LeanLocal Announces Partnership With Carroll ISD

 Today, LeanLocal, a Palm Coast, Fla.-based technology company, launched LeanLocal.com, an online way to find, connect to and support local businesses. The company also announced its national partnership with Carroll ISD to help raise funds for the district’s extracurricular programs.

LeanLocal.com provides businesses an integrated digital, social and mobile marketing solution, providing them a direct online connection to local consumers. It levels the playing field for local business owners competing in the digital era by providing tools such as a Web site with photo and video, social media interface, QR code, mobile app, customer analytics and daily deals, for less than $1 a day.

Driving the success of LeanLocal.com are individuals, nonprofits and schools who will use relationships in their communities to introduce LeanLocal to businesses as a digital marketing solution. These Ambassadors will help to keep money in their own communities, grow the “buy local” movement and earn $75 for each business they connect to LeanLocal.com. They will also earn $75 each year that a business renews on LeanLocal.com, for up to three additional years.

“LeanLocal is a winning revenue solution for our schools and our community,” said Dr. David J. Faltys, Superintendent for Carroll ISD. “Bringing LeanLocal on as an official fundraising tool will improve Carroll ISD’s budget situation, help us to maintain excellence in our extracurricular programs and spur support of the local economy at the same time.”

One of the premiere districts in Texas, Carroll ISD is a K-12 public school system located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The 21-square-mile district consists of 11 schools serving about 7,800 students and 1,000 employees. Carroll ISD has had a school marketing program for more than a decade, bringing in $450,000 last year in corporate sponsorships. The district faces an $8 million state funding loss over two years and expects its partnership with LeanLocal will mean students can continue to participate in the school system’s quality extracurricular programs.

“Every day, cash-strapped districts across the nation are faced with difficult decisions on staff and programs,” said Chris Horton, LeanLocal’s CEO, founder and managing partner. “LeanLocal.com can help them to raise significant capital to help stretch their annual budget.”

Horton pointed out that in addition to being consumers, many schools have a circle of parents, relatives and family friends who own local businesses. Their influence can reach into the business community, and LeanLocal capitalizes on that reach and uses it to improve schools’ financial positions, he said.

For example, if the parents of each of the 7,800 students in Carroll ISD registered just one business to LeanLocal.com, they would bring $585,000 in revenue to the district. If each of those businesses renews each year, Carroll ISD would get $2.3 million over four years.

“LeanLocal provides a great online resource for local businesses and encourages parents to shop local,” said Superintendent Faltys. “In turn, Carroll ISD stands to benefit from each and every business in our district that participates.”

To become a LeanLocal business to help raise funds for Carroll ISD, visit www.LeanLocal.com. Create a profile, and then click on the “Become A LeanLocal Business” icon and follow the instructions. It’s less than a $1 a day (total $360) and Carroll ISD will get $75 to help fund extracurricular activities including academic, athletic and fine arts.