Join

Seacoast Local provides opportunities for people to connect, share ideas, and get involved in the movement. Become a Citizen Member or Business Member, attend an Event, start to Shift Your Shopping, or contact us to volunteer for one of our programs, campaigns and events.

Business Members - Join HERE

Citizen Members - Join HERE

About Us & Local First

A good community, as we know, insures itself by trust, by good faith and good will, by mutual help. A good community, in other words, is a good local economy.” – Wendell Berry, author, poet and farmer

Our Mission: Seacoast Local engages businesses and community leaders to build a more local, green and fair economy on the Seacoast.

Our Vision: We envision a region renowned for the wealth of its local, living economy, in which businesses built on sustainable practices are prospering and shaping a vibrant, healthy community for all. Read more here.

Our Work: This vision is best reached by a commitment to redirecting more money to local uses. Its success depends on local residents’ ability to take control of as many aspects of our daily lives as possible. Each time we do, we achieve a stronger, more sustainable outcome. The benefits are not only enormous, but they are largely egalitarian. Through our strategy of education, connections and market development, we work to see that every community member, each voter, is given the information they need to participate.

We’ve selected four areas to focus our energy and begin making an impact with the participation of our members, our neighbors and our public officials.

Seacoast Local provides opportunities for people to connect, share ideas, and get involved in the movement. Become a Community Member or Business Member, attend an Event, sign up for our newsletter, or contact us to volunteer for one of our Initiatives

Your Support: We are an educational non-profit organization, a registered 501(c)3. Our work is guided by our board, staff and community leaders, and supported with the help of membership, sponsorship, grants and donations. 

Why We Do This:  Over the last decade, we've come to believe the following:

  1. That the economic vitality of our region is dependent on the success of a large number of locally owned, independent businesses of all kinds. Research has shown that these business employ more people at better wages, and spend more of their earnings locally than their national counterparts, creating an "economic multiplier" of great benefit. (See Key Studies, see The Movement, see Ten Reasons)
  2. That our food sources need to be healthy, reliable, and accessible to all. We are dedicated to working with the many groups in the area that are invested in this idea, and to spreading this idea to the populace at all economic levels. (See Local Food Network)
  3. That in addition to providing for the health and well-being of its residents, our beautiful local environment also attracts visitors and investors from across the nation and the world. Maintaining the health of this environment is therefore important on multiple levels. (See Local, Living Economies)
  4. Likewise, research has shown that a vibrant arts and culture community not only contributes to the personal well-being to area residents, but is a major driver of the local economy and is a strong job creator. (See Key Studies, especially the Americans for the Arts study on Seacoast Arts & Culture Economy)
  5. We believe that while transforming individual behavior is crucial, we also need to transform our municipalities. The governments of our 24 area towns are struggling to do their best, but the momentum of decades-old ideas are often making their jobs more difficult, and that new solutions could be brought forward to level the playing field for smaller businesses, improve the environment without hurting the budget, and foster the creation of affordable housing that promotes diversity in our community. (See Local Economy Communities)
  6. Finally, we believe that when people become active participants in their own community--whether it is coaching little league, ushering at The Music Hall, or cleaning our beaches--they become ever greater stakeholders in the health of that community. It has been shown that cities with a high rate of volunteerism also have a high rate of voter turnout. It is part of our mission to give every individual the knowledge and tools they need to make a difference.

Our impact: Since 2006, Seacoast Local has been building the movement for a strong local economy here on the Seacoast. With the support of our members, board, staff and community leadership, we have been one of the leading organizations in the U.S. in promoting and building a strong local economy while engaging more conscious consumers and community-minded citizens. 

Business & Non-profit Members

Become a Business Member:  Members support our work, but also become engaged in helping educate ourselves, our employees, our customers on the value of shifting our resources to locally owned and indpendent businesses, and by publicly demonstrating our shared commitment to building a strong local economy.

Benefits: There are so many benefits that come with collaborating with like-minded businesses. Here some of the more accessible and valuable benefits for those who choose to become members to learn, connect, have fun and do good: 

  • Visibility in our annual Seacoast Local's Guide, with 12,000 copies distributed annually and online listings updated continuously.
  • Discounted rates for our educational workshops and fun events
  • Inclusion at our owner/manager mixers, neighborhood gatherings and other networking events
  • Access to thousands of supportive citizens through our online savings book
  • An annual Individual Membership to share with your staff for access to thousands of dollars of local independent business discounts.
  • Mentions in our email newsletter and our social media, from monthly Shift promotions to general conversations, when joining or renewing, when innovating, or when partnering with other members for the benefit of the community.
  • Use of our Buy Local decal and logo, identifying you as a leader in supporting our local economy, as well as educational posters and rack cards.

Pricing: Standard business membership is $13 per month, or $150 per year. Non-profit or Farm Membership is $7 per month or $75 per year. 

Sponsorship: Membership is included at many of our sponsorship levels. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

Join/Renew Your Membership:  Online or Contact us at [email protected] or 603-766-1775 to join or renew your membership.

Citizen Member

Declare yourself a localist! There are so many benefits to participating in our local economy. Our membership program for individuals thanks you for your participation and your support for our mission. With an Citizen Membership, you get:

  • access to an online savings book that will keep you connected to your local community with thousands of dollars in savings each month.
  • our monthly newsletter, keeping you in touch with our initiatives, events and other collaborative happenings.
  • discounted tickets to events like our Field & Spoon dinners and invitations to all our programs.

Join or renew your membership online or contact us at [email protected] or 603-766-1775.

 

Tags: 
None