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 should I become a Local Bounty Community Member?
Local Bounty is a non-profit community-led organization, and as such, we count on the financial support of our members to survive and grow. We will NEVER charge a producer to be listed on our site, nor will we charge a usage fee. There are 2 levels of Community Membership in Local Bounty:
Willow Membership: For your yearly gift of $25 or more, we'll thank you with the following gifts:
- Monthly Newsletter containing articles, recipes, and more
- Invitations to Membership meetings, where you can meet and network with other members, both businesses and community members
- the satisfaction of knowing that your support helps local businesses thrive in your community
Maple Membership: For your yearly gift of $50 or more, we'll thank you with the following gifts:
- all the benefits of the Willow Members, PLUS
- a Local Bounty Market Tote to carry home all your locally-produced goods
- Emails of monthly specials from local producers, available ONLY to Maple members!
- Our eternal thanks and appreciation, paired with the warm feeling inside that comes from supporting your community
Click HERE to become a Member now!
Why should I become a Local Bounty Business Member?
Local Bounty is a non-profit community-led organization, and as such, we count on the financial support of our members to survive. We will NEVER charge a producer to be listed on our site, nor will we charge a usage fee. Business memberships are for growers, artisans, and the local businesses who support them and sell their goods. Your listing on Local Bounty will indicate that your business is a contributing member. There are 3 levels of Business Membership in Local Bounty:
Marigold Level: In thanks for your yearly contribution of $80 or more, we will thank you with the following:
- a monthly emailed newsletter containing articles, news, recipes, and more
- the power and opportunity to add detail to your listing on LocalBounty.org to reflect current product availability
- Local Businesses who sell or serve local goods have the opportunity to have their business listed and linked with the producers they support. This is the ONLY way for these businesses to be listed on LocalBounty.org!
- Invitations to Members Meetings, where you can meet and network with other members
- the satisfaction of knowing that our support helps local businesses and producers thrive in your community
Tulip Level: For your yearly pledge of $115 or more, we will thank you with the following gifts:
- all the benefits of marigold members, PLUS
- a Local Bounty gift each year (this year, it's our Market Tote)
- The option to send special offers or coupons to Local Bounty Community Members (no more than 1 per month, please), to help promote your business and boost sales
- Our eternal thanks and appreciation, and the warm feeling inside that can only come from supporting your community
Sunflower Level: With an annual pledge of $150 or more, we will show our thanks with the following:
- all the benefits of Marigold and Tulip members, PLUS
- an invitation to submit up to 3 articles per year for publication in our monthly newsletter, a great way to promote your business while educating the community about what matters to local producers
- the option to have emails automatically sent to you when a new rating or review is added to your listing, or when your listing is changed
- A special place in our hearts forever
Click HERE to become a Member now!
Why is my donation or membership 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 or considering a membership 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: 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. If you are a member, you can add detail to your listing to further attract customers. The businesses who carry your products can link to their sites by becoming members themselves!
Your listing on Local Bounty will indicate that your business is a contributing member.
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.
Artisans who become members are also able to send special offers to community members, and submit articles to our monthly newsletter. This will not only increase sales, but educate your community about what matters to you.
If you choose to become a Business Member of Local Bounty, you will get even more benefits! Click HERE for details.
I am a grower: 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. If you are a member, you can add detail to your listing to further attract customers. This detailed listing can be updated as often as you want, to let customers know what is fresh or new. The restaurants who serve your products can link to their sites by becoming members themselves!
Your listing on Local Bounty will indicate that your business is a contributing member.
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.
Growers who are members are also able to send special offers to community members, and submit articles to our monthly newsletter. This will not only increase sales, but also educate your community about issues that are important to you.
If you choose to become a Business Member of Local Bounty, you will get even more benefits! Click HERE for details.
I own a local business, and we carry locally-produced goods: How can Local Bounty help me?
Local Bounty lists producers of local goods, but also serves businesses who carry their goods when those businesses become members.
Your listing on Local Bounty will indicate that your business is a contributing member.
Members who are retailers can be listed as "where to buy" their producer's goods, and link to their own site or map. When you are a member, you can provide us with a list of your producers, and we will encourage them to become listed. This will attract more traffic to your store! Members can also send special offers to community members of Local Bounty, driving sales even more.
If you are a Local Bounty member, you can also meet and mingle with other members at our Membership Meetings. Who knows, maybe your new best-selling producer will reach for the same muffin! Best of all, Member businesses can submit articles to our monthly newsletter, to promote business and to educate the community about what matters to you.
Local Bounty is a non-profit community-led organization, and as such, we count on the financial support of our members to survive. Business memberships are for growers, artisans, and the local businesses who support them.
Click HERE to become a Member now!
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 when those businesses become members. Your listing on Local Bounty will indicate that your restaurant is a contributing member.
Members who are restaurants can be listed as "where to buy" their producer's goods, and link to their own site or map. When you are a member, you can provide us with a list of your producers, and we will encourage them to become listed. This will attract more traffic to you! Members can also send special offers to community members of Local Bounty, driving sales even more.
If you are a Local Bounty member, you can also meet and mingle with other members at our Membership Meetings. Who knows, maybe your new best-selling producer will reach for the same muffin! Best of all, Member businesses can submit articles to our monthly newsletter, to promote business and to educate the community about what matters to you.
Local Bounty is a non-profit community-led organization, and as such, we count on the financial support of our members to survive. Business memberships are for growers, artisans, and the local businesses who support them.
Click HERE to become a Member now!
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.
Become a Member! Local Bounty offers memberships for Community members as well as for Businesses and Producers. Click HERE to learn more.
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).
Have a special talent or idea? Tell us about it, and we'll put it to work!
Carry around the LocalBounty market tote you receive with your membership. It's attractive, recycled, reusable, and helps get the word out about local living.
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...
