idea friendly
We gave up planning the old way for a Brendan Hoffman exhibit and visit
Webster City, Iowa hosted an international photojournalist, Brendan Hoffman, in residency at the Daily Freeman Journal, the local paper. A town of 8,000 people managed to take a 6 week free class on Using Photography to Tell Your Stories, view an exhibition of War In Ukraine, and personally visit with the photojournalist Brendan Hoffman and…
Read MoreDriving Positive Change in Rural – we can help
SaveYour.Town has been instrumental in driving positive change in rural communities. You’re interested in the work Becky McCray and I do, you read our newsletters, you’ve seen us in your towns and on stage, you watch our videos and webinars. As you plan for 2024, I’d like to share a bit more about the various…
Read MoreLessons from an Idea Friendly Gift Shop in a Small Town
One of the chapters in my upcoming workbook is about using crafters as your next set of entrepreneurs. Stephanie from Canada shared her crafter entrepreneurial story with us! You don’t have to go it alone. Fourteen years ago Stephanie and her sister moved to a small town that had lots of summer tourists but no…
Read MoreTwo Ways to Make Your Town More Attractive: Celebrating the Good and Welcoming Newcomers
Talk about the good things First things first, take a moment to appreciate what already makes your town special. Is it the picturesque scenery, the tight-knit community, or the awesome local businesses? Make a list of all the things you love about your town and share it with your friends. Get them involved too! Post…
Read More3 Ways to Make Small Towns Successful: Get the practical steps to Beautification, Good Leaders and Keeping Your Youth
We know that people who are open to new ideas and willing to let newcomers be involved in the decision making help create communities that will thrive. Iowa State University’s 30 year Sigma study conducted over 99 towns told us that. There are a few other things that can make your small town more successful.…
Read MoreChristmas tree lights don’t always have to be matchy matchy in your downtown
I received lots of ideas on how to make my town a better place when I was a chamber director. One was to put up holiday lights in the trees downtown. Putting lights in trees would encourage people to spend time downtown and would be a visible sign of improvement and pride in our community.…
Read MoreThursday with Townsel in Letcher County, KY
Bad roads in Carcassonne, Kentucky I presented the Idea Friendly Method to several groups in Letcher County, KY. The group from Carcassonne talked about bad roads being a problem. By bad roads, I mean they have two lane traffic on a one lane road. In the mountains of Kentucky. There are places to pull over…
Read MoreAdvice to those working in small towns
The International Economic Development Council published my article that includes advice too: Survey of Rural Challenges: Results Show Optimism and Big Disconnects, and what economic developers can do about it. The article was about the results from the Survey of Rural Challenges, and some advice to economic developers and others working in rural communities. You…
Read MoreOur Young People are Leaving
In an email, the writer asked: Why are young people leaving their small towns? What can rural communities do, or are doing, to compete? Why are young people leaving? Here’s just a few things people told us in The Survey of Rural Challenges about why youth are leaving: This town experiences many of the same…
Read MoreNonprofit events don’t have to be boring
I’ve been to many small town events and cringe when someone at a booth or table hands me a piece of literature about their non-profit. It doesn’t work to engage me. I probably won’t read it. They’ve given me no real reason to. It will end up in the trash. Some folks throw them on…
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