2012 GOALS AND OUTCOMES

Think Local First

Fluency – At all levels of the organization, we will develop fluency about this movement toward a local, living economy and the opportunities it offers for our communities. We will do this through a culture of continuous learning and sharing of ideas and participating and offering networking and education opportunities. At the neighborhood level, businesses are welcome to join us at our monthly Open House in various communities around the Seacoast to learn more about the role of locally owned, independent businesses in leading the way.

Awareness Campaigns – We’ll use media to help share the message of the 10% Shift all year round, with a special focus on Independence Week and Shift Your Shopping at the holidays (with fun events planned for Plaid Friday), and

Buy Local Program – We’ll offer consumers tools to identify and support the businesses that comprise our local, living economy. The Seacoast Local’s Guide (online and in print) helps you find products you’re looking for, and the Local Advo-Kit will help you talk to others about why this matters. For our members, we host quarterly mixers to build relationships among our Buy Local champions.  

Making the Connection Speaker Series – RiverRun Bookstore invites visionary leaders to our community to crack open the discussion of new ideas.

Business Innovation Workshops – We’ll help businesses align with the new economy for lasting prosperity.

BALLE, AMIBA, and NELBF – We connect with other movement builders in North America and New England to share best practices and generate new ideas

(H)EAT – Our members and their customers raise $30,000 for food and fuel assistance annually. We build relationships and expand our region’s social capital.

Membership – We’ll attract and retain members based on a desire to participate in our well-run programs that are creating transformational change in our community. We’ll encourage and induce relationships across the organization, and work to deliver consistent member value.

ReRootEd

Research and Market Development for our Local Food System working with businesses to increase access to local food production, processing, marketing and distribution through research, business support, technical assistance and fun events like Fishtival.

Local Food Network – We convene a dynamic network of more than a dozen local non-profits who are leading the way in building our local food system. At www.localfoodnetwork.org, the community can learn how to get involved.

Education – All of our local food projects work to connect the community with our mission, and promote education among chefs, farmers and fishermen.

Fundraising – At our Farm to Plate Barn farm dinners during the summer and All Local Restaurant Dinners during the winter, we raise money to support our work.

Community Capital

Shift Your Banking – We encourage the community to realign their deposits and borrowing with institutions that are rooted in our community.

Local Investing Network – We host an effective and sustainable network of investors, entrepreneurs and thought leaders who share and cultivate a local investment philosophy and strategy

Future Projects – Identify existing and emerging models to expand the variety and accessibility of tools that will allow us to better align our deposits and investments with our community
 

Local Economy Communities

Economic Development and Community Planning – We’ll work to bring the “economic gardening” model to our communities, to nourish businesses based here and reduce dollars flowing out of our communities.
 

Communication

We’ll create and use efficient and comprehensive reporting & conversing methods for board, staff and volunteers to ensure our vision and values shared and brought to life across the organization and we’ll expand communication between our members to help them better their business and their community. These community tools will include:

• Develop web site as an online learning center

• Offer an informative online newsletter and RSS feed

• Social Media to share new ideas and best practices

• A new video to tell our story

Technology

We’ll engage in continuous review of new opportunities that help us serve our mission more effectively and efficiently.

Governance

We’ll work to develop a board aligned with mission, vision, values and strategic plan, with a sound business strategy to ensure a solid foundation for our work. We’ll introduce dynamic governance to our work to ensure flexibility and innovation while we’re meeting best practices.

Development

For the first time, we’ll be asking for direct support from the community this year, in the form of sponsorships, fundraisers, grants, donations, and program fees. Our goal is to leverage that investment into a community return that will benefit us all, in a largely egalitarian way. As an established organization with a track record of network-based leadership, we are uniquely suited to bring local, living economy solutions to our communities to make the most of the transition required by the challenges of the coming century.