Communities are embracing a “new normal” of capital access and fundraising with crowdfunding.
One of the best things about rural living is our close proximity to the source of local foods and the adventure of being part of a Community Supported Agriculture program. Kim and I have been part of the Grant Farms CSA for several years now, and every Friday we love opening the big green box to discover the week’s bountiful harvest.
Each vegetable we unpack sparks creative thoughts of recipes and processes for turning Mother Nature’s delights into food for ourselves, our families and friends. But it hasn’t always been this way. My first introduction to a Kohlrabi was frightening — I had no idea what this purple spaceship-like bulb was — let alone how to prepare it and, gulp, eat it. But over the past five years I have persevered — tackling each new vegetable as it appeared and establishing new processes to avoid waste (freezing, drying, juicing, smoothie making).
So it is with crowdfunding. At the recent Global Crowdfunding Convention, we heard statements like the one made by SEC Senior Economist Vladimir Ivanov, “Crowdfunding is a sound economic concept and soon will be mainstream.” As our communities transition to this “new normal” of capital access and fundraising, some of it will seem as alien as my first kohlrabi—yet with perseverance and commitment, we will learn new processes, new recipes for success and new delight in ways to support our friends, families and the hometowns we love.
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