Rise with Us - How to sign up & Frequently Asked Questions
As announced on Monday 17th July, Dorking Wanderers have proudly launched its ‘Rise with Us’ fan ownership campaign to raise funds to help the club continue its remarkable, record-breaking rise.
Working with crowdfunding experts Seedrs, the club are offering fans a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy shares in the club and become a part owner.
Already over 1500 of you have pre-registered your interest, with many more going to the next stage and setting up a Seedrs account, which you will need to do to be able to buy your share of the club when the ownership scheme opens.
To make it easier, we have laid out below a step-by-step guide below on how to register your interest and also how to create a Seedrs account with links to further guidance.
We have also included some FAQs that we hope will answer many of your questions.
Pre-Registration
1. Follow the link to our pre-registration page www.seedrs.com/dwfc/coming-soon.
2. Click the ‘Get priority access’ button on the pre-registration page.
3. Fill out the simple form, including your name, email and select the amount you are thinking of investing, and then hit submit.
Creating a Seedrs Account
4. Once you’ve submitted your pre-registration, you will receive an email from Seedrs asking you to fully register an account (please note, it’s important you complete this process as if you haven’t registered for a Seedrs account then you won’t be able buy shares when the ownership scheme begins).
5. To register you will need to provide:
- Your personal details.
- It’s a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requirement that you take a test confirming you understand the risks of investing. We advise reading the information here: https://www.seedrs.com/pages/risk-warnings before taking the test.
- Verify your identity.
Neither pre-registering or creating a Seedrs account will commit you to anything and there’s no cost involved.
Time to Invest
6. Once you’ve received confirmation that you’ve set up your Seedrs account, you’re ready to invest.
7. We will then notify you as soon as the ownership scheme begins and what to do, currently scheduled for the 31st July 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is crowdfunding?
A: Quite simply, it is a way of funding a project or venture by raising money from a range of people who each contribute. It’s fundraising that doesn’t come from banks.
Q: Why are we doing it?
A: Dorking Wanderers intend to secure its legacy as one of the most successful clubs in English history, by adding further promotions to its record-breaking 12 in 23 seasons.
To support our plans and ambitions Dorking Wanderers is looking to raise funds to make several commercial development enhancements that will provide the club with a sustainable income to support growth, and transition to the level required to consistently compete for promotion.
These enhancements include the development of our academy and community playing facilities, and stadium developments that will support greater commercial revenue generation opportunities that are essential to qualitative match-day experience, to generate a bigger playing budget and transition to a full-time professional set-up with a competitive playing budget. We are also looking to establish a sustainable cash generative P&L that can be leveraged to support further infrastructure and strategic projects in the future.
Q: How does crowdfunding work?
A: You simply open an account with our partners, Seedrs, which is free and easy to do. You then invest as much as you want to buy shares in our club and become an owner of Dorking Wanderers FC Ltd.
Q: How many shares are for sale?
A: We’re making available up to a third in equity of Dorking Wanderers FC Ltd.
Q: What’s the minimum and the maximum I can invest?
A: The minimum investment will be less than the price of a season ticket and there will be a range of packages available, with accompanying benefits and incentives, to suit all.
Q: How much do we need to raise?
A: Ideally we would like to raise a minimum of £2m to cover all the commercial infrastructure developments that we are planning for.
Q: Who are Seedrs?
A: They are one of the UK’s most successful and respected crowdfunding platforms, recently surpassing over 2,000 successful raises. They were also the first company of its kind to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Q: When will I be able to buy the shares?
A: Following the current pre-registration phase, investment will open privately to everyone that has registered during this phase, currently scheduled for the 31st July 2023. This will run for a week before being launched publicly, however the public launch will not take place if the target is achieved in the private phase.
Q: Do I get anything in addition to buying the shares?
A: Absolutely, yes – there are varying rewards and exciting incentives, including one-off opportunities, depending on your level of investment in shares. These will be announced and launched in full once the ownership scheme opens on 31st July 2023.
Q: How old do you need to be to buy shares?
A: Only individuals aged 18 and above can purchase shares.
Q: Can I buy shares for my children?
A: Yes. Accounts can be created on behalf of children. This will involve the parent legally making the investment decisions and being the beneficial owner of the shares on behalf of the child until they turn 18, at which time we can change the account.
Q: Could someone buy the entire club?
A: No. This raise is limited to a maximum of 30% equity in the club, meaning Marc White will continue to be the majority shareholder.
Q: I live in the US and would like to buy shares in Dorking Wanderers
A: Unfortunately, due to regulatory restrictions Seedrs cannot accept investments from the United States through the nominee structure. However, Dorking Wanderers are open to discussing potential investments from the US directly if it meets a certain threshold. Please email info@dorkingwanderers.com
Q: What happens if Seedrs gets taken over, or struggles to survive themselves?
A: Your stake remains safe. Whether you have one share or hundreds of them, they stay your legal property. As an FCA-regulated company, Seedrs has processes in place to protect your shareholding.
Q: So what do I do now?
A: The crowdfunding project is currently scheduled to be launched publicly on 7th August 2023. Before then there will be an exclusive week when it’s available for anyone who registers during the pre-registration phase. To be a part of the exclusive private launch stage on 31stJuly 2023, pre-register now at www.seedrs.com/dwfc/coming-soon
PLEASE NOTE: Pre-registering won’t commit you to anything and there’s no cost involved.