Help / FAQ
What is Local Bounty?
Local bounty is a non-profit organization started in 2009 by members of the State College, PA Community. Just like the tastiest vegetables, we're home-grown! Local Bounty's mission is to empower communities to find locally-produced goods and foods, to share their experiences, and to grow their local economies. LocalBounty.org offers users the chance to find local sources of goods of all kinds, from apples to art, pets to pumpkins. Users enter information about local producers and have the chance to write reviews and rate the businesses.
Why buy local goods?
When you buy goods from local vendors, you keep the money circulating in your community, improving the quality of life for everyone. Local foods are fresher and tastier. Items that are local often have a smaller carbon footprint, and buying them often involves dealing directly with their producers. And who better to ask about the quality of a product than the person who created it?
What do you mean by "local"?
This is another one that is up to our users. Barbara Kingsolver defines it as within a 100-mile radius. Others would define it as within their county, or between work and home, or on the local public transportation route. We've included the "Map" feature to help you understand where each producer is located. For the most part, if a member of your community has included the producer, then that's ok by us, unless we get other site users raising a ruckus about it.
How do I get Local Bounty in my community?
Contact us HERE and let us know where you are, and why you think Local Bounty would be good for your community. Please let us know how to contact you regarding bringing Local Bounty to your community.
Why should I log-in?
We know, every website wants your information these days. Local Bounty will not contact you unless you say it's ok, and we will NEVER share your information with others. Logging in to Local Bounty allows you to create a user name and password so that you can review and rate businesses on the site. When you log in for the first time, we'll give you the opportunity to sign up for email alerts from Local Bounty concerning local news, new offerings to the website, and invitations to Local Bounty Community gatherings.
If you choose not to log in, you may give an overall rating to a producer, but not detailed reviews or ratings. You will also be able to read reviews and ratings from others.
I posted an entry. Why don't I see it immediately?
All posts to localbounty.org are read by a moderator before being posted on the site. Hopefully your new posts will appear within hours, or 24 hours at most. We're not trying to censor you, just making sure you're not cussing or being otherwise egregiously inappropriate. We're a friendly site, folks, let's keep it clean.
Why is my donation not yet tax deductible?
Local Bounty has been approved as a non-profit organization but is in the lengthy and costly process of applying for 501 (c) (3) status which would give us the ability to accept tax free donations. We hope that by the time you file your 2009 taxes, we will have this status, but cannot guarantee this. Please show your support for Local Bounty by making a donation and help us become a tax exempt organization so that we can continue to offer this free service to the public.
I am an Artisan, a Grower or a local business: how can Local Bounty help me?
Local Bounty attracts customers to your business, or businesses carrying your products, by listing your information on the site. Users can write reviews of your products and rate them according to Quality, Value, Customer Service, and Overall rating. You can use Local Bounty to get feedback directly from customers and improve products and services to boost your profits. Local Bounty offers business members the opportunity to be notified whenever their listing is reviewed or rated.
I own a local restaurant, and we serve locally-produced goods: How can Local Bounty help me?
Local Bounty lists producers of local goods, but also serves businesses who carry their goods. Your listing on Local Bounty should indicate which local producers you have partnered with in the description of your restaurant.
How can I help Local Bounty?
We're glad you asked! As a non-profit organization, we rely on community support, both financial and otherwise, to survive and to grow. We invite help of all kinds, and are grateful for all the support our community provides us. Below is a short list of ways you can help, but we're open to ideas! Contact us at volunteer@localbounty.org to offer support of any kind.
Tell people about us! Word of mouth is the most effective way to help our cause gain momentum.
Provide your customers with Local Bounty pamphlets or business cards, or post our flyers in your window or on your bulletin board.
Volunteer: your time is precious to you, and we promise not to waste it. At times we need extra hands to distribute materials, put together mailings, or to provide us with feedback on our services (the fancy term is "market research", but it's really just your honest opinions we need).
Donate! We are a non-profit organization wholly reliant on the support of the communities we serve. Click HERE to donate now.
Use the site. Review and rate the vendors you know and use at localbounty.org.
When you purchase from a vendor on our site, let them know you read about them at localbounty.org. Spread the word!
The more people who rate and review on the site, and the more vendors we have listed, the better our site will be! Ratings and listings will be more accurate, and the site will be more useful to folks just starting to get into local living. The easier we can make it for people to go local, the more money will be spent in our community, the more our producers and artisans can grow, the better their products will be, the better our community will be...
