SC Investment Clubs
Each SCNA community starts with from one to three investment clubs‹typically a $20/month, a $50/month, and/or a $100+ per month club. Each club keeps its accounting separately, and records are kept of each individual member’s account. The clubs meet separately, though sometimes they hold joint meetings in order to share investment tips and organizational knowledge‹or simply to socialize or help each other with problems that have arisen.
Members invest equal amounts every month. Investments, including dividends and interest can be withdrawn at any time. Naturally, many members have their own private portfolios outside the community.
In addition to a monthly installment paid into one’s club investment fund, each member also invests about $10 monthly in the whole community’s investment fund The Community’s Fund
As a member of a SC Investment Club, you are also a member of a syntropic community. The community-wide investment fund exists primarily for the purpose of investing in real property and/or businesses that can be both profitable and beneficial to the community.
All funds and accumulated membership fees are initially invested in a tax free money market account with check writing privileges to insure liquidity and low transition costs.
Decision-Making
The decision-making structure of the whole community is based on The Universal Model, a democratic constitution designed so that it can be easily adapted to the needs of different sizes and types of organizations. Printed copies of this constitution can be obtained from The Center for the Evolution of Democracy.
If you like to lead, you can initiate the formation of a SC Investment Club or a new Syntropic Community, and SCNA staff will assist. After startup, however, clubs and communities rotate offices in accordance with their charters so as to guarantee democratic power sharing and to provide experience for all interested members.
In the investment club and in the community as a whole, the principle of one person, one vote exists. Each investment club, of course, controls its own investment funds.
In the case of real property, or of a business that a club or community may own and operate, expert management may be hired. This management has authority delegated by the club or the community owner's and, naturally, would report to the owners or to a board of directors whose majority is democratically selected by the owners. Because we believe that the economy and its enterprise units profit more when there is broad participation in decision-making, we include representation for both workers and customers on the boards of directors of every business in which we have majority ownership.
