The Local Crowd (TLC) Monadnock, a community-based crowdfunding program serving the entire Monadnock Region and state of New Hampshire, invites emerging and established social enterprises to submit project proposals. For this proposal cycle, TLC Monadnock seeks projects focusing on affordable housing, farms & food or living wage jobs & equity. While all for-profits, non-profits and community initiatives are welcome to apply, projects addressing these community needs will receive extra campaign support and resources -- beyond what is currently provided to all TLC Monadnock campaigns. All crowdfunding campaign teams receive hands-on technical assistance to help them launch a successful crowdfunding campaign. Campaign teams also receive a free crowdfunding assessment to ensure that they receive the coaching and training that best fits each team's needs. In addition, TLC Monadnock will award one proposal a free video, produced by 710 Main Films, to support their crowdfunding campaign. Studies show that crowdfunding campaigns with videos raise four times more funds than campaigns without videos. TLC Monadnock will select up to six social enterprises to participate in this crowdfunding cohort, based on the potential of each project to positively impact their local economy and community. Accepted proposals will launch their campaigns in winter or early spring. This request for proposals is available online at tlcmonadnock.com/rfp. All proposals are due before 5:00 p.m. on January 17, 2020. Crowdfunding is the process in which an entrepreneur, business, or organization asks a large number of people (usually through the Internet) to contribute a certain amount of money for a specific project. By leveraging the power of crowdfunding, TLC Monadnock's fundraising platform offers an innovative way for community members to support the projects they care about. For more information, visit tlcmonadnock.com or contact Jen Risley at 603-283-5401. TLC Monadnock is one of five communities participating in a research project with the National Science Foundation and The Local Crowd designed to uncover the best ways to support social enterprises -- mission-driven organizations that use business principles to make the world a better place. Locally, this program is hosted by Monadnock Food Co-op and managed by a team of volunteer community economic development leaders and business advisors. Program partners include New Hampshire Small Business Development Center, Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce and Monadnock Economic Development Corporation.
The Local Crowd Monadnock is a community-based crowdfunding program helping start-up ventures, early-growth stage companies and community-focused projects find access to capital. Since TLC Monadnock launched in March 2017, eighteen crowdfunding campaigns have collectively raised over $120,000 from 900 supporters.
This year’s Plaid Friday, Cider Monday and Shop Indie Local events are truly community-funded, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign on The Local Crowd Monadnock! Forty-five supporters contributed $5,039 to help us spread the word and inspire more people to join our movement. Together, we're generating ripple effects that create new jobs, charitable contributions and community prosperity.
Wear plaid on Plaid Friday to show your support for our local economy and commitment to buying local this holiday season. The day to wear plaid this year is Friday, November 29th.
Twenty-one locally owned businesses will serve as Plaid Friday Hubs this year. They pledge to photograph you decked out in plaid and answer questions about Plaid Friday. From Harrisville to Winchester, find a hub near you.
Manning Hill Farm in Winchester will offer a special photo-op: a photo of you in plaid with one of their cows also decked out in Plaid. Stop by the farm from Noon to 4 p.m. Enjoy complimentary hot chocolate made with their own chocolate milk and get 15% off purchases at their farm shop. View more Plaid Friday specials.
Wearing plaid in Keene on Plaid Friday? The Luxury Box Photo Booth will take photos at Ted's Shoe & Sport in Keene from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Elm City Brewing Company in Keene from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Plan on wearing plaid in Peterborough? Be sure to get your photo taken with local photographer Kim Peck in front of The Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
We will add these photos to our annual collage, celebrating all who wore plaid and showed their support for locally owned businesses and our local economy. Stay tuned for these photos on Facebook.
Instead of Cyber Monday, a day when online merchants offer special deals, we invite you to Cider Monday. On December 2nd, stop in for a free cup of cider from participating Cider Monday businesses including The Toadstool Bookshops in Keene and Peterborough, Monadnock Food Co-op, Mon Amie Fine Jewelry, Savings Bank of Walpole and The Yoga Space. Learn more!
From your Thanksgiving meal to your New Year's Eve celebration, Shop Indie Local! On November 1, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) launched its Shop Indie Local holiday campaign, encouraging all of us to shift more of our holiday shopping, entertaining and dining to locally owned and independent businesses. This national movement empowers us all to support local job creation and economic growth through our holiday purchases at locally owned and independent businesses. Over 70 business organizations and networks throughout the United States support this campaign that continues through December.
Savings Bank of Walpole will host a long weekend of Shop Indie Local celebrations from Friday, November 29 to Tuesday, December 3. The bank will set up information tables at each of their branches with Plaid Friday swag to inspire more people to participate in this year's event. Community members are encouraged to wear plaid and stop by the bank's Marlboro Street branch to take a selfie in front of the bank's Plaid Friday backdrop. Savings Bank of Walpole will then share these photos on social media to further promote this event.
A big THANK YOU to this year's Plaid Friday, Cider Monday and Shop Indie Local sponsors: Beeze Tees Screen Printing, CC&D's Kitchen, Cheshire Horse, Creative Encounters, Cultural Cocoon, The Dragonfly Shop, Elm City Brewing Company, The Farm Café, Food Connects, Frogg Brewing, Hannah Grimes Marketplace, Joseph's Coat, Korvin Appliance, LuvINK&Paper, The Luxury Box Photo Booth, Mayfair Farm, Monadnock Food Co-op, One Stop Country Pet Supply, Peterborough Art Academy, Prime Roast Coffee, Savings Bank of Walpole, Ted's Shoe & Sport, Toadstool Bookshops in Keene and Peterborough, Tribals, Rugs by Hand and The Works Café.
Thanks to all who contribute to the success of Plaid Friday, Cider Monday and Shop Indie Local. See you this weekend!
Farmers’ Market of Keene: Monadnock Waldorf School, 98 S. Lincoln St. Every Saturday, November through December; 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. SNAP/EBT accepted. keenefarmersmarket@gmail.com, http://www.keenefarmersmarket.com/.
Peterborough Farmers’ Market: Peterborough Community Center, 25 Elm St., Weds. Oct.-Dec 20, 3– 6 p.m. Vegetables, flowers/plants, dairy, maple, baked goods, meat, crafts. 396-9136, peterboroughfarmersmarketnh@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/PeterboroughNHFarmersMarket.
Winchester Farmers’ Market on Main: Town Hall, 1 Richmond Rd., Sat., Nov. – May, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Vegetables, maple, baked goods, meat, jams/jellies, eggs, Vegan foods, fudge, hand made soap, crafts. Live music, holiday card and cookie decorating, visits with Santa and more. SNAP/EBT accepted. 239-6361, winchesterfarmersmarket@gmail.com, www.winchesterfarmersmarketnh.com.
View New Hampshire Winter Farmers’ Markets (2019/2020 Season)
From the NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food
**Please contact market to verify products available**
Here is a new must-do event for your holiday list! Monadnock Music has orchestrated a Holiday House Tour like no other. Visit beautifully decorated homes on Pine Street in Peterborough and enjoy Live Classical Music & Carolers, along with festive refreshments on Friday, December 6th From 5:30pm To 7:30pm. This event is a perfect way to kick off the Holiday Spirit and bring the whole family to partake the New England traditions.
Each home will be welcoming guests to view their traditional family holiday decorations, listen to live holiday classics played by the talented musicians of Monadnock Music and nibble on the festive hot drinks and cookies provided by each Host. Visitors can stroll to each house at their own pace, at their desired sequence, no need to follow a group! Cost for the House Tour, Musical Entertainment and Refreshments is $15 per person or $40 for a family (children 10 and under $5), Free to all Vets. Take a peak at the locations of the homes and the lovely refreshments listed below. There is plenty of street parking. Please contact Laina Barakat, Executive Director of Monadnock Music if you require assistance for physical challenges at info@monadnockmusic.org. Make your new Holiday tradition and purchase your tickets online. Greenwood Home — 34 Pine Street - Hot Mulled Wine, Punch & Shortbread Koch Home — 29 Pine Street - Hot Cider & Oatmeal Cookies Drogy Home — 27 Pine Street - Hot Coco & Chocolate Orange Cookies Ruland Home — 38 Pine Street - Hot Cranberry Cider & Snickerdoodles Monadnock Music is a Nonprofit Organization · Peterborough, New Hampshire. We are one of New England's most diverse and exciting summer classical music festivals, encompassing all sub-genres, styles, and periods. We provide quality, adventure, intimacy, and a welcoming atmosphere in beautiful settings.
You're invited! Independent businesses and community members in the Monadnock Region will celebrate Plaid Friday on the day after Thanksgiving. This year's event falls on Friday, November 29, 2019.
Individuals will wear plaid on Plaid Friday to show support for the local economy and their commitment to spending more of their dollars at locally owned businesses during the holiday season. Last year, nearly 400 community members pledged to participate in Plaid Friday.
RSVP today!
To amplify this year's event, Savings Bank of Walpole will host a Plaid Friday Week from Friday, November 29 to Tuesday, December 3. The bank will set up information tables at each of their branches with Plaid Friday swag to inspire more people to participate in this year's event. Community members are encouraged to wear plaid throughout this week and stop by the bank's Marlboro Street branch to take a selfie in front of the bank's Plaid Friday backdrop. Savings Bank of Walpole will then share these photos on social media to further promote this event. "With Savings Bank of Walpole (SBW) being the community's local bank, we want to show our support for our local businesses," said Danielle Ruffo, Savings Bank of Walpole's new Community Engagement Coordinator. "SBW serves many customers in our community -- and keeping your money local is what we are all about. Supporting Plaid Friday and the 'Shop Indie Local' movement is all part of helping our local community thrive and grow." Plaid Friday celebrates the diversity and creativity of local and independent businesses. It's a fun and festive alternative to the "Black Friday" consumer frenzy perpetuated by big box stores. This event originated in Oakland, CA with the intent to bring back the times when shopping for friends and family was a pleasurable and leisurely activity. A growing list of locally owned businesses will serve as Plaid Friday Hubs, photographing customers decked out in plaid and answering questions about this event. View a list of Plaid Friday Hubs. Local photographer Kim Peck will host a Plaid Friday Photo Booth outside of The Toadstool Bookshop at 12 Depot Square in Peterborough (times TBD). In Keene, Ted's Shoe & Sport at 115 Main Street will host a Plaid Friday Photo Booth inside his store with Luxury Box Photo Booth, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The photo booth will then move to Elm City Brewery at 222 West Street (times TBD). Photos will be added to a Plaid Friday collage, celebrating all who wore plaid: bit.ly/MBLplaidfriday. A number of participating businesses will offer specials to honor the day and thank community members for their support. View these specials. Plaid Friday is part of the "Shop Indie Local" movement growing throughout North America. From November 1 to December 31, Shop Indie Local encourages residents to choose local and independent businesses for more of their holiday purchases. The Monadnock Region's Plaid Friday event is sponsored by Beeze Tees Screen Printing, CC&D's Kitchen, Cheshire Horse, Creative Encounters, Cultural Cocoon, The Dragonfly Shop, Elm City Brewery, The Farm Cafe, Food Connects, Frogg Brewing, Hannah Grimes Marketplace, Joseph's Coat, Korvin Appliance, LuvINK&Paper, The Luxury Box Photo Booth, Marcia Kayser, Mayfair Farm, Monadnock Food Co-op, One Stop Country Pet Supply, Peterborough Art Academy, Prime Roast Coffee, Savings Bank of Walpole, Ted's Shoe & Sport, Toadstool Bookshops in Keene and Peterborough, Tribals - Rugs by Hand and The Works Cafe.
Shop Indie Local provides a gateway to resources from many community campaigns and includes easy-to-use graphics and activities that allow participating partners to spread the critical message easily where they live. Visit the site for information on the campaign, partnering organizations, special events, and stories from Granite State communities making the shift in 2019. Plaid Friday and Shift Your Shopping for the Holidays campaigns, in collaboration with national local economy leaders at The American Independent Business Alliance.
Originally posted in the Monadnock Shopper News
From your Thanksgiving meal to your New Year’s Eve celebration, are you ready to Shop Indie Local? On November 1, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) will launch its Shop Indie Local holiday campaign, encouraging all of us to shift more of our holiday shopping, entertaining and dining to locally owned and independent businesses. This national movement empowers us all to support local job creation and economic growth through our holiday purchases at locally owned and independent businesses. Over 50 business organizations and networks throughout the United States will kick off this collaborative campaign next week. The campaign continues through December.
When you spend your dollars at locally owned retail businesses in the Monadnock Region four times more money returns to our local economy compared to chain retailers. Spend a dollar at an independent business and 62 cents returns to our local economy, spend it at a chain store and only 13 cents returns.
The money that returns recirculates through our economy, generating ripple effects that create new jobs, charitable contributions and community prosperity. If everyone shifted just 10% of their purchases from national chains to locally owned retailers, we would return $27 million to our regional economy annually.
Here are five tips to boost your Shop Indie Local efforts:
Some independent businesses will serve as Plaid Friday Hubs. Hubs photograph customers decked out in plaid and answer questions about Plaid Friday and Monadnock Buy Local. In addition to hubs, some members will offer special events to thank you for stopping in. LuvInk&Paper in Keene will offer a Plaid Friday Holiday Card Buffet at their studio (103 Roxbury Street – Suite 306). Stay tuned for more!
Wearing plaid in Keene on Plaid Friday? Hop on into the Luxury Box Photo Booth at Ted’s Shoe & Sport at 115 Main Street in Keene on November 29th. Kim Peck will also set up a booth in Peterborough – stay tuned for the location. We will add all the photos taken to our annual collage, celebrating everyone who wore plaid to honor the day. Check out our gallery of over 400 photos from past Plaid Fridays at bit.ly/MBLplaidfriday.
Also, to amplify this year’s event, Savings Bank of Walpole will host a Plaid Friday Launch Party. We’ll post more details in early November.
That’s not a typo! Instead of Cyber Monday, a day when online merchants offer special deals, the Toadstool Bookshops invite you to a new tradition, CIDER Monday. On December 2nd, stop in for a free cup of cider and browse their amazing selection of books. In response to Cyber Monday, a day when online merchants offer deep discounts to divert your attention away from buying locally, Willard Williams of the Toadstool Bookshops dreamed up this new tradition.
“Customers are promised cider and smiling servers that will not crash,” said Willard. “As always, we’ll offer personal service, advice and the opportunity to touch and try items — with no logins or passwords necessary! Join us in taking a bite out of Cyber Monday.”
Discover more.
A big THANK YOU to this year’s Plaid Friday and Cider Monday sponsors: Cheshire Garden, The Cheshire Horse, The Dragonfly Shop, Frogg Brewing, Hannah Grimes Marketplace, LuvINK&Paper, Monadnock Food Co-op, Prime Roast Coffee, Savings Bank of Walpole, Ted’s Shoe & Sport, and The Yoga Space. Own an independent business? It’s not too late to jump in and participate. Contact us today at monadnockbuylocal@gmail.com.
Please join us and Shop Indie Local this holiday season. Together we’ll create a true holiday gift to our community — one that will keep on giving throughout the New Year.
We’ve built so much together, but there’s so much more to do to fan the positive ripple effect that happens when each of us shift our spending from big box stores and online giants to our friends and neighbors: independent business owners. Please help us continue the traditions that you helped build: Support our Plaid Friday, Cider Monday and More crowdfunding campaign on The Local Crowd Monadnock today!
Support our campaign
Every donation helps us spread the word about Plaid Friday and Cider Monday in our region. PLUS, we have some fabulous rewards to thank you for supporting our campaign:
View more rewards on the right side of our campaign page. Thanks so much for all you do to support our local economy – and please help spread the word about our campaign to your friends, family and neighbors.
The Local Crowd Monadnock (TLC Monadnock), a community-based crowdfunding program, launched two campaigns this month. One for Orchard Hill Breadworks in Alstead and the other for the Monadnock Energy Hub -- a regional network focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Learn more about these two campaigns and support them today. Whether you give $5 or $500, it all comes together to help make our community more local, green and fair!
The Orchard Hill Breadworks campaign is well on its way to meeting its fundraising goal of $12,750 to purchase a hand-built stone mill from New American Stone Mills in Elmore, Vermont. This Vermont-quarried granite mill will allow Orchard Hill Breadworks to bake with freshly milled whole grain flour. Stone milling flour, rather than roller milling (a method used in many large-scale flour operations) better preserves key nutrients and results in a better-for-you bread.
The bakery launched its campaign on September 3 with a Pizza Night Fundraiser that brought in nearly $4,000 -- enough for Orchard Hill Breadworks to put a down payment on the stone mill. As I write this article, their fundraising total surpassed $10,000. Just 20% more to go!
“In communities all across America, bakeries are introducing their customers to the increased nutritional value and flavor of baked goods made with freshly milled flour,” said Noah Elbers, owner of Orchard Hill Breadworks. “We hope to provide our community with a better tasting, more nutritious loaf while also bridging the gap between farmers and consumers.”
Visit the Orchard Hill Breadworks campaign page at http://c-fund.us/mqq. Give at certain levels and claim a great reward (or two) while they last. Rewards include a Whole Grain Loaf of the Month Club, Bread Making Workshop, Pizza Party and more. This crowdfunding campaign ends on October 3.
Fast Charge Monadnock aims to lower greenhouse gases and increase regional sustainable living by investing in electric vehicle infrastructure -- like charging stations. Support their effort to bring the first EV Fast Charger to the region, located at the Monadnock Food Co-op. An EV Fast Charger means a fully electric vehicle can recharge its batteries in 20-40 minutes (compared to 6+ hours on level 2 chargers available around Keene). This project will encourage more zero emission vehicles to use our roadways, reducing our regional greenhouse gas emissions and increasing our regional sustainability. “Electric vehicles sales are rising with new car announcements coming almost monthly; drive ranges are lengthening as battery prices drop and technology improves,” said Mary Ewell, Coordinator of Monadnock Energy Hub. “These aren’t just luxury vehicles either -- many are priced in line with new gasoline vehicles and highly economical when the federal tax credit and minimal maintenance costs are entered into the equation.”
Visit the Fast Charge Monadnock campaign page at http://c-fund.us/mne. This campaign also offers rewards for giving at certain levels such as gift cards from The Works Café and Monadnock Food Co-op. Their crowdfunding campaign ends on October 14.
Watch for more crowdfunding campaigns launching in October including a campaign from Mudita Massage & Wellness to support their Yoga for Addiction Recovery program and our own campaign to support this year’s Plaid Friday and Cider Monday campaigns. We’ll also announce projects coming later this fall focusing on affordable housing, sustainable agriculture and equity. Please stay tuned: tlcmonadnock.com.
TLC Monadnock is a community-based crowdfunding platform that empowers individuals to support the businesses, organizations and initiatives that grow wealthier and healthier communities in our region. Crowdfunding, or the practice of raising funds to support a project from a large number of people, is a viable alternative to recruiting businesses from outside the region to boost economic activity. TLC Monadnock is currently hosted by Monadnock Food Co-op and supported by the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, New Hampshire Small Business Development Center and Monadnock Economic Development Corporation. Have questions, please contact me at monadnockbuylocal@gmail.com or 603-499-7950.
Wow! We were so humbled by the incredible show of generosity that we witnessed this past week at Pizza Night. Our final pizza night of the year brought so many of our favorite people out, and we really felt the love. Thanks to all of your support, we raised nearly $4,000, enough to put the deposit down on our mill!
Here's a sketch-up of what it will look like:
Grain goes into the hopper at the top, is fed into the hole in the center of the stones, where it is ground into flour. So cool! We've gotten a few questions about what the mill can do, and I'd like to take a minute to answer them here. We are purchasing a mill with 26″ diameter stones. The stones are made with Vermont-quarried granite, and can mill 60-80 pounds of grain an hour. We use about 1000 lbs of whole grain flour every week at the bakery, meaning that this mill will be in fairly consistent use.
The miller is able to control how closely the stones are set together, which affects the coarseness of the grain: close-set stones mean fine grain, stones set further apart equal a coarser mill. This means we can make cracked grain as well flour. We currently use cracked rye in all of our naturally leavened bread and cracked oats in many of our multi-grain loaves.
Because heritage whole grains are much easier to come by than heritage flours, we will be able to experiment with other flours, such as millet, buckwheat, oat and more! Thanks for supporting us on our journey, and we hope you'll continue to follow along and share our project with others.
Launches September 14, 12 - 3 p.m. Drive Electric Event in Keene Fast Charge Monadnock aims to lower greenhouse gases and increase regional sustainable living by investing in electric vehicle infrastructure. Support their effort to bring the first EV fast charger to the region, located at the Monadnock Food Co-op. Gather to help kick-off their crowdfunding campaign and celebrate electric vehicles. Enjoy a meal from Street & Savory food truck, treats from Frisky Cow Gelato and music with Crazy Love. Take a ride or drive in an electric vehicle, learn how ownership is a joy, acceleration is instant, and maintenance is almost non-existent for an EV.
RSVP Today
The Local Crowd Monadnock - Keene, NH
