Why Not Just Ask People to Donate?
“Why not just ask people to donate?”
By Selce Co-Chair Nadia Smith
A potential investor for our latest share offer recently asked us this – and it’s a fair question. After all, we’re used to thinking of projects that benefit schools, communities and the environment as charitable causes.
But we’re a co-operative. We don’t just want people to give to change; we want local people to own it, shape it and share in what it creates.
That is what makes community investment different.
When you invest in a Selce community share offer, your money helps build a real renewable energy project here in South East London. You become a member of the co-operative, with an equal vote at our AGM – regardless of whether you invested £250 or significantly more.
It reflects some of the values at the heart of the co-operative movement:
• Self-help and self-responsibility: local people pooling their resources to make something happen
• Democracy and equality: one member, one vote
• Solidarity: investing together for shared benefit
• Concern for community: creating lasting value in the places where we live and work
Our seventh community share offer will fund a heat pump installation at Charlton Park Academy, a school for children and young people with special educational needs.
If we reach our target:
• The school is projected to save £150,000 over 20 years
• The project is expected to avoid 313.4 tonnes of CO₂e over its lifetime
• Annual emissions savings will be equivalent to the electricity use of around 33 households
• Investors can receive a projected 4% annual return
• The invested capital is planned to be returned in stages between years 4 and 10
So your investment does more than fund a good cause once.
It helps a local school reduce its bills for years. It cuts carbon in a place you can actually see. It gives you a democratic stake in a community-owned organisation.
It also supports our energy advice service. And, if the project performs as expected, your capital and interest can come back to you – potentially allowing you to invest it again elsewhere.
This isn’t a theoretical model. We’ve successfully raised funds through six community share offers, local people have already helped us raise more than £500,000.
If successful, Charlton Park Academy will become our 24th community-funded installation across South East London.
We believe Londoners should have the opportunity not only to support the transition to cleaner energy, but to own part of it.
If you care about improving your local area, supporting schools and cutting carbon, could your money make it happen?
Individuals and businesses can invest from £250.
Find out more about the project here.
Please note that Selce is neither qualified nor authorised to offer investment advice. Those interested in participating should make their own assessment of the offer, should take note of any risk factors described in the documents, and may wish to take independent financial advice. Capital at risk.