Community Shares: Practitioner Training
A comprehensive training programme to learn all about community shares, from the basics to the technical details.
What does the programme entail?
This training programme will consist of content led by Alice Wharton (Community Shares Standards and Investment Manager, Co-operatives UK) and a team of community shares experts. It will cover the breadth of topics required to develop and launch a community shares offer.
Following this training, participants will be able to complete assessments, to become a Registered practitioners deemed competent to provide community shares advice, guidance and mentoring to new and established community businesses.
Following becoming accredited as a Registered practitioner, there will also be the opportunity to train to become a Fully Licensed practitioner, who is additionally accredited to award the Community Shares Standard Mark.
Format
- This training course will take place online, each session running from 9.30am to 1.30pm
- The sessions will consist of presentations, guest speakers and Q&A sessions
- The participants will be provided with pre- and post-session reading
What attendees will learn
How to support a group to develop and launch a successful community shares offer.
Who should attend
This training programme is aimed at practitioners who already provide business and funding support in the social, community, and voluntary sectors, or who are involved in running co-operative or community businesses.
It assumes some prior knowledge in the above areas but not any in-depth understanding of community shares. We aim to attract a diverse range of practitioners who can bring their own distinct experience and expertise to community shares.
The programme will be delivered to a cohort of successful applicants who will work through the content together and be able to network and learn from each other throughout the process. There will also be an introductory session prior to the formal workshops to allow the cohort to get to know each other and their backgrounds and experiences.
The sessions
An introduction to community shares, covering their origins, the Community Shares Standard Mark, available support, and the role, training and accreditation of Community Shares Practitioners.
Key outcomes:
- The origins of the Community Shares Unit at Co-operatives UK
- The importance of the Community Shares Standard Mark
- Support available to develop community shares projects
- The role of a Community Shares Practitioner
- The training and accreditation pathway, leading to becoming licensed and listed on the Practitioner Directory
| Session by | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Wharton, Community Shares Standards and Investment Manager, Co-operatives UK | Thursday 7 January | 9.30-11.00am | Online |
Explores how community engagement can create competitive advantage, identify potential investors, build inclusive participation, and convert community support into investment.
Key outcomes:
- The community competitive advantage
- Good practice community engagement journey
- Then the reality...
- Who is the community? Who are the investors?
- From community engagement to community investment
- Diversity and inclusion
| Session by | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Morven Lyon, Head of Development Trust Association Scotland. Other guest experts TBA. | Thursday 21 January | 9.30am-1.30pm | Online |
An overview of the legal and governance framework for community benefit and co-operative societies, including rules, asset locks, registration, conversion, and share offer document requirements.
In this session we will cover:
- Types of societies and the conditions for registration: key features of a Co-operative or Community Benefit Society or Charitable Community Benefit Society
- Model rules (the governing document) and what they should/not include
- Sponsoring bodies
- Asset locks
- Dissolution clauses
- Registration process
- Conversion of legal form
- Share offer document and Standard Mark requirements
| Session by | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dane Pollard, Governance Advisor at Co-operatives UK | Thursday 18 February | 9:30am - 1:30pm | Online |
Introduces business planning for community enterprises, including key plan components, the role of capital, available funding sources, and the place of withdrawable share capital.
In this session we will cover:
- Story of a business plan
- Key elements to the business plan
- The role of capital in business
- Sources of capital available to community businesses
- The nature of withdrawable share capital and its role in the capital mix
| Session by | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Woodcock, Acorn Co-op Support | Thursday 18 March | 9:30am-1:30pm | Online |
Covers the financial forecasts required for community share offers, including profit and loss, cash flow, balance sheets, share interest, withdrawals, and finance summaries.
In this session we will cover:
- The three financial forecasts and the Standard Mark assessment:
- Profit and loss – share interest
- Cash flow – share interest, withdrawals
- Balance sheet
- Share interest
- Share withdrawals
- Finance summary tables
| Session by | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Woodcock, Acorn Co-op Support | Thursday 25 March | 9:30am - 1:30pm | Online |
Examines investor behaviour, legal fundraising limits, the share offer document, preparing for an offer launch, fundraising platforms, DIY websites, and Shariah compliance.
In this session we will cover:
- Investor behaviour
- Legal limits of capital raising
- The share offer document as a contract
- Share offer launch runway and campaign
- Online fundraising platforms
- DIY website options
- Shariah compliance
| Session by | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Boyle, Community Shares Company and Alice Wharton, Co-operatives UK | Thursday 22 April | 9:30am-1:30pm | Online |
Covers the ongoing legal, policy and operational requirements for managing community share capital, including member investments and subsequent share offers.
In this session we will cover:
- Legal requirements for societies
- Key policies and processes
- Managing members’ ongoing investments
- Subsequent share offers
| Session by | Date | Time | Location |
| Isla McCulloch, Development Trust Association Scotland and Alice Wharton, Co-operatives UK | Thursday 20 May | 9:30am-1:30pm | Online |
Book your place
Book your place on the community shares practitioners training. There are two options when booking:
- £1,400 + VAT for the workshops only
- £1,500 + VAT for the workshops and assessment to become a registered community shares practitioner
The price includes one year's free Co-operatives UK Supporter subscription.
Co-operatives UK are able to offer two 50% discounted places to people under 40 years old and/or facing other barriers. If you would like to be considered, please email [email protected] outlining your request, and how you would use your networks to promote the community shares concept to other groups of young people and community focused businesses.
| Session | 2027 dates | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory session | Thursday 7 January | 9.30am-11.00am | Online |
| Community engagement | Thursday 21 January | 9.30am-1.30pm | Online |
| Governance | Thursday 18 February | 9.30am-1.30pm | Online |
| Business planning | Thursday 18 March | 9.30am-1.30pm | Online |
| Financial forecasting | Thursday 25 March | 9.30am-1.30pm | Online |
| Share offer document and the Standard Mark | Thursday 22 April | 9.30am-1.30pm | Online |
| Managing share capital | Thursday 20 May | 9.30am-1.30pm | Online |
About community shares
Events calendar
Community shares resources
The Bookery: A new chapter for a much-loved community hub
