Calgary Dollars Marketing Plan

Generously supported by the Calgary Foundation

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1: Program Overview Currency & Value Community Economic Development Business Development Being Local Sustainably Minded Vision & Values Internal & External Resources Competition & Global Comparisons Section 2: Target Market Branding Customer Profiles Section 3: Marketing Materials Print Website Mobile App Surveys Section 4: Promotional and Digital Strategy Customer Group: Advocate Customer Group: Mom-and-pop businesses Customer Group: Large Corporations Section 5: Value Propositions and Slogan, Message Main Message Sub-Value Proposition Messages Section 6: Budget Section 8: Endnotes Barriers to using C$ Evaluating Feedback Section 9: Summary of Recommendations Section 10: Appendices/References/Hashtagging

Section 1: Program Overview

WHAT IS CALGARY DOLLARS? Since 1972, Arusha, a non-profit organization, has worked to build communities that are more socially just, economically vibrant, and environmentally sustainable through various programs such as Calgary Dollars (C$). C$ is a complementary currency system that is local and has been bringing Calgarians together since 1995 to strengthen the local economy and build community. The organization believes that a community’s true wealth lies in the skills, talents and capabilities of its members, and that every single person has something of value to offer to their neighbours. C$ acts as a platform for locals to trade products and services that encourages neighbourly sentiment and enriches transactional experiences.

CURRENCY & VALUE A complementary currency does not replace the federal currency; it compliments it by supporting local resiliency and strengthening local business purchasing power. Some examples include: Timebank hours, barter exchange and scrip currency. Calgary Dollars is a scrip currency; it has a paper money system in note denominations of $1, $5, $10, $25, $50. The value of one Calgary Dollar equals one federal dollar.

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Calgary Dollars is a community economic development program that utilizes a complementary currency to strengthen participants’ ability to withstand social and economic crises, create a local system of exchange, and create a better sense of community. Participants earn both Calgary Dollars and the federal currency through online and print listings, marketing assistance and skills building, and by marketing goods and services at monthly Calgary Dollar Markets.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Calgary Dollars is also a development opportunity for businesses to engage in the ever-growing ‘green economy’, stimulate business growth, develop customer loyalty, and offer your network sustainably minded incentives and perks. From established store-front businesses, the City of Calgary, to social enterprise efforts and home-based businesses, Calgary Dollars offers a means for your business to complement your strategies to create more opportunities.

BEING LOCAL At the heart of Calgary Dollars is re-localization – the money you spend with Calgary Dollars stays with local businesses and stimulates the local economy, instead of the money leaving Calgary to other cities or countries. When we localize we refocus globalism to localism, minimizing global impacts in countries struggling to maintain their own local resources, and boosting local business support, which enhances neighbourhoods and communities to support each other.

SUSTAINABLY MINDED Calgary Dollars is committed to a socially just and environmentally sustainable world. By joining Calgary Dollars you invest in community prosperity by reducing waste and increasing jobs and skill training.

VISION AND VALUES

Calgarians are rich with skills and resources, we can help ourselves by helping our neighbours, businesses and the environment.

Use Calgary Dollars and earn digital rewards. You’ll feel good knowing that when you buy and sell in full or partial Calgary Dollars you’re generating more community, economic, and environmental benefits.

Calgary Dollars is both a digital and printed complementary currency and is a collaboration between individuals, local businesses, agencies and

government to create a richer city.

1. Keep your money in Calgary, and with your neighbourhood businesses, to build economic and social capital in the place you live.

2. Reduce carbon emissions by trading locally, reusing, and reducing transportation impacts.

3. Join an expanding Calgary network wanting to make a difference.

Organizational Resources

Internal resources: The majority of human resources are summer interns so it is important to note the turnover in staff every year will need to be considered when implementing the marketing plan. As such, in future years, it is suggested that interns be vetted partly based on their marketing abilities and interest in marketing as all of the positions are expected to post to social media for their program and engage in building brand awareness.

Current staff members and their roles are: ● Mina: summer resource worker: video editor, grants, ● Theresa: summer practicum C$ user support and events ● Hunter: summer C$ special events ● Natalie: summer C$ user support, affordable housing outreach. ● Sierra: C$ manager, ongoing ● Gerald: all programs ● Jared: C$ multicultural events, grants

External Resources: C$ relies on various grants and support from other organizations to operate its program. The grants and organizations include (further information can be found in the appendix):

● The Calgary Foundation

● City of Calgary ● FCSS

Competition & Global Comparisons

● Federal currency ● Barter networks: Sabretech, Barter Card, Exmerce ● Business associations: REAP business network, Chamber of Commerce ● Reward networks: customer loyalty cards, credit card rewards, ● Complementary currency: Saltspring Dollars, Cochrane Dollars, Bristol Pound, SPICE, Time Dollars, QOIN, Furrei Kippu, New Zealand social security currency, Alberta prosperity Certificate.

Section 2: Target Market C$ is a muti-facited marketplace that appeals to business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) which will require a different marketing strategy for each user group. However, the marketing plan intends to leverage each of the user groups to build up the marketplace through a co-marketing strategy that is facilitated by C$.

Branding

C$ has an opportunity to be known for community building and local business promotion. One user has described C$ as a “Kijiji where everyone knows everyone”. Instead of a faceless and meaningless exchange of goods and services, C$ seeks to be the platform that connects Calgarians through enriching transactions that benefits Calgary communities.

Users of C$ will be making a ‘support local’ statement of values. By opting into and exchanging goods and services using C$ it becomes a testament to the importance of supporting the local economy. C$ is a tribal mark for Calgarians. It signifies banding together the city of Calgary.

The colour scheme of the logo captures the colours typically associated with the city of Calgary which are red and black. These are the colours of Calgary’s major sports teams and red is the colour of the Peace Bridge and Calgary tower which are both significant Calgary landmarks. By using these colours it helps to support the image of ‘banding together Calgary communities’.

Master Logo with slogan:

Wordmark:

Customer Profiles

Primary Focus: The goal of each of the Primary Focus customer profiles is to create a micro-ecosystem of users that will have the most likely uptake and benefits from C$.

The Advocate

The advocate is a socially-minded person who cares deeply about poverty reduction and community relationship building. They aspire to be a part of systems and structural change that is transformative rather than charity. They are involved with community organizations either as board members, event organizers or sponsors, or work for the city as a community social worker that weaves together the fabric of society by creating bridges of communication and information sharing.

It is recommended that Calgary Dollars focus its attention on the Community Social Workers (CSW) in Calgary. This group aims to improve five key areas of community economic development (CED) within the city which are financial empowerment, employability, economic capacity, policy & systems, and local business & social enterprise. CSWs are actively looking for tools to enhance their abilities to meet these CED initiatives. They are a group with limited expertise in economic development and are eager to learn new ways to make big impact (link to CED initiatives: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B- XLW252ZxOBYmwtWG03R3hpSkxiUHVWT0hVYkJkYnN6QWcw)

CSWs day-to-day activities include meeting and engaging with small, locally-owned business owners, working with community associations and community centres to develop neighborhood programs, and hosting CED roundtables with neighborhood coordinators. For further information on CSW activities see here: https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/CNS/Pages/Strong- Neighbourhoods/Strong-Neighbourhoods.aspx

Locally-owned Independent Businesses

The mom-and-pop shops of Calgary are small, locally-owned independent businesses that believe in “business for good”. Its operations are not just about making a profit, it uses its business as a means for building community, arts, and culture. These businesses are challenged by the influx of big box stores and online retailers and therefore seek ways to showcase its uniqueness and community benefits. These businesses are socially- minded, innovative, and actively involved with the community either through volunteering or sponsoring community programs that focus on social empowerment.

Barriered End User

Barriered End Users are part of the Affordable Housing Programs that accept up to C$100 in rent. It therefore encourages these users to engage in volunteer work and share skills with neighbors as a way to earn C$ towards their rent. Supplementary rental income and meeting other basic needs such as food are the primary motivator for using complementary

currency. This user group will require extra attention from C$ to ensure the service is properly addressing this user groups needs.

Community-oriented End Users

Community-oriented end users are looking for interesting and unique products and services that are not readily available in big-box stores or online. The believe in supporting the local economy, connection to community, and economic empowerment. They want accessibility to resources and skill-building or they want to share their skills and resources with others. They are open to trying new ideas that will support their personal development and create new relationships. They seek a sense of belonging and are looking for a network that values social justice and learning with others. They are actively seeking enriching experiences from economic transactions.

Basic Needs Businesses

In helping to support the CSW, the other primary customer to focus on are small businesses that provide basic needs products and services. If the aim of C$ is to support vulnerable communities and provide economic resilience then it is important to support the businesses who also help to meet those objectives. These businesses would include hairdressing, childcare, small food joints, independent convenience stores that sell personal care goods such as toilet paper and toothpaste.

Corporations

Large corporations who seek unique ways to reward its employees. Managers who want to acknowledge employees with gifts and/or provide channels for its employees to get involved with the community either through volunteering or fundraising campaigns. It believes that by getting employees engaged in the community it helps to provide its workers with a greater sense of purpose and well-being. It is suggested that C$ consider reaching out to these large organizations to use C$ as a community engagement tool.

Section 3: Marketing Materials

Print marketing materials are currently provided in a variety of forms such as posters, store/window decals for businesses, buttons, magnets, business cards and t-shirts. Examples of marketing materials can be viewed in the appendix.

In addition to the currently used marketing materials, it is recommended that C$ create a marketing guidebook for new users that sign up to the platform. It should include a ‘how to’ guide for posting ads along with a link to the instructional video, sharing information on social media, a “top 10” FAQ list, and how to support the local economy through an easy-to-follow infographic, as described in the Promotions and Digital Strategy section for the Advocate.

The most important item to include in the guidebook is a list of action items that can get users to do specific tasks to help improve the marketplace. Examples of actions are:

● Share your C$ ad on social media channels - here’s how ... ● Tag C$ @CalgaryDollars with hashtag #belocalyyc when posting an item ● Post your ad on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace and add in the description “C$ accepted” and add C$ logo as an image - here’s where to get the C$ logo ● Like the C$ Facebook page and Follow C$ on Twitter and Instagram

Website

C$ has upgraded its website to reflect the new C$ logo and branding strategy. Although, there are further improvements to make the site easier

to navigate. After interviewing a few new users to the platform, it became evident that users are uncertain about how to post an ad on the site.

As such, C$ has created an instructional video which is only accessible after logging into the marketplace on the website. It is recommended that a link titled “Post an Ad” be added to the navigation bar on the main homepage that will take a user to a page dedicated to “how to post an ad” with the instructional video and written instructions. Furthermore, the video contains both instructions on how to post an ad and ends with information about how to earn C$. It is highly recommended that these two pieces of information be separated into its own video.

Another suggestion - alongside the video, it would be helpful to users to have a written outline of the process. Add screenshots of each of the different steps so people can easily refer to the pictures, instead of watching the video repeatedly. Ensure that there is also a printable pdf version of these steps. (They are here: https://listings.calgarydollars.ca:8443/#page-content!id=-6725517816836558342 (And we have this to send to users:) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a2GjZHSkop9i-viriRkSKf7b5x2_Ft-- 3bUUGgufIEw/edit

Additionally, the slide reel could highlight participating businesses that

accept C$ by showing the logos of those businesses so visitors of the site will immediately see some of the ways to use C$. Another slide reel could show the options for how to make C$. See examples below.

Furthermore, a ‘blog’ section is recommended as a place to share user stories. Social media posts can be expanded upon by linking to the blog on the website.

Mobile App

The majority of users are accessing C$ through a mobile device. As such, C$

recently launched it mobile application to make it easier for users to transact using C$. The app is still undergoing upgrades to make it more user friendly and the organization has been focusing its market research to better understand user experiences of the app to make improvements that are meaningful for the users.

Currently, the instructional video is not available on the app and it is recommended that either the video be added on the app or a link to the video be added.

Additionally, the ability to post an ad using the app is not available. A high priority recommendation is to add the ability to post an ad using the app.

Surveys

C$ sends out surveys as a method of getting feedback about its program and to give users another way to earn C$. People who complete the survey for the first time will receive C$15 and if they post five ads they will receive an additional C$5. This survey is funded by FCSS which requires some specific questions be asked within the survey that may not be in direct relation to C$ usage. Examples of these questions include “do you have someone who shows you love and affection?” and “do you have someone to turn to for suggestions about how to deal with a personal problem”.

Through market research, it has been discovered that the survey is both complex and lengthy which make it difficult for users with limited literacy and/or English fluency to comprehend the questions. Also, some of these questions have been reported to make people feel uncomfortable in answering. As such, a suggested improvement is to add a bold a disclaimer at the top of the survey indicating that people may answer all of the questions at their discretion. That way, if a question does make a person uncomfortable, they do not feel obligated to answer it in order to get the C$. Additionally, it may become necessary to work through the survey one- on-one with users of limited education or English as a second language.

Section 4: Promotions and Digital Strategy C$ is on several social media platforms - Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The program’s main hashtag is #BeLocalYYC and its social media handle is @calgarydollars.

A further recommendation to the program’s website is to add these social media links to the top of the page, as opposed to at the bottom of the page. When a user lands on the site, it should be easy to gather as much information as possible, instead of having to scroll through the site to find information.

Customer Group: Advocate

The advocate is the most important user group to focus a promotional strategy upon. As mentioned in the customer profile section, it is recommended that Calgary’s Community Social Workers (CSW) be the main group to promote C$ to. The CSW is actively working in Calgary communities to reduce poverty, increase local economic resilience, and build strong communities which are all in alignment with C$ initiatives and values. CSW’s act as conduits of bridging communities together as their main job is to support neighborhood business associations such as the BRZ and BIA’s, community centers, and facilitate the implementation of community events and projects.

After interviewing a CSW, it was discovered that social media is not a prevalent tool for sharing information amongst the group. This is because of limitations that are set by the city of Calgary’s social media protocols. Instead, email is the main source of communication and forwarding email newsletters that contain interesting information that could be useful for the group to better achieve their goals is a common practice.

As such, an email newsletter campaign is highly recommended. Some ideas for newsletters are:

Add an example of profiling a user of C$ that can be used for practicum students in the future

● On the last week of every month, a reminder should be sent out that C$ are accepted for partial rent for people living in affordable housing units that are partnered with C$. This is to align with the stress some tenants may feel at the end of the month trying to come up with rent for the following month. However, make note that there is a delay in processing C$ and may take till the following month to apply. ● Showcase users that are accepting C$ and share a story about this users community involvement. Provide tips on how other users can get more involved with their community using C$. ● Showcase how users are able to stretch their federal currency by using C$ and the benefits this has brought into this users life. Provide tips on how others can do the same by making suggestions and linking to posted ads that support the suggestion. For example, use your C$ to learn a new skill - then link to an ad that helps people learn that skill OR use C$ to pay for your groceries at these local grocers - then provide links to ad. ● Give tips and guidelines for how to create resilient local economies and give global examples. ● Provide regular updates on basic needs providers. Fully outline all of the ways a low-income person can use C$ to meet basic needs. Example, a CSW did not know that Fresh Routes accepts 100% C$ - now knowing that, it can be shared with the community as another way to meet basic needs. ● Create a pdf and link to a FAQ of the “Top 10” questions of how to use C$. This list should always be included as an attachment with every email so it is easily able to be downloaded and printed. Questions to consider including are: ○ Do you have to have an account to use C$? ○ How do you set up an account with C$?

○ How do I pay my neighbors with C$? ○ How do I pay my rent using C$? ○ How do I earn C$? ○ Where can I spend C$? ○ etc. Additionally, it has been mentioned that CSW’s are eager to support C$, however, there is a lack of confidence in sharing the information and getting users onboard. It has been suggested that having brochures or pamphlets that can be handed out may be an easier method of helping CSWs get users on board. The information within it needs to contain very concrete examples to help users understand the concept, so it is suggested that jargon and theoretical ideas be avoided and instead use a step-by-step outline of using C$ on a daily basis. An infographic can help to serve this purpose, see the example below.

Part of a CSWs job is to hand out flyers and go door-knocking to talk with neighborhood residents and businesses. So having these brochures about C$ would be a useful item to have on hand. In conjunction with the brochures it will also be useful to have periodic information sessions so CSWs can be trained on how to promote C$ and gain the confidence needed to talk about C$, as well as, use as a time to discuss some of the learning to help improve C$. It is important for C$ to work closely with the advocate to address their needs in order to best promote C$ in the community.

Furthermore, many CSWs use their personal Facebook accounts to share community information in

neighborhood Facebook groups. Encourage CSWs to get users to like the C$ Facebook page so they can easily receive updates and share C$ content with their personal connections. Another suggestion is to have C$ employees to personally join the various neighborhood Facebook groups to share and talk about C$ services being offered in specific communities.

By understanding the needs and designing solutions for CSWs, a similar framework can be used to create marketing material for subnetworks within the C$. Other advocate groups for consideration to create a subnetwork for are:

● Momentum/Thrive (https://momentum.org/) ● REAP Business Association (https://www.belocal.org/) ● Other BIAs similar to Victoria Park

Customer Group: Locally-owned small businesses

Promotions should focus on collaborative marketing strategies. C$ has users in a variety of industries each with its own large following. It will be important for C$ to leverage these connections by highlighting the affiliation the users have to C$ and showcasing these users acceptance of C$ for their goods and services. It is recommended that C$ highlight these businesses on the front page of its website and app, and frequently engage with these users on social media. An example outline of how to highlight businesses on the marketplace front page is shown below.

Furthermore, a suggested line item for posting an ad is the option to add a website link in the category details of the ad (done). This will allow users to easily find out more information about the poster.

Additionally, the mom-and-pop shops seek to collaborate and co-market with other mom-and-pop shops and various organizations as a means of building community and economic resiliency. These shops view C$ as another marketing channel to create consumer awareness. In this case, it is recommended that C$ position itself as a marketing tool and brand itself as a marketing platform for local businesses.

● Recommended mom-and-pop businesses to approach due to their committed values of building community and/or economic resiliency: ○ Eleven Eleven food truck (https://www.eleven-eleven.ca/visit) ○ Fiasco Gelato (https://www.fiascogelato.ca/) ○ Work Nicer (https://www.worknicer.com/) ○ SPUD.ca/Blush Lane (http://spud.ca/, https://www.blushlane.com/) ○ The Commons (http://www.thecommonscalgary.com) ○ CMNGD Linens (https://cmngd.com) ○ Independent thrift stores ● Focus special attention on small businesses surrounding affordable housing areas that accept C$ ● Recommended organizations to collaborate with because of their

connections with the community: ○ Startup Calgary (https://www.startupcalgary.ca/) ○ Date Nite YYC (https://www.itsdatenight.com) ○ Made in YYC (http://www.madeinyyc.com/) ○ Market Collective (http://marketcollective.ca/) ○ Trico Charitable Foundation (https://tricofoundation.ca/yycecosystem/) ○ The Alex Community Food Centre (https://thealexcfc.ca/)

The premise of working with these organizations and shops is affiliated marketing. C$ gives these businesses a way to showcase their commitments to the welfare of the city. It is important to be consistent in highlighting these member businesses in social media marketing. As such, some social media marketing suggestions are as follows:

● End users are mostly on Facebook and Instagram. Use these channels to highlight how and where to use C$. Link to businesses and ads posted on C$ ● Business-to-business is mostly on Twitter and it is recommended to reply to posts instead of just retweeting to create more engagement. Use the engagement to build communication bridges between businesses. ● Establish tracking in Hootsuite for mentions and reposting followers ○ Add additional comments about why you are sharing ● Creating videos or blog posts to share the stories about C$ users ○ Consider ‘Humans of New York’ as an example to highlight C$ users (https://www.humansofnewyork.com/) ○ Stories of users could highlight the users background (such as where they are from), goals and aspirations, quotes, why they use C$, connections they have made using C$ (add links to those connections), etc. ● Facebook ○ Add a description of what C$ is in the “About” section ○ Pinned post of video “How to post an ad” ● When tagging businesses in a post, be sure it is properly linked ○ Ask businesses for all of their social media handles ● Pictures

○ Remove all past photos that do not fit C$ messaging ○ Filter photos to give a more professional look ○ Should always have some connection to C$ ■ When attending events, bring C$ promotional material so that C$ logo will be visible somewhere in the photos (see image below: Sunnycider)

Image: Sunnycider The picture is missing any reference to C$; have people hold up a C$ flag or sticker, or have decals next to the merchandise - the goal for any picture taken is to showcase C$ in the community.

● If highlighting other programs in Arusha under the C$ profile, add a note of how they all connect, for example “TAG is made possible by C$ a program run by the Arusha Centre” (see image below: womenTEP) ○ If highlighting TAG recipients, take pictures of the grant recipient putting the funds into action. ○ Share the story of how and why the recipient was chosen

○ S hare the outcome of the grant. What was the impact?

Image: womenTEP The side description can be improved by explaining how C$ is affiliated with this exciting news. Also, use this space to share the story.

● Use Canva (www.canva.com) to create attractive images and consistently use the same colour palette and template for branding. Refer to Fiverr (https://www.fiverr.com/) as an economic alternative to create social media templates. ○ Always add the C$ logo on the top left as that is the first point of gaze or at the bottom right corner of the post as that is the last point of gaze when looking at a picture

vs.

Customer group: Large corporations

Large corporations are a means to increase the amount of C$ in circulation. One of the main criticisms discovered through interviewing small middle- to-higher-end businesses is the lack of C$ being used. A method of getting more C$ into the hands of more users is to partner with large corporations who are interested in community building. C$ offers a reward system that corporations can give out to their employees. Instead of purchasing Starbucks gift cards, these corporations can purchase C$ instead as gifts for its employees. The value of doing so is to showcase the company’s commitment to community building and giving its workers more meaningful gifts.

Another method of engaging C$ with large corporations is a method to give workers the ability to contribute to a Take Action Grant or to donate to a user in need of supplementary income for food or housing.

Potential organizations to contact:

● Benevity (https://www.benevity.com/) ● Accounting firms (KPMG, PWC) ● Calgary Co-op ● Government agencies: City of Calgary, Alberta Eco Trust Foundation ● MEC (Not a local company.. Have become more centrally organized) ● Enmax ● DIRTT

Section 6: Value Propositions and Slogan, Messages

Slogan:

Get Local. Make Money.

Key Messages across all segments

Main statement: Earn, Buy, Sell, and Exchange with Calgary!

Sub statement: Use a phone or computer, earn rewards, and start spending!

Main Message

We are Calgary’s local currency.

Use Calgary Dollars and earn rewards! Buy and sell with digital or paper Calgary Dollars for goods and services with friends, neighbours or businesses. Just click here to get started.

Why? Calgarians are rich with untapped skills and resources! By buying and selling using Calgary Dollars you’ll feel good knowing that you’re generating social, economic, and environmental benefits.

Get local. Make money.

Social Media Messages

There are two main themes when talking about C$. One is focused on having more federal dollars available to pay for bills by using complementary currency, and the other is focused on building community. As a method to gain customer traction, C$ could run A/B split tests by running both of these messages simultaneously on social media. After running a test campaign for a minimum of two weeks, then track which messaging received more clicks. If one message receives more clicks, it is an indication of what is more important to potential customers and more messaging can be created based on that customer value.

Some examples of each type of messaging are below.

Saving money messaging: ● Make your dollar go further. Use C$. ● Need money to pay your bills? get your money to go further by using C$.

Community messaging: ● C$ = building community ● C$, like Kijiji but you know everyone ● Support local, use C$ ● C$ is your local community builder.

Sub-Value Proposition Messages

Each of the identified target groups have a separate value proposition under the general value proposition for all users. The following value proposition statements are meant for internal purposes only to be used when thinking about and talking about each of these users groups.

Value Proposition for Community Social Workers: C$ helps CSWs achieve their community empowerment initiatives.

Value Proposition for Indepently-owned Small Businesses: C$ helps small businesses get noticed. C$ is the go-to marketing channel for showcasing a businesses social and environmental good.

Value Proposition for Large Corporations: C$ helps companies make positive community impact.

Section 7: Budget

Refer to current program budgeting “Arusha program budgets ongoing”

Section 8: Endnotes

Barriers of using C$

Common comments that have been expressed is the inability to confidently talk about what C$ is and does. As such, it makes it difficult for promoters of C$ to share the benefits and value of using C$. This lack of confidence reduces the likelihood of onboarding a new user due to a lack of understanding. A way to mitigate this difficulty is to provide concrete examples of C$ in use and share stories of how people have benefited using C$. Also provide pre-formed messaging so it makes it easier to share both in conversation and on social media (as described in Section 6).

Limited C$ in circulation. Although there is currently C$80,000+ in circulation, many people who hold C$ do not spend it because they are not finding the goods or services that are useful for them to spend the C$ on. A way to mitigate this difficulty is to concentrate first on businesses that provide goods and services that are fundamental to living - groceries, personal care (ie. haircuts), child care, housing, transportation - and secondly on unique locally made items that are seen as ‘nice to have’ as these will be less of a priority due to the users who are typically able to afford these products are less likely to be initial adopters of C$.

C$ exists mainly to serve vulnerable communities. However, these communities are typically either newcomers and are not proficient in English, or they lack education and find C$ a difficult concept to understand. As such, content creation language needs to be basic and simple to understand.

Evaluating Feedback

C$ has mentioned a concern about how to determine good feedback versus irrelevant feedback. Suggestions on how to approach this is to ‘code’ the feedback into themes and what is feasible for the organization to implement. An example of concern is users asking for the ability to use C$ for paying for items like gas for a vehicle, but the request is not yet feasible for C$ to implement. However, as a theme, gas would fit into the category of people asking for more ‘basic need’ products and services. If C$ finds that the majority of requested items fit into the category of ‘basic needs’ such as food, shelter, internet, phone, utilities, gas, etc, then it will be

important to focus on delivering more of those types of items into the marketplace. While C$ may not be able to pay for gas, it can respond to the users request by letting them know, here are other ‘everyday items’ you can spend C$ on.

Furthermore, when users give suggestions that C$ should do a certain thing, take note of it and only dive deeper into the request when it becomes a commonly suggested change. Keep a running tally of requested items and decide on how many times an item needs to be mentioned before it becomes significant. Given the limited current user base, a suggested metric would be five times. Additionally, seek to understand the motivations of the suggestions by asking why the suggestion is important to that user, what is significant about it, and what the issue is by not having it already available.

Section 9: Summary of Recommendations

C$ has over C$80,000 in circulation to trade over 1000 goods and services. C$ usage has a good probability of growth. To improve the probabilities, C$ should consider the following as the highest priority recommendations.

Work closely with Community Social Workers (CSW): The main impact C$ seeks to make in Calgary is the reduction of poverty and empower vulnerable communities with economic resilience. To do so, C$ should strongly consider working in partnership with CSWs to fully understand and provide a useful service to the community it seeks to serve. This will entail in-person empathy interviews to identify the barriers of using C$ in these communities so they can be redesigned and shared in a pragmatic way. Most importantly is making the website and app easy to use, developing a consistent email newsletter campaign that share C$ user stories and provides updates, and having infographic handouts explaining what C$ is and how to use the service.

Focus on small business that supply basic needs goods and services: C$

seeks to support vulnerable communities and C$ has an opportunity to make an impact within these communities by making basic needs goods and services more available. It should consider concentrating its efforts to help small businesses closest to vulnerable areas that are being supported. Vulnerable people tend to lack transportation and will travel using public transportation or walk. As such the travel radius for these communities can be limiting and small businesses closest to these areas are most likely to be used by this group of users. Additionally, these small businesses are looking to C$ as another marketing channel. It is most important that C$ showcase these businesses through its website, app, and social media channels by properly tagging these businesses.

Internal resources: Sharing stories about C$ in the community will be an important aspect of generating interest in C$. As such, it will be very advantageous to have a person skilled with writing user stories on the team.

Partner with large corporations: Large corporations have various programs to get involved with the community such as sponsorships, charity donations, volunteering. C$ has an opportunity to align itself as a way for the large corporations to give back to the community. C$ can be used as a gift to employees for ‘good work’, earned through volunteering, or donated to the Take Action Grant. It is very important that stories be shared about the impact C$ has in the community.

Section 9: Appendix

Section 1: Environmental Scan - Marketing a Nonprofit Social Enterprise - Considerations for Calgary Dollars

2017/2018 Stakeholders Input and Context: -Answers questions such as “If design C$ in this way will it be acceptable to our funders, government, or the Arusha Centre’s charitable requirements?”

Past stakeholder Engagement: Notes on these communications can be reviewed at GoogleDrive: “Calgary

Dollars 2016 Initiative” on the tab Stakeholder Input Notes

The Calgary Foundation: Calg Foundation meeting re C$ Digital project funding for. Concerns voiced were that they expected a pure barter system without much structure that was only available for seniors. Julie Black and Mathew Blough then discussed their concerns with Jason Bates and Matthew sent the following: “I had the chance to speak with Jason last week about the direction of Arusha’s Time Bank initiative. After some discussion, we agreed that the direction of the grant is still within the spirit of the original application. However, it would have been preferable to speak to us about the transition prior to hiring Kirsten and proceeding as far along as you have. As noted in the grant agreement, you should be letting us know about significant changes in your initiative and using the initiative to take Calgary Dollars digital represents a significant change. Good luck for the rest of the project and I look forward to reading your final report.” Matthew

-FCSS: FCSS does not fund for profit activities like local business. Their funds are solely used for supports to vulnerable Calgarians. This includes employment development work; ie the YWCA’s Employment Resource Centre. FCSS needs largest impacts for vulnerable people from C$ participation businesses participation is fine as long as it serves the vulnerable participation. This may be a sticking point with FCSS.

-Charities earning revenue: The Arusha Centre earning income from C$ in any way acceptable? The Income Tax Act and CRA’s policy statements, which govern the activities of charitable organizations in Canada, permit charities to carry on (and generate profit from) business or commercial activities that directly accomplish or advance the organization’s charitable mission. CRA draws a distinction between “related” and “unrelated” business. A related business is permitted within your charitable structure; an unrelated business is not. This is defined by the question, “Are the business activities linked and subordinate to the purpose of the charity?” If the answer is yes, The charity is carrying on a related business, allowable by CRA. www.socialenterprisecanada.ca

-Competitor Conflict: Sabertech, BarterCard and other corporate barter systems are unlikely to

take action against Calgary Dollars as a result of the work of the C$ Digital Project because they haven’t taken action in the past and they have other similar competition already.

Customers -Answers the questions such as “If we market C$ in one way, will it alienate some customers?”

Stakeholder Engagement: Notes can be reviewed at GoogleDrive: “Calgary Dollars 2016 Initiative” on the tab Stakeholder Input Notes

Differing types of participants: The marketing of C$ is challenged to appeal to all sectors of Calgarians. Messaging, imaging, and events must recognize various income levels, language, culture, and reasons for involvement that may range from businesses looking for customers to those looking for social interaction.

Would key participant entities be alienated by the new C$ design? Sunnyside Mkt, Pat Gwynn has participated in these discussions and is encouraging C$ to become larger in scale and easier to use for businesses. Momentum, Jeff Loomis, has suggested a federal-dollar-related currency that is easier to use.

Conclusions Regarding Marketing Considerations for Nonprofit Social Enterprise: It is clear that the marketing of C$ is challenged to appeal to all sectors of Calgarians. Marketing must be tested with disparate participants to ensure success. The limited budget further challenges marketing success.

2017 messaging reference - review and delete. Unlock Community for Solutions -Calgary Dollars allows you to access community resources to solve issues with an asset- based approach that generates social and economic benefits for participants simultaneously -Save staff and program costs by accessing a supported peer-to-peer networks -Expand existing programs and agency profile -Track outcomes easily and in real time

2016 VALUE STATEMENT DRAFTS - Review then delete? INDIVIDUAL 2016 Key Message: Ready to unlock Calgary's potential? -List that you are looking for someone to build a unique garden for you, and pay them with C$. -Review the services and products available; is there something you need done? -Be a “Patron” paying for services with C$ -Help out vulnerable community members with money that stays local and recirculates, helping local Calgarians again and again. Post "odd jobs" you need done (that you've been delaying!) POST THEM AS A “PATRON,” TO BE PAID PARTIALLY/FULLY (5%-100%) IN C$ Find: SERVICES & PRODUCTS FOR LESS Find: INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT FOR YOURSELF

Hashtagging at the Arusha Centre potential relevant hashtags:

● #relocalizecalgary: for workshop ● #relocalizationfair ● #supportrelocalization ● #celebraterelocalization ● #relocalizeyyc for 2019 ● #yyccommunity ● #earthminded ● #BeLocal ● #Loveyyc ● #pedalpower ● #YYCliving ● #yycevents ● #Alberta ● #Canada150 ● #communitydevelopment ● #socent ● #soinn ● #neweconomy ● #sustainability

● #environmentalism ● #localcurrency ● #complimentarycurrency ● #awareness ● #greenyyc ● #energyefficiency ● #SpendLocal ● #BuyLocal ● #AlternativeCurrency ● #localpride ● (Cochrane: #cochraneproud #cochranedollars #spendwithpride) Media ● @metrocalgary (Calgary Metro) ● @calgarysun ● @RenfrewCA (northeast community association) ● @AbYouthCouncil (Aboriginal Friendship Center of Calgary) ● @AvenueMagazine (magazine that shares news, culture, food and people in Calgary) ● Garage Sales and Flea Markets ● @familyfunyyc (community garage sale) ● @cgyfarmersMarket (Calgary farmers market) ● #UsedHelps (supports charities by buying and selling) ● @MarketonMacleod (flea markets focused on small business with local products and services) ● @HillhurstSunny (flea market) already existing: #relocalizenotglobalize

Existing Strong Possibilities for Hashtag utilization:

#BeLocalYYC - sept 4, 2018 priority (sierra and gerald)

#belocal a worldwide hashtag used to highlight local action in communities; ie. local business, economy, social movements, transportation, food etc.

#socent a worldwide hashtag used for interests concerning social enterprises (used often locally by Trico Foundation, and some other local interest groups) #soinn a worldwide hashtag used to highlight social innovation; some days are very active and other days can be fairly quiet for this hashtag

#neweconomy a hashtag which focuses on alternative economy, resiliency, and community driven economic activity

#yyc the yyc hashtag is used by many and is a way to connect to the calgary community, although popular and diverse, it might be a good way to get our social media updates out to a broad based community

Power of Hashtag Marketing

Hashtagging is also known as micro-blogging.

Purpose/Effectiveness ● Hashtags are used to connect people (@) through a string of related words of relevance. ● Powerful for brand marketing/connecting. Engagement and conversation between organization and target audience. ● The symbol (#) has become synonymous with trends over social media. So people who are interested in certain trends only have to click one # in order to get all the latest discussion on it and for information consumers to view and compare ideas. History ● 1988 Internet Relay Chat used it to categories different areas of interest ● 2007 Twitter made it useful and popular as a way to connect ideas. They did (in 2009) this by automatically attaching a hyperlink to the # symbol.

Uses ● Over Twitter and Instagram- unique hashtags help build one’s brand. Non-unique hashtags increases visibility and relationships and could eventually be used to turn viewers into customers. ● If you Tweet/Instagram with a hashtag on a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your post. ● Don't #spam #with #hashtags. Don't over-tag a single Tweet. ● Only use hashtags that are relevant to the topic.

Tips for Hashtagging ● Proper etiquette is necessary. All hashtags are available worldwide, therefore it is important to not abuse certain trending #.

● Watch out for emotional “tagging.” Some hashtags have failed to fly because they poked too much on the emotion of the public, as with the word ‘love’ or ‘hate’. ● Use industry/brand words. Brands and popular industry terms are highly relatable and, more likely than not, Twitter users will find use for such hashtags in a particular event. ● Be Specific: Choosing specific tags will help you connect with other like- minded people on Instagram. ● Be Relevant: Make it easy for other like-minded Instagrammers to find you by making sure your tags describe your post. Using very general tags like #photo might get you a few likes, but with over 700,000 photos tagged #photo, it isn’t the best way to make your photos stand out and connect with the people most like you. Relevant tags will help you attract new followers who will take a genuine interest in your posts and continue liking and commenting on your photos and videos over time. ● Be Observant: Pay attention to the other hashtags used on posts that use the same tag as yours. You may discover a popular hashtag you hadn’t thought of on your own.

Tagging

● Tagging other people in your post (twitter/instagram/facebook) is a powerful tool to build further connections as well as audience. ● Tag people who: ○ Are in your post ○ Are not in your post but who you think would be interested/invested in the content. ● *See notes under Instagram*

Twitter ● How to use hashtags: https://support.twitter.com/articles/49309-using-hashtags- on-twitter ● Examples of spam or hashtag abuse: ○ Adding one or more topic/hashtag to an unrelated tweet in an attempt to gain attention in search. ○ Repeatedly tweeting the same topic/hashtag without adding value to the conversation in an attempt to get the topic trending/trending higher. ○ Tweeting about each trending topic in turn in order to drive traffic to your profile, especially when mixed with advertising. ○ Listing the trending topics in combination with a request to be followed. ○ Tweeting about a trending topic and posting a misleading link to something unrelated.”

Instagram ● Hashtags make your photos discoverable by targeted audiences.

● Using more relevant hashtags is recommended, but doing so in the “comments” section rather than the “caption.” ● Tagging other people (@) in your photo connects collaborative partners that could potentially help promote your organization simply by engaging in your photo (IE- “liking” the photo, “following” your account). This is powerful because people who “follow” your collaborative partners (@) can see if they “liked” a photo of yours and potentially follow/like on their own accord. ○ If your photos are public, anyone can see the photo and the person you tagged will get a notification. If your photos are private, only people following you can see the photo. The person you tag in the photo will get a notification if they're following you. ● Numbers are allowed in hashtags. However, spaces and special characters, like $ or %, won't work. ● You can only tag your own posts. You can't tag other people's photos/videos. ● You can use up to 30 tags on a post. If you include more than 30 tags on a single photo/video, your comment won't post. ● You can @someone on other people’s post instead of tagging them

Google+ ● Google+ hashtags connect to more networks. See how it works here: https://plus.google.com/+RonnieBincer/posts/focQkGJGgg9

References http://digitalmarketingphilippines.com/the-history-and-power-of-hashtags-in-social- media-marketing-infographic/ Info on popular hashtags: https://www.hashtags.org/ https://www.hashtags.org/platforms/twitter/why-use-hashtags-guide-to-the-micro- blogging-universe/ https://support.twitter.com/articles/49309-using-hashtags-on-twitter Instagram for business: http://blog.business.instagram.com/ https://help.instagram.com/365080703569355/

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Appendix - Marketing Material

A city-wide general poster with subnet logos can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N0cFYepmsk9TujkJyz5JGXIB41fQj3j3/view ?usp=sharing

Victoria Park Business Improvement Area draft promotions:

Calgary Housing Company - Multilingual resident promotions:

Infographic examples:

Use information from “8 reasons to use a complementary currency” to create an infographic: https://leightremaine.com/reasons-to-use-a- complementary-currency/