Edmund's edit of the draft leaflet:

 

These days, many people are recycling and freecycling, passing on what they no longer have a use for.  The next phase in building more sustainable communities will involve more borrowing and lending.  By doing this, we can increase our wealth without having to increase our use of resources.

 

We all know the benefits of borrowing or lending:

- building and deepening our relationships with friends, families, neighbours and those with whom we share interests

- financial savings

- the benefits to the planet of reducing our consumption.

Think of a time that you have borrowed or lent something and enjoyed what came of it!

 

We've printed this leaflet because we want you to get the benefits of borrowing and lending.  Overleaf you'll find a list of "top tips" on how to have successful experiences when borrowing and lending.  We hope you'll find it useful.

 

Here are some things you can do now to help bring about that sharing society: 

• Give something back that you've borrowed which you've had for longer than you agreed.

• Think about the things you buy but don't use for very long, or very often.  Could you borrow them instead?  Do you usually buy books, or could you use a library instead?

•  

  Make a list of things you don't use every day and think about how you could get the benefits of lending out some of them.

• Contact someone who's borrowed something from you to extend their agreed lending.
• Chat to someone about what you both think helps you get what you want by borrowing and lending.
• Ask us for more of these leaflets and give them to your friends!
• Use our website at http://www.freelender.org
• ... and if you have any top tips to add to the list we've put together overleaf, we'd love to hear them!

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freelender

sharing the wealth of the community  [note the different strapline on this page]

 

Reckless Borrowing and Lending Tips

• Lend something to someone who never returns anything, only discovering this later.
• Borrow something without finding out how much it's worth, and then damage it.  For example, by taking your friend's rare Jane Austen first edition to read on your beach holiday.
• Lend something without telling the borrower when you'd like it back. ("but it was obvious...")
• Discover that you've lost someone's contact details after they borrowed one of your DVDs 6 months ago.

• Borrow loads of things from different people and forget what belongs to who.
• Agree to lend something to someone when you'd really rather not.

 

 

Sensible Borrowing and Lending Tips

• Before buying something like, say, a breadmaker, borrow one for a while to see if it's what you really want and need.

• When lending something, clearly agree the value of the item being lent, when you expect it to be returned and when the borrower is going to pick up the item from you.
• Check up on the track record of the borrower or lender, and find out other people's experience of dealing with them.

• If someone does you a favour by lending you something, return it by doing them or someone else a favour.
• Borrow whenever you can, to save money and avoid permanent clutter at home
• Lend whenever you can, to help the planet and build trust and community.

 

 

You can use these tips when borrowing or lending to anyone at any time. 

But if you would like any help putting any of the tips into practice, our website provides an easy way to do it all online, and helps with all the potential problems we've listed.  You can also use the website to search for things to borrow from your neighbours.  The website also describes ways in which you can help freelender to grow.  We'd love your support!  

 

You can subscribe to our mailing list (maximum one email per quarter, email address not given or sold to any third party) if you'd like to receive an uplifting story once in a while and get tips for living a life with more mutual support and generosity around you.

 

www.freelender.org

either a borrower or a lender be

 

--- End of Leaflet --- 

 

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Draft Leaflet text:

 

To get what you really want

why not a borrower or a lender be?

 

We all know the benefits of borrowing or lending - building or deepening our relationships with friends, families, neighbours and those with whom we share interests.

With the 'credit crunch' and all that's going on in the world, doesn't lending & borrowing make more sense now than ever before? Yes/No/Perhaps

Think of a time that you have lent something or borrowed something and enjoyed what came of it! Share your story with us, the freelender community, and we'll publish the ones that move us the most and learn from all your other experiences.

….................................................................................................................................................

[Your story here, on a seperate page at our freepost address or fill in the survey on freelender.org]...........

................................................................................................................................................

It's fine by us if “you don't do the web”; we just want you to get the benefits of borrowing and lending and so we've printed this leaflet.

If you “do the web”, why not subscribe to freelender.org email updates to receive an uplifting story once in a while and tips for a life with more mutual support and generosity around you.

Have you got any 'top tips' to add to the list we've put together (overleaf)?

 

If you want to see how well your borrowing or lending is going for you, and how you might even more satisfying results, please choose a period of time and estimate how many items you've lent in either a day/ a week/ a month or a year.

 

Responsible Borrowing & Lending Tips

Agree the return date for the lend: [Tick box] No of times I did this? [ …]

Agree the value of the item that was lent:

Etc....

 

[More tips online at freelender.org

-you can also add your tips too online or to our freepost address.....................................]

 

Reckless Borrowing & Lending Tips

Not considering the track-record of the person who is borrowing?

Not having a standard agreement about how repairs or replacement might be done.

Etc....

 

If you provide us with the first half of your postcode this will help us to find funders who will invest in promoting lending & borrowing in your community.

Postcode (eg BS7) ….......

Likewise Age group.......  Gender.........

 

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publicity material:

• Are you friendly?
• Do you lend things? (and get them back?)
• Do you borrow things?
• Would you like a more friendly neighbourhood, with more connection and know better who you can trust?

 

freelender.org

- either a borrower or a lender be!

- transition to a new society

 

Let us know whether your community is one to invest in? Find 5 minutes this week to complete our survey -either on line or post it back. Your new society (survey) starts here.

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Two easy ways to build community and trust:

 

1) Lend stuff

 

2) Borrow stuff

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By treating borrowed stuff & the lender with respect, you build your trust rating.

If you want to hold a freelender party to start borrowing and lending in your community, here's our current version of the invite leaflet you can put through your neighbours' doors to build community:

Freelender Party Invite.doc 

(and if you want to recommend edits to this invite please do so here)

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The popular lends we expect to see on freelend.org include books, ladders, bikes, and a minibus.

Perhaps you'll borrow party clothes, meet someone, share books, borrow the tandem for a holiday, then onto wedding clothes, diy tools, childrens toys etc.

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What do you want to borrow?

What have you lent today?

And what do you want to lend to others?

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Money is only trust. So why not grow trust locally?

You save your money & the world's resources.

Share the community wealth at no cost:

                                                      freelender.org