfund Mainstreet and invest as little as $100 in a mission-driven business. This platform offers investments under Regulation Crowdfunding, an investment tool which has only been legal since 2016. According to data gathered by Investibule.co, while 66% of investment crowdfunding campaigns are successful, 77% of women-owned companies and 75% of people of color-owned companies that raise money using investment crowdfunding are successful.

These are just three examples of how everyone can invest in the next economy—one that is just, sustainable, and creates equitable prosperity for all.

Rather than putting energy into trying to get the big players in the financial markets to stop being extractive and rapacious, let’s use our own money to create the world we want to see. Collectively, we have a lot!

Be a part of the movement to unleash community capital to fund what we want to see in the world.  If you’re interested in learning more about the power of community investing, go to https://www.angelsofmainstreet.com/ to join our movement.    

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

As a thank you for subscribing to our email newsletter, you will receive a free copy of my ebook entitled Get the Right Money from the Right Investors.