Membership Benefits & Criteria
We want you to join us! Some of the membership benefits of joining include:
- Your business listing in an upcoming directory, generally released November of each year. Members are also listed in our online marketplace all year long. The directory is distributed at all of our 160+ businesses as well as at the Ann Arbor District Library, through the Newcomer's Welcome Service, and elsewhere.
- Helping Think Local First change the level of community awareness about the value of independent businesses and where to find them.
- Participation in Buy Local Week and other promotional events.
- Membership decal for your door and access to an
electronic copy of the Think Local First decal for your business cards
or ad to increasing your businesses' identification as a locally-owned
independent business.
- Announcement of your businesses' information to our business and community newsletter lists
- Free or reduced price admission to educational and social business events
- Joining a network of businesses (plus individuals) who care about our community & are good at what they do
- Supporting efforts to increase support of local businesses by educating our community about the value of locally-owned businesses. We do this through speaking to organizations, policy-makers, and at conferences and community events
- Knowing you are helping to keep independent businesses visible, vital, and growing in Washtenaw County!
To find out how much membership costs, click this link.
To go directly to our membership form, click this link.
We recognize that there are businesses that have an interest in buying local and giving back to the community, so we invite businesses that can answer Yes to Questions 1-4 to become a business supporter. Business supporters get:
To go directly to our membership form, click this link.
Membership Criteria:
Please take a few moments to answer the following questions to determine the best type of membership for you. (You can join as an individual if you do not own a business or represent an organization):
- Is your your business interested in and able to buy goods, products and services from other locally owned businesses as well as supporting the community? Yes or No
- Is your business privately held? (Not publicly traded) Yes or No
- Is your business registered in the state of Michigan, with no corporate or national headquarters outside of the state? Yes or No
- Do you pay all your own marketing, rent and other business expenses (without assistance from, or payment to, a corporate headquarters)? Yes or No
- Can your business make independent decisions regarding the name and look of your business, as well as all business purchasing, practices and distribution? Yes or No
- Do the business owners, totaling greater than 50% of the business ownership, live within 10 miles of Washtenaw County? Yes or No
We recognize that there are businesses that have an interest in buying local and giving back to the community, so we invite businesses that can answer Yes to Questions 1-4 to become a business supporter. Business supporters get:
- Their business listed in the directory under business supporter section
- Window Decal reading ‘Think Local First Supporter’
- Member discounts to events
Last modified 2008-04-28 10:26 AM
