As we are a few weeks into the COVID-19 crisis with a few more weeks to go, we want to reach out to you today with several resources available to you.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering several federal relief programs to support retailers like you during this time. There are two main programs that are available now for florists.

• The Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Loan Advance (EIDL) can help provide working capital loans of up to $2 million at a loan rate of 3.75% for a 30-year term, and the Advance Loan is available for up to $10,000 and is a forgivable loan which can be funded within 3 days of receiving the applications.
• The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and is available for businesses up to 500 employees. The program provides an emergency loan that will be forgiven if used to maintain payroll, interest on debt, rent or utilities through June 30, 2020.
• A guide and checklist prepared by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the Paycheck Protection Program is available for download here.

The Society of American Florists is our industry's leading association and the team has been working around the clock to educate, inform and lobby for the floral industry. SAF has a resource section on their website, www.safnow.org, that is full of helpful information including:

• A COVID-19 Webinar Series with recordings of past presentations and an upcoming calendar.
• One of the webinars is about accessing the federal aid available for small business owners with suggestions for next steps and links to important sites.
• A State Resources section has information about how your state is handling COVID-19 issues and navigating restrictions on businesses.

Last week, FTD announced the details of our assistance program for member florists. The highlights include:

• Both of our sites, FTD.com and ProFlowers.com, and many of our marketing partners continue to take high value orders.
• To assist you in increasing your cash flow, we will PAY YOU for all March orders by April 15, 10 days earlier than our normal pay schedule.
• To assist you in reducing costs, we will be CREDITING your FTD membership fee for the month of April. Members must be current to qualify.
• To further assist, we will be CREDITING the transmission fee on all orders successfully delivered during the month of April.
• We are also offering 20% OFF fresh flowers through April 30 to help you secure flowers at reduced costs.
• To help you keep connected and serve your customers, we are also offering our Email Marketing Program to you at NO CHARGE through June 30 and with no commitment required beyond that timeframe.
• Check FTD's COVID-19 resources page for a summary of resources and FREE social media images you can share to keep connected with your customers.

Another great resource for independent business owners is WhizBang! Retail Training. The owners, based in Michigan, were longtime small business owners that are now consulting retailers just like you. Their team has been sharing a lot of content in recent weeks about how to manage a small business during this challenging time.

• A live news feed page with all of WhizBang's COVID-19 resources is available here.
• Follow their Facebook page at @WhizBangTraining for a variety of videos as well as podcast recordings about coping with the crisis.
• You can also go to their website and sign-up for weekly tips and more!

We are extremely proud of the grit and resiliency of our florist network. Many florists are contacting their state legislators to better educate them on the power of flowers and have overturned decisions allowing florists to continue to take online orders and provide no contact delivery. We are hearing of florists creating bouquets to bring joy to local nursing homes and other businesses to spread some cheer. And, we are thrilled to see that consumers continue to send flowers as a powerful way to remain connected. This will also continue to be important as Easter is on April 12 and families and friends will not be able to gather to celebrate.

We will continue to get through this together and encourage you to reach out to any of these resources if you need assistance. Your team at FTD is available to support you and we look forward to helping you get through this crisis as we continue to plan and prepare for a tremendous Mother's Day connecting loved ones with flowers.

Be well,
Your FTD Team