Local currency programs and gift certificates make wonderful employee recognition gifts but the opportunities extend past large companies with big budgets. Schools prosper too from giving the gift of local.
Reward our Educators
Whether it’s a personal gift from a thankful family to a favorite teacher or a local best teacher competition, rewarding educators through local gift certificates is a great way to tie two very important parts of the community together — education and business. Plus a local gift certificate offers more flexibility over how it is spent. The teacher can purchase items, services, even lunch. Very few gift cards offer that sort of choice.
Teach the Value of Local
The next time your school offers an award for students or educators, consider purchasing local gift certificates as the prize. It will teach students a valuable lesson about the local economy and may make future local shoppers out of them. Students will also feel a greater sense of community and appreciate the care local businesses give to each customer. These businesses are generally experts in their area and enjoy passing on their knowledge to the next generation.
Cultivate a Relationship
There is a tight relationship between local business and the education in a community. If schools aren’t creating enough skilled workers, business will not thrive. That’s why getting heads of business and schools to work together is essential to growth.
How does a gift card do that?
It’s a matter of placing faces to the relationships. Schools use products. Some they must create an RFP for, others they may choose on their own (like pizza for a pizza party). Educating schools on the importance of using local businesses to service their needs will improve relationships with the local merchants, many of whom probably have children in the schools anyway. Gift certificates can be issued to the schools to ensure they buy local instead of calling up the first large box store that comes to mind.
More school support for local business means there will be more businesses to employ students upon graduation. A local currency program cements this very important relationship.
Image via Flickr by Pedro Vezini
