Toolkit Home | Program Sustainability | Organizational Structure
Creating an organizational structure for your legacy business program.
To successfully maintain a legacy business program, a clear organizational and administrative structure is required. This structure provides the foundation for a stable and scalable program by defining authority, funding, and standards. It also informs your community and municipal stakeholders what to expect and clarifies internal roles and responsibilities. When this structure is clearly established, the program can better withstand changes in municipal administrations, staff turnovers, and budget fluctuations. Building this organizational framework helps keep the program on track, ensuring it performs, scales, or evolves to meet the community’s needs.
Resource.
The Community Toolbox
The Community Toolbox offers a handy overview, checklist, and examples for creating an organizational structure. While it is not specific to municipal governments, it provides examples that can be used with any organization.
To assist you in creating your organizational structure, the following checklist utilizes resources from The Community Toolbox, adapted with content from this toolkit. This checklist is not exhaustive; it serves as a starting point that you should modify based on your program's needs and scope.
Organizational Structure Checklist
Authority
◻ Create and approve the foundational policy that provides the legal authority for the legacy business program.
◻ Identify any governmental officials or advisory commissions involved in the program reviews.
Funding
◻ Create and approve the financial policy that funds the legacy business program.
◻ Establish dedicated funds for participants in the legacy business program.
◻ Investigate, approve, and establish any tax-based funding (e.g., TIFs or TOTs)
◻ Develop the financial reporting, auditing, and compliance standards for the program.
Placement
◻ Establish which municipal department of community organization will lead the program and define their role.
◻ Authorize any interdepartmental partnerships or supporting roles needed (e.g., the finance department).
Personnel
◻ Identify the required roles and create an organizational chart. This could include management, business support, community outreach, administrative support, and policy. Outline how the organization could and should scale.
◻ Define the job titles for the roles. This could include titles like program managers, business case managers, community outreach specialists, etc.
Process
◻ Formalize the application process and outline its steps. Identify how the process can be more accessible and equitable, and identify the resources to make that happen.
◻ Formalize the eligibility metrics required to qualify for the program. Outline how municipal, business, and community stakeholders will be a part of the process.
◻ Outline the review and confirmation process. Identify which resources will need to be involved in the process.
◻ Establish the methods, technologies, and platform for sharing the legacy business program with the community (e.g., an online registry).
Business Support
◻ Identify and establish business support offerings for legacy business owners.
◻ Identify internal and external partners to perform business support services.
◻ Create an accessible discovery and application process for business support services for legacy business owners.
Economic Support
◻ Identify, establish, and fund economic support tools for legacy business owners.
◻ Identify, establish, and fund economic support tools for legacy business property owners.
◻ Create a process for qualifying for preservation funding.
◻ Create a process for external funding partners like CDFIs or CDCs.
◻ Create an accessible discovery and application process for economic services for legacy business owners and property owners.
Internal Policy
◻ Develop internal standards, such as those for conflict of interest or human resources.
◻ Develop the process to monitor, review, renew, or cancel legacy businesses in the program.
◻ Develop the requirements and schedule for financial reporting, annual reports, impact tracking, etc.
Stakeholder and Community Engagement
◻ Develop the framework and methodology for collecting feedback and input from legacy business owners.
◻ Develop the framework and methodology for collecting community feedback and input.
◻ Create a program, methodology, and resources (funding and staff) for collecting any required supporting documentation and media, including oral histories, interviews, photographs, videos, and story maps.
Marketing and Communication
◻ Create branding and messaging guidelines,
◻ Outline public awareness strategy (e.g., social media, press releases, public events, etc.)
Evaluation
◻ Establish performance metrics that will be tracked to measure success (e.g., decreased displacement, business owner and community ratings, economic growth, business stability, etc.)
◻ Create a timeline and methodology for reporting performance.
◻ Develop a policy and process for program evolution, including community feedback and delisting.