Just under $20,000 has been raised for Byron Shire not-for-profit groups since June through social commerce platform Community Engine.
“This is a remarkable achievement and on behalf of Council I would like to sincerely thank Community Engine for their visionary and grass roots approach to doing business in the Byron shire” said Mayor Simon Richardson. “Community Engine allows local businesses to support, refer and recommend each other. It keeps online spending local, which is something we must focus on in this shire. Australians spend $16 billion annually on online sales. With so many online businesses in the Byron shire we need to ensure that we are getting the lions’ share of this expenditure”.
According to Community Engine’s Dean Power there is still around $73,000 to give through the Community Engine giveaway.
Every time a person clicks to “follow” a group on Community Engine, that group gets $1. If they are a business they donate it and if they are a not-for-profit group they keep it. All you have to do is sign up to the giveaway and you can raise up to $5,000 for each group.
“There is now no excuse to be offline” outlined Power, a Bangalow based father of four who headed up Community Engine’s pilot program held earlier this year. “We are about providing easy presence on the internet in a way that supports local communities”.
Community Engine offers a web presence, email, social media and networking at no cost for both individuals and groups. For those wishing to utilise the world class e-commerce facility, a fee of between 2.85% and 6.5% is charged. Two of the most popular functions are the database and membership management facilities.
Byron shire groups active on Community Engine include VIA Byron, The Byron at Byron Resort and Spa, the Byron Community Centre, the Byron Beach Café, WIRES Northern Rivers, Byron Youth Service, Tallowood Ridge Estate and the Byron Bay Writers Festival.
“We encourage anybody who hasn’t checked out the platform to come on board and have a play” said Dean Power.
For more information go to www.communityengine.com.au call 1300 266 686 or email hello@communityengine.com
Downloadable high resolution images:
Photo 1 – Dean Power with Byron Shire Mayor Simon Richardson (photo by Carly Brown)
Photo 2 – Community Engine’s Dean Power (photo by Carly Brown)