Can a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in serious need of an unfunded technology upgrade, with a small staff of 3 employees and a large corps of dedicated professional volunteers, raise $60,000 from approximately 38 donated wine glasses -- using primarily social media and e-mail techniques? Hmmmm.........let's find out! 

Welcome to Grapes 2 Gold ^TM, a Loudoun Small Business Development Center (SBDC) initiative designed to engage you, our small business community and various stakeholders, in a FUN social media FUNdraising project for the Center. 

What's in it for you? Well, by helping "spread the word", YOU gain valuable social media expertise just by participating in Grapes 2 Gold ^TM and a Guess the Winery game! You can use that expertise to grow YOUR business! You see proof that social media works and is worth your time. And you just might win something along the way. 

Why are we raising funds? We have had two years of budget cuts and we need additional funds to support our general business and social media counseling efforts. (Did I mention that all counseling services are free for Loudoun residents and/or Loudoun businesses? They are and have been for 23 years!) We also need a major technology upgrade, including an improved website which incorporates all the social media tools we believe in so strongly. This is a project we delayed during the budget cuts...and we need to move forward!

So, what were our options? We could either write aannoottthhhheeerrrrrrrrrr grant, or have some fun and put what we preach into practice. We chose the latter. Design 4 Future created our Grapes 2 Gold ^TM logo and Dunlap, Grubb & Weaver has filed the trademark application for it. (Remember those volunteer professionals we mentioned?!!) We put together our plan and are now implementing it. The process is teaching our staff how to use the various social media tools with an end result being that we can all better counsel you on how to grow your businesses. Heck, driving around Loudoun County picking up wine accessories from participating wineries was a ton of fun, too! What's not to like?

Oh, and those wine accessories are being photographed by photoworks in Leesburg. (Volunteer professional again!!) You will see the picture when we are closer to launching Grapes 2 Gold ^TM!

How does Grapes 2 Gold ^TM work? Hint: you will be able to submit "gifts" online as "bids" for the wine accessories, sort of like a silent auction except you are using "gifts" instead of cash to try to win the wine accessories! So, there's more free publicity for you because, of course, we will put your company name next to your "gift"!!! And then you, our community, will vote for which "gift" you want us to accept!! Our Board of Directors will look at your votes, then vote themselves, and the ultimate winner will receive the wine accessories. Loudoun SBDC will put its new "gift" up for the next auction round! Each round of the auction is, in general, bigger and better as the Grapes 2 Gold ^TM initiative rolls out....but we just might take a few turns here and there. That is part of the fun.

In the meantime, play our Guess the Winery game. Follow/fan/link/whatever to us (you get the picture!), have some fun, become more engaged in social media and GROW YOUR BUSINESSES!! We invite testimonials as we progress through Grapes 2 Gold ^TM on how the initiative and/or Loudoun SBDC's social media counseling have helped you. We will feature some of those stories on our new website, too! Ahhh.........more free publicity for YOU!

For more information, or to become a sponsor of this site, email us at sbdc@loudounsbdc.org.