Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.
Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street
Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.
Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America
Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!
Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo
Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.
Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street
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A board of directors plays an important role in providing governance, setting strategic direction, and ensuring financial sustainability. For Main Street programs, a board of directors that reflects the local community’s stakeholders, needs, and values is essential for ensuring that the organization’s efforts are truly grassroots. Use this composition matrix to understand the current makeup of your board of directors, identify strengths and gaps, track tenure, and align each individual’s unique skills and qualities with your workplan.
Metuchen, New Jersey. Photo by Lauren Beischer.
The Main Street America Board Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the Main Street Approach, board member fundamentals, and Main Street policies and procedures, as well as tools, resources, and templates to set boards up for success.
Learn practical, hands-on strategies to develop and maintain a strong volunteer pipeline.
Learn how implementing data-keeping systems can enhance your Main Street program, and leave with valuable data health and transition planning tools.
Learn how to use geo-fencing, QR codes, and data to strategically plan, implement, and measure placemaking.
In this webinar, you will learn how to measure and increase your downtown’s Return on Emotion ROE©, providing you with a new tool to increase the importance of people and community in your work.
This planning tool will help you successfully implement your transformation strategy.
Learn how to create a community asset map to guide your downtown and commercial district revitalization efforts.
With articles written by industry experts on topics ranging from the future of retail to Main Street advocacy, the publication is brimming with tools, tips, and strategies that will help you lead a results-oriented revitalization effort.
These sample annual reports show how you can condense key impact stats into a single page to use for marketing and outreach. Published by Lawrenceburg Main Street and Indiana Main Street.
Learn how to engage local stakeholders to develop a vision and strategic plan for your downtown. Published by Georgia Main Street.
Brunswick, GA © Tamara Gibson Photography
This workbook has everything you need to guide you from start to finish through the entire strategic planning process. Published by Georgia Main Street.
Toccoa, GA © Steph Maley, Steph’s Photography
A collection of resources and worksheets to help you improve your nonprofit volunteer program.
Watch this webinar to learn how market data and local research can make the case among board members, businesses, elected officials, and the general public.
This nutshell guide will guide you through this process, and provide recommendations for templates and further recommended resources that will support you in developing your own materials.
This template provides everything you need to create a comprehensive workplan for your next non-profit project.
Use this worksheet to plan each of your activities for a given year and map out the ways they relate to income, expenses, personnel, and more. Published by Indiana Main Street.
Use this template to develop a comprehensive plan that clearly outlines goals, partners, roles, responsibilities, tasks, timelines, and budgets to align projects with transformation strategies.
Macon, Georgia. Photo by NewTown Macon.
Use this template to develop an annual budget that tracks income and operating expenses for your Main Street organization.
Raton, New Mexico. Photo by Marty Mayfield.
A simple tool to help you evaluate the diversity of your board of directors along age, gender, race, sexuality, income, and more. Created by Indiana Main Street.
Work planning outlines tasks income, expenses, volunteer hours, staff hours, and outcomes. This template provides a step-by-step explanation of the work planning process.
Watch this webinar to learn how social influencers can drive engagement and build excitement for your downtown promotions and programs.
Everything you need to prepare your community organization to handle both internal and external crises. Published by Indiana Main Street.
Momence, IL
A sample entrepreneurial ecosystem development plan to support small business creation and sustainability. Published by Skowhegan Main Street.
Sjowhegan, ME
Work plans serve as an important tool to help guide a Main Street program. Having a comprehensive, shared work plan with public buy-in, can help to grow city support and solidify the role the Main Street Program plays in downtown development.
A copy of the bylaws for the Rome Main Street Program. Bylaws act as a guide for how the board and staff should run your organization. They can include board procedures, the layout of the fiscal year, the corporate seal, and more.
Woodbine, IA © Hawkeye Aerial Services
Build a strong volunteer program with these five key areas: identifying volunteers, recruiting volunteers, orienting volunteers, monitoring volunteer activity and retaining volunteers.
Hastings, NE © Molly Kluver
Learn the five of these key attributes of successful Main Street leaders with insights and examples from across the Main Street America network. Published in State of Main.
A list of transformation strategies to guide your Main Street revitalization efforts.
Learn how to launch or strengthen your community engagement efforts, including actionable tools to put to use in your own community.
Use this template to create a memorandum of understanding you can use with partner organizations.
An overview of non-profit insurance options from the National Trust Insurance Services.
Ed McMahon explores the key characteristics of successful downtowns. Published in State of Main.
Boston, MA
Insights from across the network on how to lead your Main Street program. Published in State of Main.
13 myths around non-profit board service and why you should consider volunteering for your local downtown community revitalization group. Published in Main Street Now Journal.
Learn how Main Street downtown preservation organizations can build strong youth engagement programs to support the next generation of leadership. Published in Main Street Now Journal. Written by Katelin Olson and Sue Starkweather-Miller.
Learn how Otsego, Michigan used community support and strategic visioning to launch their revitalization efforts. Published in Main Street Now Journal.
Main Street Vineland's four-point plan for growing their volunteer program focusing on recruitment, retention, and recognition.
Learn how youth groups give young people a chance to share what they want for downtown.
Clinton, TN
This guide provides everything you need to conduct a successful candidate search and identify a new executive director for your Main Street organization.
Downtown Florence, South Carolina © True Light Photography
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