Six Things You Can Do to Accelerate Community Capital

from Living Economies Blog by Shannon
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 20:57


Recommendations from Don Shaffer of RSF Social Finance at BALLE's Accelerating Community Capital workshop on June 14 about what we can each do right now to make a difference.

1. Change your bank--from a big one to a locally based bank investing in your community.

2. Put your short and medium term savings in CDs that are working for your communities—such as a RSF Social Finance or Calvert social fund.

3. If you stay with your big bank, engage them and inquire what part of their deposits from the region gets reinvested regionally. Write the CEO about community capital—they will actually write back.

4. Spend less, save more, and then invest it locally.

5. Make your investment in community capital the center of your savings, not the fringe.

6. Engage the community institutions where you live (universities, foundations, religious institutions and others) and ask them where they are investing their funds.