“Do you mean something like crowd-funding?” That was the question we received most often from our friends when we told them about our idea. We imagine you have the same question — after all, if you are reading these lines, Co-Fund has clearly caught your attention.
Well, the shortest answer is “yes, but… not exactly!”
Crowd-funding is certainly the most widespread form of alternative, grassroots financing. The belief in the power of solidarity among many people, the bypassing of bank loans, and the avoidance of profit-driven investors — rather than genuine support for people seeking to realise an idea or meet a need — are elements that inspire us.
Crowd-funding is certainly the most widespread form of alternative, grassroots financing. The belief in the power of solidarity among many people, the bypassing of bank loans, and the avoidance of profit-driven investors — rather than genuine support for people seeking to realise an idea or meet a need — are elements that inspire us.
In crowd-funding, a supporter typically contributes just once to a specific productive or artistic venture they find interesting, without further involvement. With community-funding, by contrast, we aim to build a long-term relationship of solidarity among SSE supporters, so that together we can contribute to the founding and ongoing development of SSE ventures — that is, to the spread of a more democratic economy, with dignified jobs, respect for the environment, and more.
The goal of community-funding is to create a funding resource for the SSE, through the collection of subscriptions from participants. The duration of each subscription naturally depends on the willingness and capacity of each subscriber. Our aspiration, however, is for every subscription to be as permanent as possible, for several reasons:
- First, because we aim to make it realistically possible to grow the available funding pool, so that it makes a genuine difference to SSE development within a visible timeframe — surpassing the “threshold” of micro-loans worth hundreds or a few thousand euros.
- Second, because we want each subscriber to be a participant in an ongoing process of information-sharing and co-decision-making around our funding policy.
- Third, because in this way we promote a more collective model, in direct contrast to the dominant, individualistic economic habits of our time.
With your participation in the Co-Fund community, we can make a real difference!
