Presentation for Heritage CorridorJamee Haley – Nov 15, 2011

Why Every Community Needs a

BUY LOCAL CAMPAIGN

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IntroductionJamee Haley-Executive Director, Lowcountry Local First – Charleston SC-All around awesome person-Insert more text here

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AGENDA: Buy Local in YOUR Community

Collectively, our choices have great power

WHY?WHY? LOWCOUNTRYLOWCOUNTRYLOCAL FIRSTLOCAL FIRST

HOW TO HOW TO IMPLEMENTIMPLEMENT

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Why Buy Local?

Lots of good reasons to do so

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When we choose to buy local, the money is

Re-spent in our local system

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Cultivate Local Prosperity

Real Prosperity is…Knowing the farmer who growsgrows your food, the family who ownsowns the hardware store & the banker who investsinvests in our dreams and future.

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Cultivate Local Prosperity

Real Prosperity is…Keeping more of our hard earned dollars in our local economies

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Cultivate Local Prosperity

Real Prosperity is…Job growth, opportunity & innovation

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Cultivate Local Prosperity

Real Prosperity is…Investing in our schools, parks and playgrounds

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Cultivate Local Prosperity

Real Prosperity is…Protecting the natural resources that make it all possible

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Cultivate Local Prosperity

10% Shift of local spendingCreate 12,000 new jobs$1 Billion in new economic activity$375 Million in new wages

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Buying local cultivates prosperity Buying local

keeps your community unique

Why buy local?

Every community needs a buy local campaign

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Case Study: Buy Local Campaign in Action

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History

Lowcountry Local First is an alliance committed to educating and encouraging the public to invest in their local economy with their dollars, their voices, their votes and their hearts.A Charleston, South Carolina-based 501c3 non-profit

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Connected Nationally

BALLE - North America's fastest growing network of socially responsible businesses Comprised of over 80 community networks in 30

U.S. states & Canadian provinces Representing 22,000+ independent business

members

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Where we are today

BUY LOCAL - Grassroots movementEducationRelationship building Promotes the many benefits that come from

choosing to buy from local, independent businesses & farmers

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Where we are today

EAT LOCAL – Sustainable agricultural initiative designed to grow & support local food systems by connecting local farms, producers, and apprentices to the local restaurants, institutions, & people with a hunger for farm fresh food and goods. Education Outreach Apprentice programs

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Where we are today

Membership

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a WAY OF LIFE that celebrates & supports what we love most: the LOCAL, independent BUSINESSES & FARMERS who reflect the unique character, flavor, & culture of the place we call HOME

Lowcountry Local First

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How to implement

It’s easier then you think

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Assess Your Community and Yourself – what type of network is needed?Don’t recreate the wheel

Step1

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Find the right championsMake a list of all the local independent business owners that

you know who meet this criteria: respected by others & the community at large values align with your vision “can do” positive attitude

Meet with them & talk about what other networks like LLF are doing, gage interest in creating a community business network that would:

learn from each other & do business together provides education & new ideas that would keep them at the

forefront of the move toward sustainability and the future of business

is effective at swaying public purchasing behavior toward these locally owned businesses that are committed to innovating and stewarding your community

Step2

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Decide What, Where & WhoDecide on geographic scope &

membership criteria

Step3

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Create a steering committee and action teams

Step4

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Draft mission, vision and membership benefits

Step5

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Build a work plan that can deliver early wins. It should support

businesses in stewardship community and the community in buying local first.

Step6

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Add a Little Organizational Structure

Step7

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Identify your opportunities Then draft a budget and fund-raising plan that

corresponds with your plans.

Step8

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Launch! Host a coming out event…and recruit members

Step9

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Create a Local Campaign in Your Community

Stay fresh, energetic and don’t let the momentum slow

Step10

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10% SHIFT VIDEO http://www.vimeo.com/5388323

Create => Implement => Prosper

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