New Program Brings Lifetime Supporters into Green Alliance Fold

Since launching in 2008, the Portsmouth-based Green Alliance (GA) has grown to include nearly 100 local green businesses, and close to 3,000 consumer members.

Not bad for having started – and grown – in the middle of a recession.

For an annual fee, Businesses that join the GA are scored and certified based on their green credentials, as well as provided extensive marketing and promotion – blog posts, published feature stories, and high-profile events, just to name a few avenues – throughout the community.

Then there’s the individual membership. For just $35 a year, consumers  are provided discounts – in the form of a credit card-sized “Green Card” – to all GA Partnering Businesses, including restaurants, yoga studios, construction companies, retailers, alternative energy outfits, salons, and more.

 The result is a growing throng of eco-conscious, locally-oriented shoppers keyed into the notion that “going green” and “saving green” need not be mutually exclusive.

Lately, however, the local green woodwork has begun turning out a different kind of member for the GA; those who see the organization as one worthy of a lifetime of support.

Called the Green Alliance Benefactor Program,  the new initiative offers prospective supporters  an opportunity to invest in the continued success of a group whose growth thus far has been nothing if not organic.

The one-time contribution of $500 – the rough equivalent of 14 years as a regularly-paying member – would amount to a lifetime membership in the organization.

For GA Director Sarah Brown, the goal of the program is not only to boost the effectiveness and reach of the GA itself; but to highlight community members most committed to a vibrant, sustainable local economy.

“We felt we were at a place as an organization where we needed to think outside the box in terms of membership and support,” said Brown, who worked for years as an international journalist and local environmental advocate before starting her unique green business union three years ago. “We knew there were people out there who really loved what we do and would support it wholeheartedly and into the future. It was just a matter of finding them.”

As with the organization's initial growth and success, it didn't take long.

Linda Tyring, owner of TVC Systems, became the GA's first Benefactor back in October. Even though her company had already joined the GA as one of its first Business Partners – not the cheapest of propositions in its own right – Tyring felt becoming a benefactor provided an even more clear window into her and her company’s green ethos.

“We’ve always supported what the Green Alliance does in the community, and this was just another way for us to tie our ship to an organization we believe in,” said Tyring. “These are tough times for any business, but we also have to remember we’re all in this together. So it felt right to kind of solidify our mutual support.”

Of course, becoming a GA Benefactor isn’t without its perks. On top of permanent recognition on the GA website (www.greenalliance.biz), supporters are also afforded lifetime membership in the organization, a blog post detailing their generosity and green spirit, a free lunch with GA staff members, as well as five complimentary memberships for friends and family in the form of the GA “Green Card.”

More importantly, according to Brown, the GA will have in its midst the kind of built-in “evangelists” vital to any growing movement.

“For us to succeed and grow as an organization, we have to make our message effective and compelling enough for our members to do our campaigning and recruiting for us,” said Brown. “Without those die-hard supporters out there in the trenches, it’s difficult to stay above the fold and on people’s minds. But we’re working hard to stay relevant, and our most strident supporters are going to be crucial to that effort going forward.”

To learn more about the Green Alliance, go to www.greenalliance.biz