The Bank of Nature

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By / May 4, 2022

The Bank of Nature

Hawk flying over a natural setting suggests zooming out for a birds eye view of systems where banks are a component.
A birds eye view to see banks and flow

Thought leader Ian Edwards asks, can nature be a bank? I love his ideas and follow his threads. If you’re equally interested in more about his thoughts you can see his origin post on the Bank of Nature here. (If you’re interested in exploring the idea as a collaborative question others answered, you can see the thread here.)

The Bank of Nature Ian raises for this question, is a simple analogy. As happens with the best of analogies, it is both descriptive (and appropriate). It is also provocative the more you consider it!

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Investment Tracking, Should You?

Leave a Comment / Investment Literacy & Ethical Investment / By / July 26, 2020
A mask to demonstrate how our investment tracking might be hiding our most relevant questions.
What’s hiding behind the questions we ask in our Investment tracking?

Investment tracking causing you worry?

Concerned you’re tracking isn’t getting you answers?

Getting answers, but feel like they’re merely cursory?

Or maybe you’re so overwhelmed by meeting tracking expectations that you aren’t even trying?

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Resourced During Covid: Frames and Tools for Your Business

Leave a Comment / GCP Entrepreneurs, Resource Flow / By / February 11, 2021
Young person standing in a cement frame. To feel resourced we look at new frameworks for our assets.
Sometimes we need a change of frames to recognize we are resourced!  Sonora Ortiz ©2013

Need to get resourced?

Short on money?

Simple barter solutions during the Covid crisis may move your small business forward while engaging your community.

Barter is one answer, an exchange taxable by the US government.

Time banking another, (an hour for an hour) is not.

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Want to Learn Crowdvetting?

Leave a Comment / Experiential Learning & Personal Agency, Hands On Learning Opportunities / By / January 17, 2020
Held with care, an egg in a hand with dirty fingernails -- someone doing the hard work, good analogy for the Crowdvetting team!
Get your hands dirty, it’s your nest egg! Join the GCP Crowdvetting Team!

You’re Invited!

Want to be part of an exciting project to harness the power and wisdom of teams called crowdvetting?

Want to learn a due diligence process for social enterprise?

Interested in getting real time exposure to financial statements for social entrepreneurs looking for short-term, working capital funds? 

You’re invited to join a team for Crowdvetting at Kiva! 

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Are Retirement Funds A Good Place for Ethical Investing?

Leave a Comment / Investment Literacy & Ethical Investment / By / May 7, 2019 / , , , ,
An extended hand offers an exotic fruit. Like a retirement plan, it can look a bit scary until you see how it might apply to your values.
Moving from scared to curious works for retirement plans as well as exotic food!

For most of us, our savings are in our retirement accounts.

In earlier posts, we’ve been considering options for investments from community-based investment clubs to crowdfunding and investment notes.

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How Do We Embrace Risk to Make Change?

Leave a Comment / Investment Literacy & Ethical Investment / By / February 8, 2019 / , , ,
Espresso coffee with sweet treats suggest the bittersweetness of risk.
Bitter espresso coffee coupled with a sweet snack suggest the need for balance in risk. Sonora Ortiz ©2013

Next time my friend asks me about the risk of investing in a Slow Money type investment, I promise to counter with asking the risk of not investing.

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Want to be Part of a Million Dollar Fund? FarmLink Investment Notes Might be the Answer.

Leave a Comment / Case Studies & Investment Opportunities / By / January 22, 2019 / ,
A farmer and FarmLink staff member walking down a dirt lane at Riverhill Farm. To be a part of FarmLink's fund, farmers participate in site visits
You can help farms like Riverhill Farm to continue their good work by supporting FarmLink’s revolving fund. (photo used with permission)

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. ~African Proverb.

Most entrepreneurs looking for money from a venture fund won’t find it.

In fact, only a very small number of entrepreneurs find success with a capital raise. If you’re a woman or a person of color, the numbers fall from there.

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DPOs: How to Invest Directly in Your Favorite Local Business

Leave a Comment / Investment Literacy & Ethical Investment / By / January 9, 2019 / ,
Tea Display at the Farmers' Market stands for small businesses who could benefit from a DPO.
Both you and your favorite entrepreneur can stay this side of the law with a DPO! Sonora Ortiz ©2018

As an ethical investor, are you feeling like a maverick as you take back your right to align your investments with your values?

Do you find yourself reacting to the stern advice given by your professional advisors about investments, return, risk, reward, and market volatility?

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