{"id":2509,"date":"2024-11-14T17:21:13","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T17:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tapestrycapital.ca\/?p=2509"},"modified":"2026-05-24T19:02:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:02:41","slug":"audience-building-with-community-bonds","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/tapestrycapital.ca\/fr\/story\/audience-building-with-community-bonds\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you need a big audience to successfully raise community bonds?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a feature from Tapestry\u2019s newsletter, The Thread. To receive bi-weekly deep dives into non-profit and co-op financing, subscribe at tapestry2026.wpenginepowered.com\/newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lindsay Harris wants Propolis Housing Cooperative, the nonprofit she co-founded in 2020 to build affordable homes in Kamloops, to end the housing crisis in one of Canada\u2019s most expensive provinces. \u201cWe really see our vision as an organization for the long term,\u201d she tells us. \u201cIn the future, we want to be owning and operating a network of multifamily buildings in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, building a six-storey co-op building on Kamloops\u2019 north shore, with 50 units ranging from bachelor to three-bedroom, plus commercial space on the ground floor, isn\u2019t cheap. Propolis had a hard time qualifying for bank loans, as well as the funding programs offered through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporations. It didn\u2019t yet have a community of supporters, so to speak.<\/p>\n

So how did Propolis, in the span of just four years, go from incorporating as a brand-new organization to clearing 90% of a $1.1 million community bond campaign, and eventually buying the land for that co-op?<\/p>\n

They talked to everybody<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the early stages of their campaign, Propolis did some planning with Tapestry Community Capital to understand who their organization was connected to, and whether they might invest in \u2014\u00a0or spread the word about \u2014\u00a0their bonds. For instance, together we identified a network in local food security, an issue that unfortunately dovetails with the housing crisis. They\u2019re also connected local businesses around the building site, with an interest economic development. And much more.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s also meant having a lot of conversations across the table at a farmer\u2019s market, at big community events, and in one-on-one conversations. Everyone on the team has to be able to explain both the project and the concept of community bonds in a deep and thoughtful way. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have an existing mailing list of supporters when we started the campaign,\u201d Lindsay says. \u201cWe were introducing ourselves to them, as a new organization, at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

They kept their campaign open-ended<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Propolis held their first investor consultations in early 2023, and launched the campaign in early June of that year. Lindsay says if she could go back, she would start the community engagement process years earlier. Trying to explain who Propolis is and the bond campaign at once isn\u2019t something she\u2019d do again.<\/p>\n

But by keeping their campaign open for over a year, Propolis has been able to continue selling bonds and using them to repay two short-term loans they needed to purchase the property back in March 2024. While this approach doesn\u2019t work for every organization \u2014 it can be better to give supporters a deadline, to convey urgency \u2014\u00a0it\u2019s worked well for Propolis to build relationships over time.<\/p>\n

Propolis is close to 90% of its target raise, but Lindsay and the rest of the team aren\u2019t slacking off. \u201cJust yesterday, I went and did a big long presentation to the Kamloops Adult Learner society about the housing crisis, talking about the solutions that Propolis is doing,\u201d Lindsay says. \u201cIt\u2019s not actually a process that stops.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":1475,"template":"","format":[23],"topic":[78,51],"class_list":["post-2509","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","story_format-story","story_topic-affordable-housing","story_topic-education"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDo you need a big audience to successfully raise community bonds? - Tapestry Capital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tapestrycapital.ca\/fr\/histoire\/audience-building-with-community-bonds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_CA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do you need a big audience to successfully raise community bonds? - Tapestry Capital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is a feature from Tapestry\u2019s newsletter, The Thread. 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