setting up a community enterprise & share offer scheme resource library
guides
Community Investment: Using Industrial & Provident Society Legislation
Gives useful case studies and different business models for community investment.
Community Investor Research – Who is Buying Community Shares & Why?
This guide is aimed at community groups considering a community share issue. It is based on the findings of research into the community investor to find out who is buying community shares and why.
Community Share Fact Sheets
Seven useful and clear fact sheets on community share offers and bonds.
Funding Revolution
A guide to establishing and running low carbon community revolving funds.
Legal Structure: Decision-making Guide
This guide summarises the considerations that influenced ONCORE’s choice of legal form – a community benefit society – and may help other groups work out a suitable legal form for their community enterprise.
Local United Diffusion Packs
Guides to support the setting up of social enterprises to combat the challenges of peak oil, including sustainable community loan fund and developing community energy.
Practitioners’ Guide to Community Shares
Gives detailed information on community benefit societies and other forms of community enterprise – what they are and how they work, as well as a guide to community share offers.
Practitioners’ Guide to Governance & Offer Documents
Gives detailed information on share offer options, compares different model rules for community benefit and co-operative societies, and helps with verification and regulatory requirements.
Set-up & Share Offer Guide & Checklist
Based on the experience of Oxford North Community Renewables (ONCORE), this detailed guide goes through the actions needed to set up a community enterprise and launch a community share offer to fund a community energy project.
Simply Finance
A comprehensive guide to the different options for financing a community enterprise.
Simply Governance
A comprehensive guide to understanding the systems and processes concerned with running a sustainable community enterprise.
Simply Legal
A clear, simple and understandable guide to the legal and governance processes required to support the third sector – from co-operatives to social enterprises.
Simply Start Up
Produced by the Plunkett Foundation and Co-operatives UK, this is a guide to the process of setting up a co-operative or community enterprise with lots of useful case studies of community entrepreneurs.
templates & examples
Early Script or “Hymn Sheet”
This one-page early script or “hymn sheet”, summarises a community benefit company’s aims and key messages for potential partners.
Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) Application
ONCORE’s covering letter accompanying an application to HMRC for advance assurance on the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) for tax relief.
Financial Model for ONCORE’s Solar PV Project
This financial model shows the inputs, calculations and projections for ONCORE’s Cherwell School solar PV project at the time of ONCORE’s share offer (May 2011).
LCON Community Group Leaflet
Sample of a community group leaflet: LCON’s outreach leaflet, intended to raise awareness of activities, recruit members and engage the community as widely as possible.
LCON’s Proposal on Renewable Energy to Cherwell School
LCON’s full proposal to the Cherwell School Board of Governors to develop a 50kWp solar PV installation on the roofs of the Cherwell School.
LCON’s Proposal Summary to Cherwell School on Renewable Energy
Summary of LCON’s proposal to the Cherwell School to develop a renewable energy project – solar PV – on the premises.
ONCORE Letter of Intent
Example of letter of intent from Cherwell School to ONCORE, a community benefit society, promising to work exclusively with that organisation to develop a community solar PV installation.
ONCORE’s Community Share Offer Brochure
This brochure sets out the purpose, benefits and terms and conditions of ONCORE’s share offer to fund an installation of solar PV at the Cherwell School.
Sample Invitation to Tender
Based on sample from National Energy Foundation, this is ONCORE’s invitation to tender for the installation of 50kWp solar PV at the Cherwell School.
Sample Project Development Budget for a Community Group
A sample budget produced by ONCORE for setting up a community enterprise, running a share offer, and developing a project to install 50kW of solar PV at a local school.
Share Certificate Template
Example of what a community benefit share certificate template might look like, based on the one done for ONCORE.
Share Register Template
Example of what a community benefit society share register might look like, based on ONCORE’s share register and share application form.
WOCoRe’s Share Offer Brochure
This document sets out the terms of WOCoRe’s share offer to fund a range of renewable energy projects in West Oxford.
Written Resolution Approving a Share Offer
ONCORE’s board resolution approving the share offer to raise funds for a solar PV installation at a local secondary school, and the verification of the share offer.
tools
Select-a-Structure Tool
A supporting tool for Simply Legal, allowing fledgling enterprises to find the most appropriate legal structure for their needs.
Survey-monkey
A useful free tool for surveying community members about particular issues/projects.
useful links
Baker Brown
Training, research and development practice for the social economy.
Carbon Leapfrog
Carbon Leapfrog is a network of professional organisations that help community groups working on climate change with pro bono advice and services.
Co-operative Enterprise Hub
Consultancy advice on governance of a community benefit society and registration service.
Co-operatives UK
Advice on how to start a co-operative or community benefit society, including model “rules”.
Community Energy Online
Signposting website from DECC to help communities working on renewable energy projects.
Community Interest Companies
Information on Community Interest Companies (CICs) and how to set one up with guidance, case studies and information sheets on key facts, frequently asked questions, and the benefits of a CIC.
Energy Saving Trust
Free, impartial advice on how to save energy and money.
FSE Community Generation Fund
Finance Southeast have set up a fund for community environmental projects, offering loans for feasibility and construction costs.
HMRC
Information on how to apply for the EIS or Enterprise Investment Scheme is available on the HMRC website.
PlanLoCaL
PlanLoCaL has a suite of resources including films, a resource pack and website which aims to support communities and groups that are planning for low carbon living.
PURE Community Energy Fund
Low-interest loans to help communities with the initial outlay for renewable energy projects.
Sharenergy
Helps communities find, build and own renewable energy generation throughout the UK.
Wessex Community Assets
Advice and “rules” for setting up and registering as a community benefit society.
