Imagine for a moment that I came to you and said, "Here's what I want you to do. Devise a system that promotes local consumer spending, raises awareness of local businesses and helps increase their revenues while simultaneously driving funds to charitable organizations, non-for-profits and community schools. Oh yeah, make sure its easy for everyone involved." Wow, that's a tall order. So, how would you do it?
Before you think about it too much I should mention that it's already been done. That's right, it's been implemented successfully in Boston, Massachusetts in partnership with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and it's next stop is the Puget Sound area. It's called The Puget Sound Community Change Program (PSCCP) and needless to say, everyone here at Gravity Payments is excited about it!
What it is
Engineered by Interra, a forward thinking Seattle-based non-profit, PSCCP is a loyalty card program whose mission is to help shift dollars to the common good by generating cash rewards for consumers and the local community.
How it works
Every time a program member uses the Community Change Card at a participating merchant, a percentage of that purchase goes to the customer as a cash reward and a percentage is donated to a community-based school or non-profit. The cards are simply swiped through your existing credit card machine and the data is processed by participating merchant service providers like Gravity Payments. It's easy as pie for you, your customers and it benefits the community you share in common.
The award winning Boston pilot has shown that participating businesses have experienced an increase in their customer base, an increase in their average ticket size and a boost in overall revenue.
How to get started
This exciting program is set to be launched this October in conjunction with the important Green October events around the Seattle area.
Last week Interra announced a partnership with King-FM that will aid Interra to reach its goal of signing on 3,000 businesses within five years. King-FM and Interra will focus on businesses that are commitedd to social and environmental responsibility and that operate in ways that help to solve our most pressing current-day issues. Participating merchants in the program will receive extensive exposure to over 220,000 weekly King-FM listeners by signing up for a King-FM/Puget Sound Community Change promo package.
About Interra
Interra is a non-profit organization founded by Dee Hock, founder of VISA international, Greg Steltenpohl, founder of the Odwalla Juice Company, and Executive Director Jon Ramer, founder of ELF Technologies and SmartChannels. Interra launched its pilot project, the Boston Community Change Program, last November in partnership with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Main Streets Organization.
For more information contact:
Jon Ramer
Interra Executive Director
jramer@interraproject.org or 206-526-2323
Brittany Jacobs
Interra Communications Director
bjacobs@interraproject.org or 206-526-2323
David Meissner
Gravity Payments Account Consultant
dmeissner@gravitypayments.com or 206-388-5914
