Virginia Main Street is accepting applications from communities interested in being designated a Virginia Main Street community. However, if your community is not ready to take this step, here are steps to to help establish or reinvigorate a successful local preservation-based downtown revitalization organization.  

• Look at downtown as if you are a first-time visitor. What is positive? What needs improvement?
• Invite a Main Street volunteer or manager from another community to talk with a group of community leaders about what that community and organization has accomplished and how the program works.
• Recruit board members and take them to other downtowns to meet with peers, hear about what does and does not work, and see how your downtown compares.
• Adopt articles of incorporation and bylaws, and register with the State Corporation Commission.
• Decide if you can afford to hire a program manager, or more importantly, if you can afford not to! Agree on an employment contract and performance plan, schedule orientation and training, select an office location, etc.
• File for 501 (C)  tax exempt status with the federal Internal Revenue Service.
• Develop job descriptions for board members, officers, committee chairs and staff.
• Recruit and educate your committees, use slide and video shows and give them appropriate information to read in small doses.
• Schedule “downtown walkarounds” with your board and committee members. Get to know every square inch and what is good or bad.
• Work with the board and committees to set up regular meeting schedules.
• Set up meetings with stakeholders and partners including:
  • all downtown business and property owners;
  • local elected officials, city manager and department heads;
  • leaders from financial institutions, industry and utilities;
  • Chamber of Commerce board and staff;
  • other important community groups (historical, tourism, arts and cultural, etc.) and set up presentations to their membership if desired; and
  • the media.
• Have a reception to introduce the program and board members to the community.
• Have the board develop a workplan that includes your vision for downtown, the organization’s mission and prioritized annual activities assigned to committees with timeframes, individuals assigned to implementation and budget allocations.
• Draw up a budget and have it correspond to the workplan. Set up financial control systems.
• Develop a fundraising plan, including a list of potential supporters.
• Solicit volunteers for key projects, create a volunteer file and develop a volunteer recognition system.
• Select public relations tools to get the word out such as brochures, newsletters and newspaper columns.
• Develop a media list for mailing press releases.
• Begin to build a clearinghouse of resource material. Collect and read anything pertinent, such as community plans, studies, newspaper articles, promotional brochures, previous meeting minutes, ordinances, newsletters, etc. Order necessary periodicals. Start a file system and scrapbook for the organization.
• Identify economic development resources and recent or proposed projects.
• Identify historic preservation resources and recent or proposed projects.
• Review the existing promotions calendar, and collect information on past promotional events.
• Do an inventory of downtown including buildings, businesses, parking, etc. Include photographs.
• Develop a network with other Main Street managers.  Ask questions and get info on their programs.
• Join the National Main Street Network and the Virginia Downtown Development Association, circulate their newsletters and encourage board members, committee members and staff to attend their conferences.
• Apply to become a DHCD Virginia Main Street Commercial District Affiliate.

Share this list with your downtown stakeholders by printing an Adobe Acrobat .pdf version of this list here.