Creating a Thriving and Livable Community
Community Collaborations At
Work – “Spiffin’ Up Martin Luther
Spiffin’
King Jr. Boulevard”
Gary Marschke
“Building Business while Building Community”
North-
North-Northeast Business
Gary E. Marschke
LONG TERM STRATEGIES
LONGTERMSTRATEGIES THAT
503-412-8520
Association
CONNECT YOU WITH YOUR
gmarschke@comcast.net
COMMUNITY OF CUSTOMERS
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 1

Presentation Outline
Project Description
Who Was Involved
Why It Was Successful
Collaboration Scope
Collaboration Strategies
Conclusion
Q&A Session
S i
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 2

Collaboration Project Description
A one day clean-up and beautification project
clean-
covering 3 miles of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
i il f M i L h Ki J Bl d
from NE Broadway north to NE Lombard
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 3

Who Was Involved
More than 300 volunteers from all over Portland
All 5 bordering Neighborhood Associations
7 f i h-b
faith-
faith based churches and organizations
dh h d ii
12 local community & government agencies
3 local media sponsors
More than 50 local businesses provided cash
and in-kind worth $ 10,500!
in-
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 4

Why It Was Successful − 1
Early planning
process begun 6 months prior to the event – required for many
logistics
immediate de-brief, commitment and time line for following year
de-brief commitment,
Strong & experienced partners
SOLV – expertise, training, capacity, supplies, recruitment,
publicity
Hands On Portland
H d O P tl d – expertise, recruitment
ti it t
Planning Committee members with event & sponsorship
experience
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 5

Why It Was Successful − 2
Extremely visible event
Hard to miss 300 volunteers on the street in brightly colored
vests!
Impact of work accomplished immediately visible
and quantifiable
Lots of collaborators
35 last year – more than 75
this year – targeting 100 in ‘09!
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 6

Why So Many Collaborators?
Division of labor – lower incidence of ‘burn out’ –
especially YOU!
Spread out the costs – easier to say ‘yes’ to your ask
Greater visibility – more means more of everything
“Me-
“Me-too!” factor – nobody likes to be left out
Credibility – everybody likes to jump on a bandwagon
Expertise – no need to reinvent the wheel
Looks good on the resume
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 7

Community Outreach -- Strategy
Strategize for total inclusion – businesses, neighborhood
associations, churches, service agencies, government, individuals –
everyone!
Develop multiple “points of engagement” – posters, coupons,
bathrooms, volunteers, parking, promotion….something for
everyone!
Focus on “enlightened self-interest” – more traffic, media exposure,
self-
repeat business, visible community support, product sampling –
what’s in it for them?
Clearly communicate benefits – simple one page leave behind with
clear packages and expectations - paint a word picture of the event
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 8

Community Outreach – The ‘B’s
Bs
Be positive – emphasize the upside rather than the negative
Be passionate – excitement and energy is contagious!
Be persistent – consistent and timely follow up – ask for a timeline
Be fl ibl
B flexible – everything i ‘
thi is ‘negotiable’ – h
ti bl ’ how can we make it worth
k th
your while and ours?
Be proactive – think ahead of your prospective partner – if I were
them, why would I b i
th h ld be involved
ld
Be OK with ‘no’ – not everyone will se it your way
Be Yourself – faking it is obvious and transparent – a real turn-off!
turn-
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 9

Co
Community Outreach – the Action Plan
u ty Out eac t e ct o a
Break up the tasks – make sure that everyone has as much as they
can handle but not more!
Focus on “enlightened self-interest” –what’s in it for each volunteer –
self-
how can their tasks be most beneficial to them as well as the event?
Start early – ‘too early’ only allows for more time for follow up
too early up.
Be clear on the expectations – volunteers rarely do more than
expected
Build follow up i t your ti
B ild f ll into time li
lines – volunteers get busy and often
lt tb d ft
require the ‘gentle nudge’.
Be flexible – account for drop outs and under-performers including
under-
being
b i prepared t d it yourself.
d to do lf
Give the volunteers ALL of the materials they need to do their jobs!
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 10

In Conclusion…
Golden Rule #1:
When pitching, ALWAYS make your contacts in
person!
Golden Rule #2:
When closing, ALWAYS make your contacts in
person!
Golden Rule #3:
When finished, ALWAYS say “Thank You !
finished Thank You”!
And mean it!
APNBA Business District Association Conference – June, 2008 11