On Ecomodo people can create lending circles that use existing community connections to help feel more confident about who they are lending and borrowing with.

As a member of Ecomodo you can join lending circles that are already set-up or create your own and invite others to join you. You can belong to as many lending circles as you want to fit your life and the communities you hang out in.

Find a circle to join near you or create a circle for your ..

• street, village or town
• office or workplace
• school or PTA, college or university
• hobby or special interest group
• community centre, scout or guide group
• charity or faith centre
• transition town or local action group
• sports club or gym
• hospital or PCT
• local coffee shop or allotment
• even with fellow dog-walkers

.. and pool your resources for the common good.

There are 5 simple steps to creating a new circle on Ecomodo.

1 Create

From the circles tab on the homepage simply select “create a new circle”. Then decide on a name; enter a location and choose what type of circle you want.

You can choose from three types of circle ..

• Public circles are open for everyone to join. These are best for streets, villages and neighbourhoods and as the circle administrator you can check every now and then and turf out anyone who's not local.


• Public ( request to join ) circles are open for anyone to send a request to join. As the circle administrator you will recieve requests that you will need to accept before people can join. Public ( request to join ) are best for workplaces, schools or community groups where you wish to check who joins beforehand.


• Private ( by invitation only ) circles are closed and can only be joined by members who receive an invitation from the circle administrator. Private ( by invitation only ) circles are best for local schools, businesses or organisations who just wish to share items between themselves.

2 Check

Just in case we'll look for circles in your area with a similar name and if we find some you may decide to join one of those or you can continue to create your own.

3 Invite

Invite your friends, colleagues, neighbours and anyone else you would like to join you.

4 Personalise & set the rules

Now your circle is created you can personalise it. You can add an icon, description, URL and choose to promote a good cause for your members to donate to. Also you can set your circle rules. All items you already have to lend will be automatically pooled into your new circle.

5 Add items to lend & promote

Adding items is FREE and it's the best way to inspire others to join. You can add any type of household goods, your skills or time as well as spaces you may have available and if you're not sure what to lend, get inspired

Once you have a few items in your circle, advertise it by using our built-it poster or leaflet maker. Print posters for a notice board or leaflets to distribute down your street, at your club or from your local coffee shop. Or simply copy the URL from the promote your circle page and send it via e-mail or post it on the web.