New Research into Community Shares

As enthusiastic supporters of community ownership, we are delighted to read the most comprehensive piece of research into the community shares market to date: Understanding a Maturing Community Shares Market, from the Community Shares Unit at Co-operatives UK

The research is worth reading in full here. Key highlights include…

  • Since 2012, £155m has been raised by 104,203 people to support more than 440 businesses.
  • 92% of businesses that have raised finance with community shares are still trading.
  • 85% of businesses say that running a share offer has had a positive impact on financial performance.
  • 80% of people invest in community share offers because of the wider social or environmental benefits of the organisation – less than 20% stated the prospect of financial returns as a reason for investing.
  • For every £1 invested in community shares, an additional £1.18 is leveraged through grants, loans and institutional investment.

Read the full report and background to it here