Enquiry Pack

ENQUIRY PACK

WE SEE A WORLD WHERE FINANCE WORKS FOR COMMUNITIES

Shared Interest FREEPOST NT1883 Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1BR T: (0)191 233 9102 F: (0)191 233 9110 membership@shared-interest.com www.shared-interest.com

Shared Interest Society Ltd is registered with the Registrar of Friendly Societies, number 27093R

27% of Shared Interest’s lending goes to handicraft producers such as this Kenyan basket weaver

WE SEE THE WORLD AS IT COULD BE

JUSTICE, NOT PROFIT, IS OUR BOTTOM LINE We are the world’s only 100% fair trade lender. We lend money directly to fair trade businesses in the developing world, as well as to buyers in the UK, US and Europe. Our role in the fair trade movement is crucial, but we couldn’t do it without you.

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27% of Shared Interest’s lending goes to handicraft producers such as this Kenyan basket weaver

WE SEE THE WORLD AS IT COULD BE

JUSTICE, NOT PROFIT, IS OUR BOTTOM LINE We are the world’s only 100% fair trade lender. We lend money directly to fair trade businesses in the developing world, as well as to buyers in the UK, US and Europe. Our role in the fair trade movement is crucial, but we couldn’t do it without you.

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Shared Interest currently lends 8% of its portfolio to fruit producers across the developing world

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

SHARED INTEREST LENDS OVER £33M ANNUALLY

Our investors share a vision of investing in a fairer world. Each Share Account holds anything between £100 and £20,000. This money is pooled together and used to make payments to over 460 producer groups across 66 countries. The funds are recycled and reused to ensure that your investment is being used to support those that need it most. 3 4

Shared Interest currently lends 8% of its portfolio to fruit producers across the developing world

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

SHARED INTEREST LENDS OVER £33M ANNUALLY

Our investors share a vision of investing in a fairer world. Each Share Account holds anything between £100 and £20,000. This money is pooled together and used to make payments to over 460 producer groups across 66 countries. The funds are recycled and reused to ensure that your investment is being used to support those that need it most. 3 4

WHO BENEFITS?

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

By opening a Share Account you are helping communities in the developing world access fair finance and create sustainable livelihoods.

SALOM (SOAPSTONE CARVING) Pauline Ntombura founded her soapstone carving business in Kenya in 1994. Despite humble beginnings Salom now sells internationally. Salom approached Shared Interest in 2009 for a credit facility so they could pre-finance the huge amount of orders they receive. Pauline said: “The fruits of this facility have started to show immediately. We are able to advance the producers cash for raw materials to facilitate production and we are able to pay everyone on time. This has breathed new energy in the business. With this facility, we will help more families to produce goods and positively impact their lives financially.”

Investing in Shared Interest is easy, anyone over the age of 16* with a UK bank account can open a Share Account with as little as £100. Couples, families, schools and businesses as well as community and faith groups can also become investors and help to transform lives in the developing world. Running your account is simple; you will receive regular statements detailing your transactions. You can invest further funds up to the value of £20,000 and apply to make a withdrawal by post whenever you want.

BOS (BANANA CO-OPERATIVE) This Peruvian banana co-operative is owned by almost 500 individual farmers. Shared Interest have recently loaned funds to support the development of new infrastructure such as packing stations, cableways and cooling rooms that will enable Bos to increase production as well as reduce losses. All bananas are currently transported around the farms on backs of the workers or by the cableways. Using the cable system, workers are able to transport 20 banana plants per trip as opposed to one. Extending the cableway system will speed up production and improve the health of the workers.

Because of the nature of our lending, there is an element of risk involved and we share this possibility of financial loss with our investors. We do aim to pay interest and you can find out the current rate on our website and in our newsletters. To protect Shared Interest and its investors against money laundering, we also operate an identity confirmation service.

All you need to do now is complete the application form in the next section and return it to us. Please don’t forget to read the small print (aka the Terms and Conditions!) In the meantime if you would like more information please contact membership on 0191 233 9102.

SERRV (FAIR TRADE BUYERS) Founded in 1949 with the vision of eradicating poverty through fair trade, SERRV now works with 74 producer partners in 34 countries. SERRV, CEO Bob Chase said: “Providing advanced payments to more than 70 partners, many of whom receive multiple orders and advances each year, is a complicated undertaking which is made possible by the highly sophisticated and customer friendly Shared Interest systems and staff.”

YOU CAN ALSO VOLUNTEER To find out how visit www.shared-interest.com

STEP 1 A share account is opened

STEP 2 Money goes into the Shared Interest pot

STEP 3 A loan is made to a fair trade business

STEP 4 The loan is used to buy equipment or to pre-finance orders

STEP 5 The loan is repaid to Shared Interest

STEP 6

“We simply could not carry out our mission or provide market access under fair trade terms to thousands of artisans without the support of Shared Interest.”

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OPENING AN ACCOUNT

Return to step 2...

*Accounts can also be opened and held in trust by a parent/guardian on behalf of a child

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