Form a Steering Committee that meets regularly.
 Engage individuals representing different sectors (academic, business, faith-based, non-profit).
Consider a manageable size for the group, and develop a plan to recruit additional members to broaden your base.
Identify a suitable meeting location, time, additional invitees, organizational format of group (i.e. Rotating Chair with Board, task committees, constitution, norms, etc).
Identify key strengths/skill sets/ interests within the group - assign tasks or develop sub-committees accordingly.
Educate yourselves on Fair Trade - make sure you are working from a common definition of Fair Trade. Discuss and agree upon what being a Fair Trade Town means to each Steering Committee member.
In addition to holding regular meetings, the Steering Committee plans and facilitates events to raise awareness among the public; this can be great fun and helps to maintain momentum within the group!
Helpful Link: See "Forming a Steering Committee" in the Fair Trade Towns Toolkit.
A range of Fair Trade products is available in local stores, cafes, and other venues. These include products certified by TransFair USA and products from organizations who are members of the Fair Trade Federation.
There should be at least one store selling Fair Trade products for every 2,500 residents in a town of 10,000 or less. There should be at least one store selling Fair Trade products for every 5,000 residents in a town that has over 10,000 residents. For towns or cities of over 50,000 residents, please refer to the section in the Fair Trade Towns Toolkit titled, "For the Fair Trade City".
A store that sells Fair Trade should have at least two Fair Trade products for sale on a regular basis (this is the minimum, and the committee may choose to increase the target numbers).
Suggested Tool: See Co-op America’s Supermarket Campaign Action Guide. Also consider offering resources and brochures for stores to display, decals for the store windows, etc.
Fair Trade products are used by a number of local organizations, such as places of worship, schools, hospitals, and offices.
There is at least one organization for every 5,000 residents of the town or city that has committed to serving/consuming Fair Trade products. Examples include school cafeterias and faculty lounges that use Fair Trade coffee and tea, places of worship that serve Fair Trade coffee and tea, and offices that purchase and brew only Fair Trade coffee and tea in their staff kitchens.
Suggested Research: It is important to become familiar with how relationships between organizations/institutions and purveyors/distributors work. Some organizations commit to long-term contracts through a service-provider, however there is often room for negotiation. Be prepared with a list of alternative suppliers for products that are available as Fair Trade. Also see the Making the Business Case section in the Fair Trade Towns Toolkit.
Check out the Fair Trade Towns Merchant Survey for measuring the amount of Fair Trade products in your community.
The local campaign attracts media attention and visible public support, including press and radio.
Listings of local Fair Trade activities appear in calendar/communities section of local papers (both in print and online version).
Articles are published in local papers (tip: Include reporters’ emails in listservs).
Your town's Fair Trade activites are posted on www.fairtradetownsusa.org and Fair Trade Resource Network's events page.
Local radio shows host interviews of community leaders, business owners, and others involved in the Fair Trade campaign.
Suggested Strategy: Develop relationships with the press, and invite them to your events. Many communities have public radio stations with segments that you can join on-air. Send out press releases each time there is an event.
The town or city council/ governing body passes a resolution supporting Fair Trade and the local campaign.
The Town or City commits to choosing Fair Trade when ordering or serving products for which there is a Fair Trade option.
Fair Trade Towns USA recommends that the resolution be the final step in the series of five goals in becoming a Fair Trade Town. At this point, prior to the vote of the town/city council, there should be an established steering committee, media coverage that has contributed to increasing awareness among the community of the local Fair Trade Town initiative, and, ideally, educational events and outreach.
Below is a checklist of suggested items for preparing to present a Fair Trade Resolution to you town/city council:
 A list of locations where Fair Trade is available - see Merchant Survey
Evidence of support from local merchants & professionals (especially the most visible), such as letters, narratives, quotes
Signatures of support from community members
An overview of the local steering committee, including member names, addresses, qualifications
Any pertinent documentation of meetings, events, media coverage up to this point
An outline of future plans and continued work following anticipated passage of the resolution
Some tips on presenting to the Town/City Council:
You may want to find out where each town/city council member is coming from; i.e. employment, standing in community, previous stance on issues.
Establish a relationship with one or more council members who will be allies to help carry teh effort forward.
Be sure to consider who your target audience is in this presentation and what their concerns may be, and approach it from that place. For example, are members concerned with economic development in the town?
Don’t forget to submit necessary documents for Board to review prior to meeting.
Make sure to invite and encourage (in person if possible) local merchants to attend the town meeting at which the resolution will be considered.
After the presentation and vote, follow up immediately with letters of appreciation, regardless of the outcome. Consider having a celebration if the resolution is approved and invite council members.
Congratulations on making it this far and reaching the above goals set forth by Fair Trade Towns! Now that your local committee has a platform to stand on, it is critical to maintain momentum and further the Fair Trade movement in your community. Please share with Fair Trade Towns how the local campaign has been successful in meeting all of the above goals.
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