Mission vs. Vision

There is usually a lot of confusion between mission and vision statements. Many hours are spent debating the differences between mission and vision. In short,  mission statements are the main objectives of an organization, and vision statements are the long-term goals envisioned for the organization’s growth.

A mission statement speaks to what the company is now. It concentrates on the present, is short-termed and informs the organization’s desired level of performance.

A vision statement outlines what a company wants to be. It concentrates on the future and is long-termed. It is meant to inspire and challenge, as well as to provide clear decision-making criteria.

An effective mission statement should address the following:

• Purpose and values of the organization
• Who are the organization’s primary clients?
• What are the responsibilities of the organization towards these clients?
• What are the main goals and objectives that support the organization in accomplishing its mission?

An effective vision statement should:

• Be clear and unambiguous
• Provide a clear snapshot of the organization’ future
• Be inspirational and provide hope
• Be memorable
• Align with organizational values and culture

Gentlemen of the Road stopover in Bristol

Bristol, TN/VA is a unique place.  “Two States; One State of Mind” is their motto, but navigating two sets of  building regulations, garbage pickups, tax codes and general government type operations can get a bit confusing.

Famous Bristol Sign Across State Street

However, Christina Blevins, executive director of Believe in Bristol, Bristol’s Main Street organization, bridges the gaps everyday in a positive, energetic and infectious manner.

Her coalition’s building skills recently paid off when Mumford & Sons were looking at communities  in which to hold their traveling Gentlemen of the Road music festival.

Already known worldwide for the Rhythm & Roots Reunion and as the Birthplace of Country Music, Bristol had an inate attraction for the band.  However, the ability to coordinate the many moving parts that an all day outdoor festival requires, in addition to the evenings music selections across the street (and consequently across the state line), Bristol cinched the deal.

Already, Bristol is getting tons of press about this event, but the real lesson is to be prepared when opportunity knocks.  Keep building relationships, offer value to all of your partners, understand the needs of your stakeholders, offer assistance without reservation and become indespensible.

Read more about the festival here, here, here, here and here.  Discounted tickets are on sale June 1.

Hopewell Celebrates Virginia Main Street Designation

A kickoff event celebrating Hopewell’s designation as an official Virginia Main Street (VMS) community was held Thursday, January 12 at the Beacon Theater in downtown Hopewell.

At the event, the VMS staff presented the town with road signs signifying its designation as a Main Street Community and joined with local officials in remarking on the community’s past and future revitalization efforts.  Food and beverages were sponsored by the John Randolph Medical Center and local restaurants, Lucky Start (formerly Pearl River) and Stone’s Diner.

In attendance at the event were Mayor Moore of Petersburg and Patrice Lewis, a representative for Senator Warner, who each read letters expressing support and enthusiasm for Hopewell’s designation.  Hopewell Mayor Christina Luman-Bailey recognized attending business and industry leaders and representatives from Ft. Lee, Colonial Heights, Prince George and Chester for their commitment and regional support.

“This is not only about Hopewell, but about the entire region, and we look forward to seeing the ‘Wonder City,’ Hopewell’s historic nickname, take on a rejuvenated role in the region,” stated Mayor Luman-Bailey.

Thursday’s kickoff event followed several prior trainings for volunteers and partners of the Hopewell Downtown Partnership (HDP), the organization who spearheaded the application process for designation and will lead the local Main Street program.  This training will be the first of many intensive services the organization will receive as a newly designated VMS community.

“We have come a long way,” commented HDP Board President Jim Poe, “but we still have a lot of work ahead of us to realize our vision for a fully revitalized downtown.  That said, together with the town, the state, local businesses and citizens, our volunteers and future staff will help make Hopewell an even more pleasant place to work, live and visit.”

For more information about Hopewell’s revitalization efforts, contact Jim Poe at (804) 400-3200 or etpoe@aol.com.

St. Paul Celebrates Main Street Designation

Residents of St. Paul, one of four newly designated Virginia Main Street communities, recently gathered to formally recognize the distinction and enlist new volunteers at a kick-off event in November. Attendees included more than 40 residents, Mayor Kyle Fletcher, Vice-Mayor Sharon Steele, Town Councilmember Monty Salyer and members of St. Paul Tomorrow, led by current Chairperson Lou Ann Wallace.

The Saturday event coincided with a visit from Santa Claus aboard the CSX Santa Train and a downtown holiday bazaar. On hand for the delivery of Virginia Main Street  signs were DHCD staff Jackie Stump, Jeff Sadler and Doug Jackson. Pictured at right: Mayor Fletcher, Jeff Sadler, and Jackie Stump. 

In remarks to the group, Mayor Kyle Fletcher spoke of the town’s potential as a destination along the Clinch River and the potential of the Main Street effort to benefit not just residents of St. Paul, but the entire region of communities in the Clinch River Valley.

After the event, St. Paul Tomorrow Secretary Suzy Harrison commented that the community had been looking forward to receiving the signs, but noted that volunteers had already begun taking advantage of Main Street resources, including a recent educational and technical assistance visit from Kathy Frazier of Frazier Associates to begin a full improvement study of downtown facades.

Bike Virginia puts pedal power into Radford economy

For three days, 2,000 cyclists from Virginia and other eastern states encamped in Radford as part of the 2011 Bike Virginia Tour. And, to help the region make the most of the event’s economic impact – projected at more than $1.5 million over the complete five days - Main Street Radford was busy providing volunteers, information, a welcoming spirit and beer.

As part of the host team, Main Street Radford partnered with City of Radford Tourism and the Radford Chamber of Commerce to provide tips on enjoying the community at an information booth. They also set up and operated a beer truck with the Chamber during the evenings.

“The comments have been terrific,” said Main Street Radford Executive Director Becky Haupt. “We’ve been able to tell a big group of visitors about what there is to do and see in our community, and they’ve been very appreciative. We’ve also been able to tell the bikers about specific merchants in the district.”

Volunteers wore Main Street Radford t-shirts with the word “volunteer” on the back.  “We’ve been told many times by riders how much they  appreciate the effort,” said Haupt. “And, we’ve been told how much they like our community. It’s been good visibility for the community and the organization.” 

In 2009, the tour visited the Designated Virginia Main Street Community of Orange. In 2010, it passed through both Harrisonburg and Staunton.  For more information about this year’s event and its projected economic impacts, watch the WSLS story here.

Sustainable Main Street resources available

Main Street efforts are already bringing together economic, social and environmental goals in pursuit of fostering quality in their communities. To push it a step futher, 70 participants gathered in Staunton in July for two days of conversation on and the examination of sustainability models in Virginia.

Speakers included Andrea Dono of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and sustainability leaders from across the commonwealth. 

If you were unable to make it to the workshop, you can catch up on the conversation by downloading the training archives available now at www.dhcd.virginia.gov/mainstreet.

Virginia Main Street designates four new communities

Governor McDonnell announced yesterday that four new communities can now tout their distinction as Designated Virginia Main Street Communities.  The new communities are the cities of Hopewell and Bristol and the towns of Farmville and St. Paul.  They were chosen based on a combination of factors that included need, readiness, community support and appropriateness of their district.  With the addition of these four communities, the number of Designated Virginia Main Street Communities grows to 25.

Said Governor McDonnell,

“With public and private investment in our traditional commercial districts, we can spark entrepreneurship and job creation downtown in rural and distressed regions of our commonwealth. Main Street is a proven model that uses limited state resources to support local strategies and leverage local resources.”

Each community brings a unique set of historic assets and strategic focus to its revitalization work. Bristol and St. Paul, in Southwest Virginia, are aligned with a 19-county strategy that promotes the region’s cultural heritage and natural assets. Downtown Hopewell’s placement on the James River is the centerpiece of a local quality of life strategy, and Farmville is strengthening ties with local universities and the emerging regional cultural heritage strategies in Southern Virginia. Virginia Main Street will provide technical assistance, training, and expert resources to assist the communities with aligning resources and achieving these goals.

We are pleased to have these folks on board and ask that you help us welcome them.

One way to earn a Scooby Snack: “Stay Exempt” tools clearly communicate IRS rules

Those vaguely familiar looking characters at the right aren’t from a lost Scooby-Doo episode. They’ve been freshly created by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as part of the micro site www.stayexempt.irs.gov, and they’re here to help you meddling kids keep your charitable status.

The IRS has gotten tougher in recent years on both the organizational and operation tests that your nonprofit oranization has to pass. Things to avoid: benefiting a private party, excessive lobbying, affecting political campaigns, engaging in unrelated business, and filing incorrectly. 

Once you know the rules, it’s really not that difficult to operate within the guidelines. And to help you learn them, these characters participate in online workshops with you.

The IRS really can’t try much harder to make all of this accessible, so instead of getting that teeth chattering fear of the mysterious presence lurking nearby, become your organization’s expert on the right way to do things.

Virginia Main Street Announces Community Designation How to Apply Workshops

Virginia Main Street (VMS) will be accepting applications, due June 16, for up to four additional communities to be designated in FY2012. 

This intensive approach to downtown revitalization is ideal for DHCD Commercial Affiliates and other smaller localities with pedestrian oriented historic commercial districts that are committed to community-based revitalization strategies. In this expansion round, VMS will focus on economically distressed communities that serve as a focal point for regional economic recovery. 

VMS will consider start-up efforts on an equal basis with communities that have existing downtown improvement organizations. More information about this unique opportunity will be available at three How to Apply Workshops in May. Please register here for one of the following workshops:

South Boston
May 16, 10 a.m.  
Hope Classroom, Southern Virginia Higher Education Center
820 Bruce Street, South Boston 24592

Marion
May 17th , 10:30 a.m.
Garden Party Room
212 East Main Street, Marion 24354

Richmond
May 18th, 1 p.m.
Main Street Centre, Floor 12 Conference Room
600 East Main Street, Richmond, 23219

Main Street merchant profile: Waynesboro Florist’s Webber Payne

Waynesboro Florist has been a downtown staple for 45 years, and owner Webber Payne says he can’t imagine the store being anywhere else. “We benefit from the foot traffic downtown,” he says, ”and we add to it as well.”

Webber Payne grew up in the family business, which has survived economic cycles, changes in the regional industrial base, and even a 1978 fire which relocated the store to it’s current location at 325 West Main Street. 

Waynesboro received Virginia Main Street Community designation in 2000, and Webber was involved from the start, participating in the establishment of Waynesboro Downtown Development, Inc. (WDDI), and serving on the design committee. the economic restructuring committee, and the board. 

Webber says he’s enjoyed the work in each role, but the design committee might hold the most pleasure for him. “Working with Frazier Associates to provide architectural renderings that demonstrate the district’s great potential to the community can really give you a first-hand glimpse into the future.”

And with the involvement of merchants like Webber, the future is bright, There’s a key to his longevity:  “We have been successful,” he says, ”because we provide service and quality. We carry a luxury product; we have to go above and beyond.”  It’s a strategy that works across every Main Street community, and merchant leader Webber Payne at Waynesboro Florist stands as a model.

To nominate a merchant in your community for a Main Street merchant profile, contact Doug Jackson.