Learning Landing

Self-Guided Course

Navigating Initial Setbacks

Every Main Street leader will face challenges, but not every challenge has to derail your momentum.

Formal Learning: 100 points

A group of five people greet each other inside a warmly lit coffee shop in Nevada, Iowa, with two individuals in the foreground shaking hands and others smiling in the background.

Self-Guided Course

Organization: Celebrating Success and Next Steps

Strong Main Street organizations don’t just do the work — they document it, celebrate it, and use it to build momentum.

Formal Learning: 100 points

A large group of people stands across a freshly brick-paved street in front of new streetlights and storefronts. In the center, two individuals hold oversized ceremonial scissors poised over a yellow ribbon printed with “Congratulations!” as others grasp the ribbon at either end. Many in the crowd wear matching gold shirts, while others are dressed in business or casual attire. Young trees line the street, and a stop sign and “Main St” street sign are visible on the right.

Self-Guided Course

Organization: Financial Resources and Sustainability

Organization provides the structure and systems that sustain your work, and that includes building a reliable, mission-aligned funding base.

Formal Learning: 100 points

A vibrant streetscape at dusk showing a low brick building with a large painted sign that reads “SANITARY BAKERY – QUALITY AND SERVICE A. Ramsell, Prop.” Red-trimmed windows and a small “PIZZERIA” blade sign flank its corner entrance. In front, people sit at outdoor tables under red and green umbrellas, while others chat on a raised patio platform. A black motorcycle and several cars line the street beside a raised curb and crosswalk. Lush trees frame the scene under a deepening blue sky streaked with pink-tinged clouds.

Self-Guided Course

Organization: Partnerships and Collaboration

Organization isn’t just about internal structure; it’s also about building external relationships that expand your Main Street program’s capacity and deepen its impact.

Formal Learning: 100 points

A large public sculpture of two oversized legs rising from square concrete bases and meeting at the top in a firm handshake. The entire piece is painted in a vibrant mosaic of geometric shapes—triangles and quadrilaterals in red, yellow, green, blue, pink, and purple—outlined in white. It stands on a roadside sidewalk with a parking lot, trees, and low buildings visible in the background.

Self-Guided Course

Partnerships, Trust & Community Influence

Lead with trust, connect with purpose, and shape how your community sees Main Street.

Formal Learning: 100 points

Group of eighteen people standing on a sidewalk in Columbia, Tennessee, posing beside a blue historical marker for The Memorial Building with trees, banners, and downtown buildings in the background.

Self-Guided Course

Peer Networks & Mentorship for Leadership Development

You don’t have to lead alone. In fact, you shouldn’t. The strongest Main Street leaders build their practice alongside others, through peer support, mentorship, and shared problem-solving.

Formal Learning: 100 points