January 15, 2019 | Main Spotlight: Seeking Revitalization Rockstars |
Photo credit: Czech Village New Bohemia Main Street (IA)
It’s a familiar scene and far too many of us have been there before…the monotonous monthly board meeting. Dress it up if you like, change the time, try a more relaxed setting, maybe even offer free food and drinks; but the boredom sets in just as fast. Listening to the same reports, noticing the same lack of attendance, hearing the same concerns with little to no action. Sound familiar?
The road to revitalization apathy is paved with good intentions. When a Main Street organization is born, we set out with grand visions of how it will operate and the impact it will bring about in the community, but then the reality of overseeing a non-profit organization sets in. The work to revitalize becomes secondary to the challenge of managing a complex organization. In the world of Main Street, developing a successful non-profit organization is second in terms of difficulty to revitalizing a commercial district. Too many downtowns remain marginal, at best, because the organizations overseeing them have grown accustomed to status quo.
Where we typically fall short is adopting the opinion that any service is valuable service. Just because a neighbor is free on Mondays at 6 p.m., or a softball teammate likes to shop downtown, does not mean they are a suitable board member. Although well intended, we too often lower our standards when seeking out board members as we don’t want to be a burden and don’t want to appear to be a major commitment. Unfortunately, by taking this approach, we set our expectations extremely low at the outset, and people tend to meet the baseline expectations we provide for them.
It’s time we align our aspirations with our actions. It’s time we seek revitalization rockstars. Rockstar board members give a lot because they get a lot in return. They understand that their commitment and effort will be rewarded with the satisfaction that comes from making an impact.
We must start by setting our standards high and deciding what we want, not just what we will accept. We need to treat the recruitment process like it’s a job and not a volunteer post. If you want an amazing downtown, it must start with rockstars leading the way. Set your expectations high. Be bold. The best teams, companies and universities set their expectations high because they seek out the best people and expect to get the most out of them. If you want to have an organization befitting of your mission and community, you should begin to do the same.
While it’s certainly easy to set high expectations when recruiting for a revamped board of directors, it is admittedly more difficult to overhaul an existing board. Yet, it is far from impossible. It takes patience, the willingness to make hard choices, and to have frank conversations. I have facilitated more than a few of these meetings where existing board members leave unhappy. While the intention isn’t to anger anyone, it is often a sign of progress. If this process sounds too hard to endure, just consider the cost of not doing it. Are you up for the challenge?
Check out a few revitalization rockstars below:
Don Falk, Board Member, Downtown West Allis, Incorporated, West Allis, Wisconsin 
"Don Falk, owner of B&K Bar Supplies, relocated his business to Downtown West Allis in 2001. Since then, he has sat on our Board of Directors and chairs the Promotions Committee. Don is an asset to our organization. As a board member, he is dependable, a team player and has gained much respect in our West Allis community. He attends our board meetings with an open mind on all topics and is willing to discuss an issue until it is resolved and stands by that decision. One trait that is so important in being a Board member is to leave your negativity at the door. As chair of our Promotion Committee, Don is active in all of our events from set-up to clean-up. He values these events as a great opportunity to see our Downtown flourish whether they bring in sales that day or not. Mr. Falk does not consider his volunteer hours to only consist of meetings but also being an important hands-on leader."
~Downtown West Allis Inc. Executive Director, Dianne Eineichner
Carole Kowell, Board Member, Main Street Medina, Medina, Ohio
"Carole Kowell has served on Main Street Medina's board in several capacities for six years. During her time, she has been Chair of the Board, volunteered at special events, and has personally contributed financially to the organization. To me, what makes Carole an outstanding board member, is how she took over as chair of the membership committee with great passion, and has actively worked to increase our membership by 10% annually. Her enthusiasm for building our membership support is evident in the team that she leads, and their collective passion for ensuring that our program is financially stable and well-represented in the community." ~Main Street Medina Executive Director, Matt Wiederhold
Bill Callahan, Board Member, Mt. Lebanon Partnership, Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
"Bill Callahan brings over 30 years of experience in Main Street philosophy to the Mt. Lebanon Partnership organization. He has experience running a small business and has been on both sides. Bill is accepting of new ideas and is agile enough to push for implementation. He has acumen with how funding cycles work and when/how to use social capital. Bill is an extremely likable individual and is passionate about Main Street."
~Mt. Lebanon Economic Development Officer, Eric Milliron
About the author: Jeff Siegler is the Principal at Revitalize or Die, a downtown revitalization consulting firm. He has spent his career working to strengthen downtown organizations so they can carry out the important work of improving their community.