Newton hosts Main Street Iowa Spring Workshop

Newton Main Street hosted about 85 individuals from around the state Wednesday and Thursday for the Main Street Iowa Spring Workshop held at The First United Methodist Church.

The spring workshop served as a training for the 52 state Main Street programs with a focus on fundraising and investment drives.

“Three times during the year we bring the Main Street Iowa network together for training, networking and deep dives into technical topics. Here in Newton, we had a central location that had the facilities in the downtown district to host the training,” Main Street Iowa State Coordinator Michael Wagler said.

On Wednesday, the workshop began with a “Sustainability, Success and Fundraising” presentation from nonprofit facilitator Andy Robinson, of Vermont, who has worked with volunteer leaders in 47 states in his 35 year career.

Main Street representatives also learned about redefining fundraising, the psychology of fundraising and board engagement before an evening hospitality party held in the former Speakeasy building.

On Tuesday, the workshop included a challenge grants panel discussion and round tables about different grant programs available and grant writing techniques.

Newton Main Street Board of Directors President Graham Sullivan gave a presentation about the programs progress, and Linda Klepinger, Larry Hurto, Erin Chambers and Newton Main Street Program Director Andrew Bass led group tours around the Newton Main Street district.

Main Street Cultural District Ames Executive Director Cindy Hicks attended the two-day event and said she enjoys the opportunity to share insights with other Main Street directors.

“It’s always nice to gather with other people who do the same job as you and learn from them and to see what is being successful in other communities so that you can take that back to your community,” she said.

Hicks spent many years with Main Street Kansas before coming to Iowa, and she sees Newton’s downtown district stands out as asset to the community.

“You look at downtown Newton and there are cars, there are people, there is business happening, and that is really something special because there are main streets across the country that are dying, and Newton has taken steps to see that their main street doesn’t become one of those,” Hicks said.

Main Street Iowa is part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and is a state-funded organization. Its goal is economic development within the context of historic preservation and focuses on economic restructuring, design, organization and promotion to create a positive image for downtown districts.

Newton Main Street received its designation in 2014 and its initial three-year pledge drive concludes at the end of 2016. Representatives will begin another three-year pledge drive in the coming months.

“The Main Street Program in Iowa is just fabulous,” Hicks said. “They really do a great job of supporting all of the communities that are a part of their program and we all benefit from it, and we all benefit from events like this, and especial in Newton. This is really a nice little town.”

Contact Kate Malott at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or kmalott@newtondailynews.com