What to look for in an Executive Director In 2009 I got a job that would change the course of my career. I was fortunate enough to be tabbed as the Executive Director for the Historic Quincy Business District in Quincy, IL. I was in my early 30s with a wife and kids and was… Read More →
What to look for in a Board Member If you’ve seen our other recent blog about what to look for in an Executive Director, you know that I’ve spent nearly a decade on Main Street. I’ve truly loved my time working with these organizations and watching them make their communities better. In getting to work… Read More →
Strategic Planning Downtown Main Street Organizations are great at many things. Put on an event...check. Save an historic building….check. Organize a campaign to educate city council on the importance of an issue...you bet! However, when it comes to strategic planning many Main Streets don’t take the time necessary to not only create a long-range plan,… Read More →
Successful Partnerships and Your Organization You’ve heard the saying “It Takes a Village…”, well that certainly applies to Main Street. In downtown, no one does it alone. You’ve got staff members who direct the day to day operations of the organization, volunteers who provide the direction and manpower to carry out the mission, supporters who… Read More →
NOW18 A Success for Maestro The NOW18 Conference in Kansas City was another great opportunity for us to see Maestro Communities, welcome several new Maestro users, and continue learning new tactics for downtown revitalization. We’ve been attending the NOW Conference since it was the National Main Streets Conference, and there are always positive things to… Read More →
Who do I share all this data with? If you’re in downtown revitalization you know that we collect a lot of data. We’ve got lists that would make Santa Claus jealous. Lists of properties, businesses, contacts, sponsors, attendees, and on and on. We’re preservationist by nature, we don’t get rid of things - especially good… Read More →
What Data Should I Be Collecting? If you are new to Maestro, and especially if you are new to downtown revitalization, the amount of data you think you need can often be overwhelming. One look at the property section alone can send an intern running to the for-profit side of the street faster than you… Read More →
Political Posts and Your Organization The days of the comment card are over. Now, if you want to praise someone you hop on Yelp, TripAdvisor, or Facebook and give them a review. More often however, it is the negative reviews that draw attention. Nowadays it can seem difficult to say anything without offending someone. This… Read More →
We are in the Sales Business! Poll any group of downtown developers and ask them what business they are in. You’ll likely get answers such as “downtown revitalization, nonprofit, and community”, but make no mistake about it, Main Streets are in the Sales business. We aren’t selling widgets, even if you have a store that… Read More →
Your Digital Storefront Best Practices for Managing Your Organization's Website It’s 2017 and having a website is no longer an option for an organization (or a business for that matter), it’s a requirement. When you want to find a business’ contact information the first thing you do is grab your phone… not to dial 411… Read More →