Organizers hope gift-giving initiative goes viral

Program provides another sales channel to small businesses in Waterloo Region during the pandemic

— Organizers of a campaign to support small businesses during the pandemic are hoping the program goes viral.

Called Random Act of Business, the online initiative invites people to select three or more gifts from more than 50 businesses in Waterloo Region.

The gift-giver pays for the items in a single transaction on the moreviralthanthevirus.ca website. Recipients are notified of the gift, then contacted by the individual business to arrange delivery or pickup.

All of the money goes to the individual businesses, with the exception of a credit card payment processing fee — although gift purchasers are asked if they’d be willing to cover that fee as well.

Launched last month, the program has a two-pronged goal — “to help businesses, and encourage friends and family by giving them a gift,” said one of its creators, Eric Silveira of Cambridge creative design studio LDM.

The project is a collaboration between LDM, Kitchener creative design agency Studio Locale, Blacks Point Development, and Libro Credit Union, which is providing banking services.

“The local small businesses that we all love and enjoy, that was the reason behind this,” Silveira said. “We really feel they’re so critical to the fabric of our communities.”

Given that many preliminary studies found that a person infected with COVID-19 could go on to infect an average of two to three others, organizers decided to ask participants to gift at least three items — making the program “more viral than the virus,” Silveira said. It’s hoped recipients might then be inspired to give as well.

And it seems to be working. In about a month’s time, nearly 2,100 individual gifts have been purchased for a total of more than $52,000.

People can choose from a wide range of items, from chocolate, coffee and cupcakes, to soaps, beer, apparel and gifts for the home and garden.

Gift certificates or vouchers for online classes are also available.

Many of the gifts include delivery in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. If a recipient lives elsewhere, curbside pickup or an equivalent-value gift certificate for future use can be arranged.

“We’ve been really blown away and shocked by the support we’ve had,” said Silveira. “As long as it’s needed, we’ll continue to keep it going.”