Are you looking for ideas to use up your city's covid relief funds? A local gift card program is a great option! Yiftee Community Cards support your local businesses and engage your community in the "Shop Local Movement." Yiftee has worked with many cities and towns using covid relief funds for shop local programs and has seen first hand the positive impact these programs have on their communities. Below you'll find more information on Yiftee Community Cards and how partnering with Yiftee can help you multiply your covid relief funds.
Covid Relief Funds and Community Gift Cards
In 2020 and 2021, the U.S. government enacted six COVID-19 relief laws providing about $4.6 trillion in funding for pandemic response and recovery. Since then, Yiftee, the leading company in Community Gift Cards, has worked with many communities using ARPA, Cares Act and other federal and state funds to launch a gift card program and generate business for their local merchants. Community Gift Cards are electronic gift cards, branded for a specific community, that can only be used at participating local businesses. Yiftee works with over 500 cities and towns across the U.S. and many of them have used covid relief funds to distribute Community Cards to low income residents or to run Buy One Get One promotions that in turn, drive traffic to local businesses.
The Town Of Cutler Bay Partners With Yiftee To Distribute $150,000 in Covid Relief funds
In September 2021, the Town Of Cutler Bay, FL, used Cares Act funds to launch the Cutler Bay Cash Program- designed to support local businesses while also providing financial aid to its residents who had been impacted by the pandemic. The Town Of Cutler Bay distributed $500 Cutler Bay cash gift cards to 300 qualifying Cutler Bay households who applied to the program on their website. The Cutler Bay Cash gift cards were to be redeemed at 54 participating local Cutler Bay businesses.
The town distributed $150,000 in covid relief funds to their residents who then spent them at their local businesses, doubling the financial impact of the funds and keeping local dollars local.
“We’re very pleased to launch the Cutler Bay Cash program. While the program has a very palpable and immediate positive effect — quickly introducing $150,000 into our local economy — there is also a long-term effect that will continue boosting our local small businesses.” -Cutler Bay Mayor, Tim Meerbott.
Since their launch, 97.3% of the Cutler Bay Cash gift card value was redeemed at local Cutler Bay businesses, multiplying the covid relief funds used to launch the program. By encouraging residents to explore and discover small businesses that they might not have considered otherwise, the Cutler Bay Cash gift card program has generated new customers for local merchants, while also fueling a new “shop local” movement within the community.
Launching a Community Gift Card with Yiftee has proven to be an easy and effective way to use Cares Act funds, ARPA funds and other covid relief funding to support your local businesses and residents in need. The program is quick and easy to launch and can be adapted to any requirements or restrictions you may have.