The next Sandwich Business Group meeting will be the evening of Tuesday, October 19, 7pm at The Foothills Café.
Anyone interested in Sandwich businesses is welcome to attend in person or by ZOOM to brainstorm about promoting and sustaining businesses in Sandwich. please contact Vicky Galkina for more information.
The Sandwich Business Group
The Sandwich Business Group is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to facilitate affordable collaborative advertising and marketing projects for businesses located in Sandwich, New Hampshire. Since then, SBG's mission has expanded with the understanding that the vitality of the Sandwich business community and the vitality of the community as a whole are inseparable, especially in these difficult days.
Some of our businesses cater to visitors, some to residents, and many to both. Promoting the economic and social vitality of our town is a benefit to everyone who cares about Sandwich. We encourage all Sandwich businesses to join the group and participate in as many projects as they wish.
Some of our businesses cater to visitors, some to residents, and many to both. Promoting the economic and social vitality of our town is a benefit to everyone who cares about Sandwich. We encourage all Sandwich businesses to join the group and participate in as many projects as they wish.
SBG's Mission is to:
- Provide Sandwich and Associate businesses and organizations with a variety of resources and material support to grow, thrive and sustain themselves.
- Celebrate our unique heritage while encouraging adaptation and change for growth and stability.
- Create a welcoming and supportive environment for families, visitors and community groups.
- Use our influence, skills and resources to assist in building a vibrant community of engaged, caring and committed citizens.
SBG 2021 Operating Plan
Background: 2020 was a challenging year for the SBG primarily due to the covid-19 pandemic. The marketing plan was altered significantly. Given the uncertainly of the business environment, the SBG leadership was given the authority to operate without specific motions for expenditures. We sent a letter to Sandwich residents urging them to support local businesses. The business results were mixed during the year and really depended upon the type of business.
Until a Covid-19 vaccine is generally available in the area, we do not expect the business environment to be significantly better. We have not been able to find willing and capable individuals to be officers of the organization in 2021. However, we do have members leading the key subcommittees and they are willing to continue in that position in 2021. We believe there is still a desire to keep the SBG operational even if at a reduced level. Given that, the formal structure we have operated under since the inception of the SBG should be amended for 2021 as proposed below.
Operating Plan
Officers:
Background: 2020 was a challenging year for the SBG primarily due to the covid-19 pandemic. The marketing plan was altered significantly. Given the uncertainly of the business environment, the SBG leadership was given the authority to operate without specific motions for expenditures. We sent a letter to Sandwich residents urging them to support local businesses. The business results were mixed during the year and really depended upon the type of business.
Until a Covid-19 vaccine is generally available in the area, we do not expect the business environment to be significantly better. We have not been able to find willing and capable individuals to be officers of the organization in 2021. However, we do have members leading the key subcommittees and they are willing to continue in that position in 2021. We believe there is still a desire to keep the SBG operational even if at a reduced level. Given that, the formal structure we have operated under since the inception of the SBG should be amended for 2021 as proposed below.
Operating Plan
Officers:
- No elections will be held in 2021 or until such time as interested and capable individuals emerge for officer positions
- Vicky Galkina will continue as secretary in an acting capacity.
- The chairperson for each standing committee will act as acting president during a portion of the year as
detailed below. - The financial information will be maintained by a person to be designated.
- Two individuals will be identified as signature authorities for the MVSB account.
Meetings:
- The annual meeting will be held in January 2021 per the By-Laws. The outgoing president will preside over this meeting.
- Other meetings will be held as needed, but at least once per quarter. These meetings will be presided over by the committee chairpersons on a rotating basis. The acting president will provide an agenda for the meeting.
o Q1: Community Relations
o Q2: Marketing
o Fall: Economic Development
Budget: - The budget for the year will include money for a limited marketing plan, operations and maintenance of DiscoverSandwich.com, organizational fees, and other minor operational expenses.
- Once the budget is approved, only significant expenses not included in the budget will need to be approved by the group.
Membership: - Membership cost will be $65 per business which is 50% of the most recent membership fee.
- The reduced membership fee is feasible for 2021 given our reduced expenditures in 2020.
- Associate membership fee will be the same as regular members - $65
A note from the Marketing Committee
Changes we are making to the Discover Sandwich website in 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting uncertainty about what this year will bring, has required a shift from our usual expectations and practices. We will use this time of contraction to review and revise our organization so that it can continue to fulfill our primary goal of supporting the Sandwich business community. To facilitate this time of transition we are keeping everything as simple as possible, directing energy and attention to SBG’s baseline mission: helping to market and promote member businesses.
Discoversandwich.com has been in continuous operation since 2015. We have worked to have it function as a full-featured community resource, in addition to a site that highlights and promotes SBG members, and gives an overview of the town to interested parties. For 2021 we are pulling back from the current events aspect of the site as that is the most time-consuming and costly to maintain. You can still find items of interest, including some events, on the What’s Happening page of the Discover Sandwich website.
This year we will focus on promoting our members and the town itself. Stay tuned for a new blog feature that highlights individual member businesses. We welcome your feedback. If there is enough interest in making the Discover Sandwich website into a full-featured community resource again, we will consider finding the means to do this.
Other changes: The membership fee this year ($65) is half of the usual fee ($130), so it’s a great year to join. And not only because of a lower fee, but because SBG is ripe for new people and new ideas about how to promote and encourage business in Sandwich. Even if you do not have a business in Sandwich, you are welcome to join as an associate member. We welcome your presence and contributions.
Better days are coming! Wishing you the best, Martha, SBG Marketing Committee, Martha Nichols, Gallery Manager, League of NH Craftsmen - Sandwich Home Industries
Discoversandwich.com has been in continuous operation since 2015. We have worked to have it function as a full-featured community resource, in addition to a site that highlights and promotes SBG members, and gives an overview of the town to interested parties. For 2021 we are pulling back from the current events aspect of the site as that is the most time-consuming and costly to maintain. You can still find items of interest, including some events, on the What’s Happening page of the Discover Sandwich website.
This year we will focus on promoting our members and the town itself. Stay tuned for a new blog feature that highlights individual member businesses. We welcome your feedback. If there is enough interest in making the Discover Sandwich website into a full-featured community resource again, we will consider finding the means to do this.
Other changes: The membership fee this year ($65) is half of the usual fee ($130), so it’s a great year to join. And not only because of a lower fee, but because SBG is ripe for new people and new ideas about how to promote and encourage business in Sandwich. Even if you do not have a business in Sandwich, you are welcome to join as an associate member. We welcome your presence and contributions.
Better days are coming! Wishing you the best, Martha, SBG Marketing Committee, Martha Nichols, Gallery Manager, League of NH Craftsmen - Sandwich Home Industries
Keep Calm and Small Business On
We are still in the midst of a pandemic. Our lives and businesses continue to be impacted, some more than others. Here is helpful Covid-19-related information for small business from NH SBDC: https://www.nhsbdc.org/covid-19-assistance. And here is a helpful link from the SBA: www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources.
Dick Seery and Jon Greenawalt at the SBG Annual Meeting in 2020
