Community shares crowdfunding

Crowdfunding for community share offers

Communities are stronger when they own the things that matter most to them. From village pubs to historic buildings and local parks, run a community share offer to raise funds for the spaces at the heart of your area.

Prize draw projects

Live community share offers

What are community shares?

Community shares are a great way for groups to raise large sums of money for projects that directly benefit their local community. They can help people to secure much-loved assets by raising more money than other fundraisers, as supporters are asked to invest long term, rather than simply donating.

With a community share offer, members of a community fundraise for a cause, with the aim of securing joint ownership or interest in the cause when the fundraising target is reached. 

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92% of businesses that have used community shares are still trading successfully, compared to 55% for normal businesses.

Run a community share offer with Crowdfunder

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Expert crowdfunding advice

We've a proven track record of helping over 95% of community share offers successfully raise the funds they need.

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A platform you can trust

Millions raised for pubs, sports clubs, music venues, community energy initiatives, and more.

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Reach your fundraising goals

Our average raise is £230,000, demonstrating our ability to support the most substantial fundraising needs.

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Successful community share offers

Match funding opportunities for community shares

Get your fundraising efforts matched with our match funding grants from our investment partners, including the Community Shares Booster Fund. 

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Reach Fund Access Point

Grants up to £15,000

Crowdfunder is also a trusted partner and access point for the Reach Fund. Your organisation could receive up to £15,000 in grant funding to help you establish the infrastructure needed to raise investment through a community share offer.

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Booster Fund

Grants up to £10,000

Equity match investment up to £100,000

The Booster Fund supports new and existing community businesses in England at all stages of a community share issue. If you are from Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, find out about other routes for community share support.

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Energy Efficiency Sharematch

£30,000 extra

Supporting communities raising investment through community shares to pay for energy efficiency measures.

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Access match funding

Discover the community shares making a difference

Crowdfunder project

The Drewe Arms

Raised: £547,210

Investors: 508

An ambitious plan for a community to buy, renovate and run the incredible Drewe Arms as a thriving community pub and social hub.

Read their story
Crowdfunder project

Friends of the Joiners Arms

Raised: £127,735

Investors: 2,260

Their vision was to create the UK's first community run LGBTQI+ venue in London that was truly inclusive and accessible for their community.

Read their story

More crowdfunding success stories

Why Crowdfunder?

Simplified set-up

An easy, step-by-step process to create your bespoke Crowdfunder community share offer page, optimised to drive investments.

Real time totaliser

Keep your community engaged with a live totaliser that adds urgency and excitement to your fundraising campaign.

Reduce admin

We manage payments into your community shares fund securely, process refunds automatically and generate investor lists.

Dedicated account manager

You’ll have access to an account manager for guidance on how to maximise your community share offer's success.

Crowdfunding dashboard

Easily track performance and manage your fundraiser behind the scenes once your community share offer is live.

No up front fees

We only charge fees on the amount you've successfully raised via your community share offer, so there's nothing to pay upfront.

Sliding fee structure

As you raise more money, the fees will decrease, meaning you’ll be rewarded for your fundraising success.

Secure fund holding

Stripe, our trusted payment provider, will securely hold your community share offer funds for up to 90 days and facilitate easy refunds if needed.

First class investor experience

Our community shares platform is designed for a seamless experience to encourage engagement and increased investments.

Fair pricing to empower communities

We believe in fair pricing and full transparency on fees. Our standard platform fee for community shares is:

3% + VAT on the first £300,000 raised

2% + VAT on any amount raised over £300,000

Transaction fees also apply. More information on fees.

Plus, with our 'no win no fee' approach, we handle all refunds at no cost if you don't successfully raise the funds you need or have to return the money raised for reasons beyond your control.

Start a community share offer
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Want to run a community share offer?

If you’re interested in running a community share offer, please complete the form below and a member of the Crowdfunder team will get back to you.

First name

Last name

Email address

Phone number

Your group's name

Your group's website/Facebook page

How much do you need to raise through a community share offer?

When do you need to raise the funds by?

Please provide any additional information about your project, in addition to the details above

Community shares FAQs

How do community shares work?

Think of community shares as a group fundraising project. They’re run by community groups who want to raise money to own or save the assets they care most about, such as their local pub, a neighbourhood park, or a historic building in their community. With a community share offer, the people who donate to the cause are doing so in order to gain a future share in the asset. This may mean they effectively own a small share in the pub, or will need to take shared responsibility for upkeep of the local park. Community shares are a type of share capital; running yours through a trusted fundraising platform like Crowdfunder means your community shares fund will be secure and transparent for everyone involved.

Who can set up a community share offer?

All kinds of community groups can set up a community share offer to fundraise for the assets that matter to them. You might be a group of loyal punters who want to crowdfund to save your local pub or live music venue, or neighbours who are passionate about maintaining the green spaces in your community. Join forces to support a community-owned enterprise, or get together to launch a community share offer to keep your town’s newspaper circulating. Whatever your cause, raising money for a community shares fund could transform your local area.

What are the benefits of launching a community share offer with Crowdfunder?

There are many benefits to running a community share offer with Crowdfunder, including:

  • Easy-to-use trusted online fundraising platform
  • No upfront fees
  • Minimal admin
  • Secure fund holding with trusted payment provider Stripe
  • Access to a dedicated community shares account manager
  • Promote your community shares fund to new supporters in your community and beyond
  • Access match funding partners to boost your community share offer further
  • Detailed crowdfunding dashboard with real-time insights and reports for full transparency


How is a community share offer different to a standard community crowdfunding project?

Anyone can set up a community fundraising project via Crowdfunder to raise funds for a local business, sports club, or individual in your community. With a standard crowdfunding project, individual supporters can donate to your fund, and you can choose to give back to them with rewards or prize draws. In contrast, a community share offer is launched by the community, and it’s the community that donates to the cause too, in order to gain joint ownership of a particular asset. 

Is my community share offer eligible for a match funding grant?

Your community share offer may be eligible for +Extra funding in the form of a match funding grant from one of our national or regional public sector or corporate investment partners. Initiatives such as the Community Shares Booster Fund may pledge to top up your community fundraising pot once you reach a certain point in your crowdfunding journey, taking you closer to your goal.