Downtown Revitalization
Heritage Consulting has developed over 70 stimulating and fun workshops and training programs for commercial district revitalization and Main Street clients. We have previously worked with organizations and government agencies to enhance their effectiveness.
Our workshop list includes programs ranging from one hour to a full day. We also offer customized training on other topics as needed. They are ideal for statewide or regional conferences, group training, and local downtown management organizations.
With 25 years of experience consulting with over two hundred nationwide downtown organizations, we tailor our workshops to meet the needs of new and experienced groups. Our interactive, fun sessions include peer-to-peer learning and practical solutions. Each participant receives a Best Practices Toolkit with resources to reinforce workshop content. Evaluations help us continually improve.
Training Workshops
Our workshops are hands-on, engaging, and fun, featuring practical solutions and real-life stories. We emphasize peer learning, allowing participants to learn from each other and Ms. Harris. Each participant receives a packet with a bibliography, articles, checklists, and forms to reinforce workshop content. We also collect evaluations to improve our sessions continuously. See our list below of all of our training workshops for downtown organizations.
Diversify Your Revenue Sources! Training Workshop
Established downtown organizations need steady income for sustainability. This fast-paced workshop covers the board’s role in fundraising delegation to committees and staff and focuses on three controllable revenue sources: membership campaigns, sponsorships, and fundraising events. We provide strategies to make these sources 50% of the budget and explore ideal revenue mixes for different development stages. We review options like Business Improvement Districts and endowments and finish with our top ten tips. This remains our most requested presentation throughout our Main Street career.
An off shoot of this topic, we produced this workbook Turning Supporters into Donors for the Oregon Main Street Program in 2022, see it below.
Strategic Plans for Downtown Organizations
Heritage Consulting Inc. has prepared strategic plans for more than a dozen downtown organizations around the country. Three of our clients have gone on to win the Great American Main Street Award after completing their strategic plans with us, thus setting themselves up for great things ahead.
Online Consumer and Stakeholder Surveys and Report
This 25-question survey can be part of a Strategic Plan or used independently. It identifies shopper preferences, effective events, and news sources through demographic and open-ended questions. Conducted online, we aim for over four hundred respondents for statistical validity, requiring an email list of at least 2,000 or a large Facebook follower. The final report is 80 to 140 pages, depending on the sample size.
Search Process for New Executive Director
In the last 18 months, we have conducted four Executive Director searches for downtown organizations. With 25 years of experience, Heritage Consulting Inc. offers a comprehensive 3–4-month process, including job description creation, forming a search committee, advertising, resume review, candidate interviews, reference checks, and offer letter samples. We also suggest welcome packets, receptions, and a 90-day task list. We presented our search process at the National Main Street Center conference in 2022.
Downtown Board Training
One of Heritage Consulting Inc.’s most requested services is board training for downtown organizations. This 90-minute session clarifies board roles and responsibilities, including legal duties and the board’s collective and individual roles. We cover what managers should and should not do, ways to ensure manager longevity and share cautionary tales of board failures to avoid. Participants receive a resource packet with blank forms, letters, articles, and other helpful materials. This presentation remains one of the most requested services we provide.
Consultations on Membership/ Investor Programs
Memberships and annual gifts are crucial for local Main Street programs. We help programs assess and improve retention efforts to ensure ongoing revenue from past recruitment efforts.
Revolving Loan Funds/Endangered Properties Funds Consultations
We have assisted four citywide preservation organizations in finding preservation-minded buyers for threatened properties. Additionally, we created feasibility studies for revolving loan funds to help low- and moderate-income historic homeowners with repairs for the Columbus (OH) Landmarks Foundation and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. Three of these studies were completed with A. Elizabeth Watson of Heritage Strategies LLC. See our Feasibility Study created for Downtown Joplin Alliance MO below.