Community banks and credit unions are locally controlled and operated, and focus on the needs of the community where the bank operates. Lending decisions are made by people who understand the local needs of families, businesses, and farmers, and management often resides within the community it serves. These financial institutions create local jobs and generate economic activity in communities.

• Map: Global Alliance for Banking on Values
• Resources: Green America, Find a Better Bank and Environmentally-beneficial Credit Cards

It matters where your money sleeps, and your decision about what bed to tuck it into is another opportunity to live into your values. All of your money has power. As you save, use those dollars to benefit you and your community. Look for local investments and intermediaries run by people of color, women, and trans folks, who have been underrepresented in the financial industry. These investments tend to produce equal or better returns.

• Tools: As You Sow, Invest Your Values, discover what is in mutual funds and alternative mutual funds screened for involvement in fossil-fuels, tobacco, guns, and prisons.
• Article: Locavesting, New Products Bring Impact Investing to the Masses (unaccredited investors)
• Networks: TONIIC, the GIIN, SOCAP (accredited investors)
• Resources: Divest-Invest

Retirement funds are usually just money in the stock market you can’t spend until you’re older. You can align all of your money with your values, finding retirement investments that have a financial impact as well as positive results for our society and the environment. Many retirement funds have social impact funds as options for investments.

• Platform: The Next Egg, a community and resource-sharing platform that helps people navigate how to change the way their retirement accounts are invested.
• Tools: As You Sow, Invest Your Values, discover what is in mutual funds and alternative mutual funds screened for involvement in fossil-fuels, tobacco, guns, and prisons.

Practice giving more boldly! The majority of charitable contributions in the US go to large institutions like universities, museums, and churches. These organizations are important, and at the same time, those gifts are not creating lasting systemic change. Invest your philanthropic dollars in local organizations led by those with lived experience and direct connections to the communities they serve. Consider monthly recurring gifts or multi-year pledges that support ongoing cash flow for important work.

• Article: Resource Generation: Social Justice Philanthropy & Giving
• Learning Community: The Giving Project Model, operating in many cities around the country
• Network: Justice Funders
• Network: Trust-Based Philanthropy Project

Everyday purchase decisions can have positive social, economic, environmental, and political impacts. We are more aware now of the harsh realities of products and supply chains tied to issues such as climate change and pollution, as well as grossly underpaid workers and poor working conditions. We can be more thoughtful with our purchases to reduce negative impacts and ensure that our dollars are supporting our values. The more consumers demand ethical, organic, and fair trade products, the more widely available and accessible they’ll become.

• Directory: Local Harvest, small farms and food producers in the U.S.
• Resource: The Regenerative Organic Certification is an emerging certification that helps consumers support farmers that implement Regenerative Agriculture practices that build soil health and improve biodiversity and animal welfare. There are many farmers and ranchers implementing these practices that aren’t certified yet, so find out what is going on with Regenerative Agriculture in your area.
• Resource: When considering consumption choices, the first question should be whether you need something new. Mend clothing, make use of tailors, shoe repair shops, electronic repair shops, and thrift stores in your community.

Individual action is important to creating a more equitable world, and so is collective action. Government policies, at the local, state and national level, sets the frame for the public sphere including commerce, social support systems and health care. These policies matter and can help advance fair systems of finance. If voting wasn't so important, there wouldn't be so much effort put towards preventing people from having their voices heard in elections.

• Resource: Rock the Vote includes all the information you need to register to vote, find out what issues are on the ballot, and learn about important dates and deadlines.
• Resource: Common Cause, Find Your Representatives

So much is possible in using money for good. We've been limited in the past by a small set of tools developed by a tiny part of the population. Thinking from an abundance mentality helps us to think bigger. There is a lot of inspiration out there — keep looking and imagining ways to transform money.

• Article: Rebecca M. Henderson, Reimagining Capitalism in the Shadow of the Pandemic
• Resources: Community Wealth Building
• Resources: Pathways to a People’s Economy
• Resources: Zebras United Creative/Inclusive Capital