Go for the Gold Promotion We’ve shared a lot of tools with you over the past year, and one thing we haven’t shared is a successful event. We wanted to change that. We know events are a big part of downtown, and having a successful one can make or break your organization. While we talked… Read More →
District Diplomats Program Having volunteers is a necessary part of downtown revitalization. Even if you are a staff-led program (which most of us aren’t), you need volunteers for festivals and other projects throughout the year. Having enough volunteers can be a challenge - having the right volunteers can be a difference maker. A program that… Read More →
Maestro Board Matrix Having a strong board is a key for most downtown organizations. Whether you are staff-driven or volunteer driven you need to have a supportive board who will help move your organization in a positive direction. In the past we’ve shared with you tools to help your Nominating Committee, what to look for… Read More →
The Nominating Committee and your volunteer recruitment In working with downtowns and Main Streets across the country, I have found that one area that is frequently talked about is volunteer recruitment. Some programs have a wonderful recruitment process, most however are lacking a formal recruitment strategy. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization, but recruiting… Read More →
Your first step to a new website Many of you know that our product (Maestro) is built by our marketing firm, Rokusek. You may not know much about Rokusek, and that’s okay...if you’re passionate about downtowns then we’ll get along just fine! I mention Rokusek because we have worked with hundreds of companies across the… Read More →
Getting your properties noticed When it comes to properties downtown, there were always things to learn for me. One of them is another tool, our Property Pro Forma, which really helped me understand the economics of property development. But understanding everything there is to do with property development and maintenance (which I can assure you… Read More →
Property Pro Forma - The Economics of Downtown Property Development Being new on Main Street, there was a lot to learn for me. Having worked for the Boy Scouts for the previous eight years, I had honed my skills in event management, budgeting, communications and volunteer recruitment. However, there is a lot more to do… Read More →
Planning Your Marketing When you think about your organization’s marketing, how much planning goes into it? Do you do it with purpose, or is it something that you do when you have time? I know….time! But in reality, most downtowns are very good at event marketing, but often lack a message or strategy for marketing… Read More →
Tools to manage your Farmers Market Farmers Markets have become a staple of Main Streets throughout the country. It’s a wonderful event that brings people from all over the area into the downtown, while at the same time highlighting local foods and growers. When I came to Main Street our vendor manual was a couple… Read More →
Business Retention on Main Street One of the most important things I learned when I worked for the Boy Scouts was retention. Every Scout that I recruited was one more I didn’t need to recruit to attain my year-end goals. Every dollar I saved was one I didn’t need to raise to balance the budget.… Read More →