Fundraising for Your Main Street Program Webinar

Wednesday, October 21 – 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

This session will dive into the importance of relationship building and fundraising as we move into our next chapter of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Mary Helmer will cover giving by individuals, foundations and corporations, and capitalizing on community pride in the current environment.

Presenter

Mary Helmer brings a wealth of experience to downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization. She is an experienced professional specializing in community and economic development strategies, relationship building, training and leadership development. 10 years as a local Main Street Director in Emporia, KS forged a lifelong interest in district revitalization and community development. Emporia was the first Kansas community recognized with the prestigious Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust Main Street Center. In 2007, Mary became a coordinator for the Kansas Main Street Program and served in that capacity for 5 years. In 2013, she became the President/State Coordinator of Main Street Alabama, where she worked to re-launch the statewide coordinating program following a 10-year hiatus, leaving small and large cities without resources to revitalize their downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. Main Street Alabama is dedicated to nurturing successful revitalization programs across the state. Alabama currently has 27 designated communities and 32 downtown network communities and continues to grow at a rapid rate.