It’s the start of a new year, and many of us engage in the annual ritual of setting New Year’s resolutions: read more, work out more, eat healthy, and the list of achievable (and sometimes not-so-achievable) goals goes on. According to a 2023 Forbes Health poll, most people tend to give up or flat out forget their resolutions within the first 2 to 4 months of the year.
Main Street organizations should also engage in the annual ritual by setting resolutions for the year ahead in the form of a workplan. In such a dynamic field where no one day is the same, it is a good idea to create as much stability as possible. Luckily, Main Streets have an easier time holding themselves accountable with a simple tool called a work plan.
A work plan is a document created by the board and executive director that maps out the organization’s annual goals and tasks. A strong work plan includes responsibilities, estimated costs, potential revenue, required volunteer and staff hours, and measures of progress or success. While a work plan should be treated as a sacred document, it is not set in stone. Work plans remain flexible and should be adjusted throughout the year as goals are achieved, delayed, or refined.
Unlike personal New Year’s resolutions, a transparent work plan gives Main Street organizations a built-in accountability system. When shared openly, it allows board members, local businesses, and community stakeholders to understand the organization’s priorities and help ensure those goals are met.
Click here for a Work Plan Template.
Why Should You Create A Work Plan?
Outside of work planning simply being a Main Street best practice, why else should you create a work plan? From a Virginia Main Street perspective, a realistic work plan and budget have historically been part of the grant scoring criteria. For example, in the 2025 Grant Manual, those items accounted for 10 percent of the total scoring rubric for Downtown Investment and Community Vitality Grants.
Work plans show that projects are ready for execution.
Finally, if you’re looking to be considered as an Accredited Main Street America community, the submission of a detailed work plan is a baseline requirement. Work plans are monitored in several of Main Street America’s Community Evaluation Standards.
Thoughts While Work Planning
For some pointers on what to include in your work plan, start by reflecting on last year. What projects or goals need to roll over into the new year, and more importantly, what doesn’t need to carry forward? Are there programs or events that no longer serve your mission? Or you don’t have the capacity to continue said programming? Or, more importantly, what occurred last year that does not need to rollover?
Did you recently complete a Main Street America Transformation Strategy or strategic planning effort? Make sure those priorities are reflected in your work plan. Are you engaging in all four points of the Main Street Approach to have a balanced Main Street organization? If not, how can you?
Finally, be sure to keep your work plan realistic. Aim to under promise and over deliver. You don’t want to commit to more than you can accomplish!
Interested in learning more about work planning? Consider reading “Fostering Growth: Appreciative Inquiry in Urbanna’s Main Street Startup.”
Virginia Main Street 