Membership
Our members, donors and supporters
We unite a community of members for a common purpose.
Our members include faith groups, fair trade partnerships, small businesses, schools and community organisations. However, individuals hold 82% of Share Accounts. Our membership, distributed across the UK and Ireland, is loyal, with individuals holding Share Accounts for an average of 18 years.
We closed the year with 9,910 Share Accounts. A total of £489k was invested online, representing 15% of overall investments, up from 11% last year. Share Capital totalled £50.5m at the end of the financial year.
Communications to members and supporters
Whilst our communications cover both recruitment and retention, the core message remains the same: the power of collective action to create positive change. We engage with members to demonstrate the impact of our work, which extends beyond the businesses we support to the individuals whose lives we benefit, their wider communities, and the broader contributions to the SDGs.
In 2025, we attracted 115 new members to the Society (2024: 136) with an average opening balance of £1,116 (2024: £1,610). Due to closures, we saw a net reduction of 172 Share Accounts (2024: 174).
The Society proudly achieved the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, providing an opportunity to raise our profile, showcase our impact and enhance our credibility to existing and potential supporters.
The feedback from the King’s Award assessors was:
“The °®¶¹´«Ã½ Interest Society are a Community Interest Company founded in 1990 and are based in Newcastle upon Tyne. The company is an ethical investment organisation offering fair finance, largely to farmers worldwide particularly in sub Saharan Africa, using funds from UK ethical investors. This is a strong application from an organisation set up to deliver fairer financing for Fairtrade farmers, which may otherwise struggle to access finance.
“Their work contributes strongly to communities and the environment. °®¶¹´«Ã½ Interest Society apply sustainability principles to their business which align strongly with their existing social and fair trade principles of the organisation. They have strong customer support and engagement and thorough, externally verified, reporting and evidence of wider outreach. This is a well deserved award from a company who have continued to deliver very impressive outcomes since 2020 when they last won an award.â€
Online promotion
This year, we ran 11 insert campaigns in magazines such as Amnesty International, New Humanist, New Internationalist, Plant Life, Soil Association and Clean Slate. These featured the story of Alice Kouassi Aya, a cocoa farmer in Côte d'Ivoire and a member of ECOOKIM, a Fairtrade certified co-operative that helps to ensure women are paid fairly. In September, during Fairtrade Fortnight, we commissioned a cover wrap with The Big Issue magazine, which also shared the story of Alice.
We strengthened our digital marketing presence through advertising across media, channels including The Ecologist, The Independent, The Guardian, New Internationalist, The Big Issue, Co-op, The Walk, The Canary, Red Pepper and BMJ (British Medical Journal) and Positive News.
Publications and Engagement
Every year, we produce an Annual Review for both the Society and Foundation and include a summary within the winter issue of Quarterly Return (QR). For younger investors (under the age of 12), we produce a ‘Little Book of Fairness’. This year’s edition focused on chillies from Rwanda (pictured above).
The ability to apply for a Share Account online remains key to attracting new members, with most Share Accounts opening with an average initial investment of £1,116, gradually increasing over time. We refreshed our Member Portal this year and our website continues to evolve. Over the year, our website welcomed 11,837 visitors, an increase of 25%.
The website’s ²ú±ô´Ç²µÌýremains a key hub for sharing unique stories, ranging from ethical gifting guides to agri-sector news.
We increased our social media channels from seven to ten, with the Society now present on and and the Foundation now active on .
Click here to read the full Social Accounts document.