GOOD ideas for cities

- The toolkit -

- table of contents Letter from GOOD Ideas for Cities

About GOOD Ideas for Cities

Planning Your Event

Venue Selection

06

Program Partners

08

2012 GIFC recap

10

GOOD Ideas for Cities Toolkit

14

DIY or Featured Event?

15

Five Steps to Success

16

Event Timeline

18

Recruiting Local Hosts and Partners

20

Hosts

22

Partners

24

Media Partners

25

Creating A One Sheet

Organizing A Happy Hour Kickoff Event

52
54

Providing Food And Drink

55

Selecting A Date And Time

56

Creating A Run Of Show

57

Basic AV Requirements

59

Videography & Photography

60

Taking RSVPs

61

Promotion And Publicity

62

After the Event

64

Documenting Your Event

67

Keeping The Conversation Going

69

City Case Studies

68

Building Inclusive Teams (Frances Yllana, Dallas)

74

26

Collaborating with Local Universities (Nicole Lavelle, Portland)

78

27

Partnering with AIGA Chapters (Frances Yllana, Dallas)

82

30

Giving $500 Microgrants to Teams (Alan Williams, New Orleans)

86

31

Creating Pledge Sheets (Frank Russell, Cincinnati)

90

Potential Role For Sponsors

33

Raising Additional Funds

34

Organizing a Follow-Up Event (Jeannette Thompson, St. Louis)

94

Fundraising and Securing Sponsors

Sponsors

Inviting urban Leaders and Collecting Challenges

04

36

Reaching Out to Urban Leaders

39

World Challenge Statements

40

Role Of The Urban Leader

42

Selecting Local Creatives

44

Creating The Call For Creatives

45

Publicizing To Creatives

45

Selecting Teams

47

Pairing Creatives With Challenges

48

Working With Urban Leaders

48

The Role of the Creative Team

49

Guidelines For Presentations

60

Contact Us

98

Use the table of contents to click through the toolkit

Since then, our GOOD Ideas for Cities initiative has been hosting events across
the country which pair teams of creatives with urban challenges proposed by city
leaders. In 2011, we partnered with the urban think tank CEOs for Cities, and our
program received a $85,000 grant from the new creative placemaking organization
ArtPlace which allowed us to host events in six mid-sized American cities: Portland,
Oregon; St. Louis, Missouri; Richmond, Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; and
New Orleans, Louisiana. We were also honored to be included in the exhibition
Spontaneous Interventions as part of the U.S. Pavilion at the 13th International
Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy. Over 30 solutions were proposed at these
events in 2012, and, more importantly, about a third of all the projects presented are
now moving towards implementation.

A letter from

Good ideas for cities

Four years ago, I was having a conversation with a graphic designer here in Los
Angeles just after the presidential election. Like many creatives, this designer had worked
hard on one of the campaigns, and experienced a rewarding sense of civic engagement.
He was eager to continue this work, redirecting his energy to serve his city. Yet he was
unsure where to start; he didnt want his actions to be misguided or replicate something
that was already happening. A few days later, I was at a meeting at City Hall with some
food policy leaders who were looking for new ways to encourage Angelenos to buy locally
grown produce. If only that enthusiastic designer could be hearing this, I thought.
It wasnt until much later that I put the two incidents together. As a journalist for GOOD,
I had unique insight into the challenges my city was facing, as well as access to a large
community of people eager to solve them. With GOOD acting as a matchmaker between
local creatives and urban leaders, there was no reason we couldnt amass a list of L.A.s
biggest problems and hand them over to the enthusiastic designers, architects, writers,
filmmakers and artists we knew in town.
In December of 2008, GOODs co-founder Casey Caplowe and I organized an event that
assigned some of L.A.s most invested, talented citizens to high-level problems handpicked by local leaders. Addressing issues ranging from traffic to water to the citys lack
of earthquake preparedness, the creatives presented their visions for Los Angeles to
a standing room-only crowd of urban leaders and citizens who could help make them
reality. The event was so successful we immediately started fielding emails from schools,
design organizations and local governments to bring the program to their cities.

And the solutions which are moving forward are truly inspiring. In Portland, a
hackathon was held to build technology tools which can help connect the citys large
child-less population with local public schools. In St. Louis, a citywide network of
beacons that encourage civic interaction is moving towards reality. In New Orleans,
all four ideas, from bikeway signage to better bus shelters, are in various stages
of implementation. And in one of our most successful projects, a board game was
created for an L.A. homelessness organization to help train volunteers who are
working to get people off the streets and into transitional housing. The organization
is now using the board game in several cities, and has reported that it helped cut
processing time in half.
Perhaps even more encouraging is that weve found the events themselves act as
catalysts for the city. In 2012 the program brought together more than 2000 people
across the country, and the key is that these are people from the government, arts
and nonprofit worlds who dont normally talk to each other. Many partnerships and
collaborations are created in addition to the formal pairings we create at the event,
and the model has inspired other organizations to create similar events.
Weve traveled the country learning about the challenges that cities are facing,
and if anything weve learned that the issues in each place are strikingly similar.
In that sense, the GOOD Ideas for Cities program hopes to create a network of
shareabledare we stay steal-able?ideas for every city. Weve collected videos of
all the solutions on our site and have produced several follow-up articles to track
implementation for the projects that have moved forward.
And now were hoping to use what weve learned to launch a movement. Were
making all of our findings public with this toolkit which you can use to host the same
GOOD Ideas for Cities event in your community. We hope to see the toolkit used
coast to coast, uniting local creatives and urban leaders in their efforts to build
more vibrant cities together. Please contact me with your thoughts and feedback at
[email protected] . I cant wait to hear the stories from your city.

Alissa Walker
Editor, GOOD Ideas for Cities
November 2012

- about -

GOOD Ideas for Cities brings together teams of creatives in cities across
the country to solve real urban challenges proposed by civic leaders and
present their solutions at live public events.
Since 2008, GOOD Ideas for Cities has held 25 events in 10
cities generating 120 solutions to urban challenges across
the U.S. In 2012, thanks to a grant from ArtPlace, GOOD
teamed up with partner organization CEOs For Cities to take
the program to six mid-sized cities across the U.S. including,
Portland, St. Louis, Richmond, Cincinnati, Dallas and New
Orleans. Currently, about one-third of the ideas presented in
2012 are making their way towards implementation.
The ripple effect of the GOOD Ideas for Cities program
reaches even further. When a group of passionate citizens
come together to produce a GOOD Ideas for Cities event,
they not only generate fresh ideas, they create a platform
that brings the community together in a new and innovative
way. Across the board those who have participated tell us
that the relationships they formed through the GOOD Ideas
for Cities process were some of the biggest takeaways.

Watch videos of all the ideas presented in 2012

on the GOOD.is site: good.is/ideasforcities

Read write-ups and impressions of the program

by editor Alissa Walker at: artplaceamerica.org

Learn more through case studies written by

GOOD Ideas for Cities partners in five different
cities at the end of this document

Sharing what weve learned is a big part of this initiative, and

we hope that bringing more cities into the conversation will
allow us to grow our database of creative urban ideas.

Look out for these icons to click through to important links

6

- program partners -

GOOD is a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits

pushing the world forward. Since 2006 weve been making a magazine,
videos, and events for people who give a damn. At GOOD, weve always
been passionate about cities, especially when creatives take localized,
urbanist action which can have global implications. As more people around
the world move into urban environments, our attention is focused on the
functionality of the citythe way it works, and how it can work better.

good.is

CEOs for Cities is a global learning and partnership network

that connects urban leaders to each other and to smart ideas and practices
for making cities successful. Today, a citys future relies upon engaged
organizational leaders from across sectors with a shared agenda and a
coherent voice. With more than 250 partners from over 40 cities, CEOs
for Cities is a civic innovation lab and network of urban leaders and change
agents from diverse sectors dedicated to building, advancing, and sustaining
the next generation of great American cities.
ceosforcities.org

artplace is a collaboration of eleven of the nations top foundations,

eight federal agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts, and six
of the nations largest banks to accelerate creative placemaking across the U.S.
ArtPlace is investing in art and culture at the heart of a portfolio of integrated
strategies that can drive vibrancy and diversity so powerful that it transforms
communities.
artplaceamerica.org

This toolkit was made possible

thanks to a generous grant
from ArtPlace

- In 2012, GOOD Ideas for Cities: -

10

Held six events in six

cities across the U.S.

Reached audiences
totaling more than
2,300 people

Involved 60+ urban leaders from

local government, non-profit,
private sector, higher education
and cultural institutions

Surfaced 265+
creative thinkers to
connect with local
issues

Generated over 30
new solutions to real
urban challenges local
leaders are facing

Helped move one-third

of the ideas presented
towards implementation

11

what will your city achieve?

-

As part of our 2012 grant from ArtPlace, we

were able to document, consolidate and report
what weve learned while producing these events
during the past four years. Weve condensed
all the information into this how-to guide that
contains everything a city needs to know to
build their own GOOD Ideas for Cities event.
Because our goal is to reach as many cities
across the country and around the world that
want to get involved, weve designed the toolkit
as its own stand-alone guide for cities who want
to take our format and run with it to create
their own DIY events.

- diy or featured event ? Its up to you to decide which type of event would be best for your city. If youve
already got some momentum in the civic realm and have great relationships with
your local urban leaders, hosting a DIY event might be the perfect way to use
our structure for your program. But if youre a city that needs new connections
and fresh thinking to get the dialogue going, you might be interested in working
directly with our team on a featured GOOD Ideas for Cities event.
If you go the DIY route, youll be able to create your own name for your event and
customize the basic structure to fit your needs. All that we ask is that you refer
to your event as Inspired by GOOD Ideas for Cities in all materials, and keep us
informed of your progress via email. Send us a link to your event and well Tweet
it to help you get the word out. Were excited to see what you come up with!

If you want to host a featured event, youll get full support

from our GOOD Ideas for Cities team, including:
City-specific branding in collaboration with the designers at GOOD
Editorial and event strategy with GOOD editors

But some cities have told us that the real value

of their GOOD Ideas for Cities experience came
from collaborating with GOOD and CEOs for
Cities to help catalyze action. In response,
weve also created what we are calling a GOOD
Ideas for Cities featured event, where our team
will work closely with city organizers to help
strategize the program, advise creative teams
and urban leaders, moderate the event and
document and share the outcomes with
a wider audience.
14

Selection and recruitment of urban leaders with CEOs for

Cities advisors
Event moderation by GOOD Ideas for Cities editor Alissa Walker
Event promotion through the GOOD and CEOs for Cities networks
Content about your event featured on GOOD.is

However, there are some costs associated with a featured event to help pay for
the time and effort of our awesome team members.
Once youve read through the toolkit and decided which kind of event youd like
to produce, let our team know at [email protected] . For a featured event,
well discuss your citys needs, prepare a quote, send back an agreement and get
started right away.

15

- Five steps to success Weve divided the toolkit into five focus
areas. As youre starting to plan your event,
we suggest forming a local taskforce and
using these areas as committees to help
divide up responsibilities.

PLANNING YOUR EVENT

SELECTING LOCAL
CREATIVES

INVITING URBAN
LEADERS & COLLECTING
CHALLENGES

Fundraising and
Securing Sponsors

RECRUITING LOCAL
HOSTS AND PARTNERS
The foundation of the program is a
strong local team from a variety of
backgrounds. Host organizations
will provide the leadership for
the event and act as the liaison
with the GOOD Ideas for Cities
team. Partners are local groups,
institutions and organizations
who can assist with planning and
promotion. What are the active
groups in your city who should be
involved? Who should you reach
out to for help? How should you
ask them to be involved?

Successful events work

closely with local sponsors
who give money or in-kind
donations in exchange for
promotion. Sponsors can pay
for things like refreshments,
AV and other costs associated
with the event. Should you
sell tickets to your event?
Will you use Kickstarter or
another crowdfunding service
to raise money? How will you
recognize sponsors and other
contributors?

Another key part of the event

is brainstorming the challenges
facing the city and identifying
the people who can issue those
challenges from the citys
perspective. Most cities invite a
minimum of five city leaders who
are each committed to issuing
a challenge to the creative
teams. What are the big issues
your city is facing? What are the
organizations or government
agencies that are making things
happen? Who are enthusiastic
local leaders?

Strong teams of engaged

local creatives are essential
for an inspiring event. Cities
should aim for a diverse
group of multidisciplinary
creatives who come from
different backgrounds and
neighborhoods. Deciding
how to select creatives is
up to your city. How will
you encourage creatives
to apply? What application
process will you use? How
will you pick which teams will
present at the event?

Finally, putting together a fun,

energetic social gathering is
critical to the impact of your
program. This includes securing
an appropriate venue, managing
AV and tech issues, working
with vendors and sponsors, and
providing food and drink to keep
the atmosphere lively. Where will
you hold your event? Who will
serve food and drink? How will you
organize the presentations?

17

- Event timeline The ideal GOOD Ideas for Cities event schedule starts about four months before the event date, but if you have more time to plan, we encourage
you to use it! Heres an overview of a timeline thats worked great in other cities.

Form your local

taskforce, hold first
meeting

Finalize city hosts

Begin local outreach

to media partners

Secure venue

Secure videographer
and photographer

Begin outreach to
urban leaders

Begin local outreach

to sponsors and
partners

Secure catering/
refreshments/bar

CONGRATS,

Close the call for creatives

YOUVE MADE IT

Collect challenge statements

from urban leaders

Hold a kickoff happy hour

with all local participants

TO EVENT DAY!

Conduct site visit with

venue and AV

Confirm all vendors,

sponsors and partners

Ev

20
W

15
W

eeks

eeks

Post call for creatives

Create event graphics

10
W

eeks

Post call for volunteers

Create city-specific
Twitter hashtag and
Facebook page

eeks

Announce challenges,
including creative team
and urban leader pairings
Open RSVPs/ticket sales

eeks

eeks

ent

Collect presentations, check against AV specs

Create and distribute run of show

Collect feedback survey

results from local participants

Collect and share local press

coverage through social media

Week

1
eek

D ay

1
F T ER

Send thank you email to all

participants

Send link to feedback survey

W
A

EEKS

F T ER

Write follow-up
story focused
on impact and
implementation

Host follow-up
event

EEKS

F T ER

W
A

EEKS

30
F T ER

Publish videos and

short articles of
presentations

Begin press outreach to

local media

Confirm urban leaders

and issue request for
challenge statement

19

Next, sort your master list into the following categories:

Recruiting
Local Hosts
And
Partners

Hosts
Partners
Media Partners
Sponsors
Urban Leaders
Creatives

The secret to a great city-focused event is involving a variety

of organizations and individuals and giving them roles that
are aligned with what they already do best. You probably
have your own go-to list of contacts for people you know
well, but some of the strongest results weve seen in cities
came from an eclectic mix of groups that brought different
strengths and perspectives to the table. The GOOD Ideas
for Cities program is a great opportunity to build a contact
network that bridges across all facets of the community.

The first groups youll want to confirm are your hosts and partners so well cover
them here in this section. Well address sponsors, urban leaders and creatives later.

Who should be involved?

With your taskforce, brainstorm a master list of every organization, venue, publication,
and individual you can think of that would, or should, be active in a conversation about
improving your city. Who are the movers and shakers right now? Who are leading key
initiatives? Which organizations have launched a major undertaking in the last couple
of years? Where do big city forums or meetings take place? Who is hosting them? Look
at the last few weeks of news articles from your local mediawho is making headlines?
Who is covering these stories?

20

21

- Hosts Establishing a solid group of host organizations is an essential first step in

A typical host relationship has looked like this in other cities:

preparing for a GOOD Ideas for Cities event in your city. Hosts act as the on-theground organizers as well as the liaison between GOOD Ideas for Cities staffers
and the local audience, coordinating the event itself and reporting back to our
team. In our experience, having more than one host organization is an advantage,

Hosts will oversee the creation of the event page, RSVP

system, blog posts, Facebook page and Twitter coverage
using the city-specific hashtag.

but having more than three can become hard to manage.

Since your event hosts will help to support and grow the program, we recommend
choosing groups who have missions similar to GOOD Ideas for Cities. Your event

Hosts will act as the liaison between the GOOD Ideas for
Cities team and the local community.

hosts can be from any of the categories of outreach weve listed. For example,
they could be the venue sponsor or even a media outlet. Ideally, your host entities
are in the position to offer a great deal of volunteer time, and possibly financial
and in-kind support to the program, as well. Hosts are more than someone willing
to help outthese are the entities who will be vested in the success of
this initiative.
When reaching out to your potential event hosts, send them an event one-sheet

Hosts will oversee workflow and coordination for all

event planning aspects. Setting up project management
software like Basecamp

or Google Drive

is extremely

helpful.

Hosts will help to select and vet urban leaders and

creative teams.

youve created about your local program. Be sure to outline your expectations
of their role as a host and offer other opportunities for their involvement in the

Hosts will act as spokespeople for the event in

event if they are not able to serve in this capacity.

interviews or other coverage by media.

Hosts will be given two minutes to introduce their

organization at the beginning of the program.

Hosts will have their names included on the event

posting and all invitation copy for the event, with links
to their organizations.

Hosts will have their logos projected on screens

before and after the program at the event.

Learn how Portland, Oregon worked with a local university

to host the event and expand their program even more
22

23

- partners In addition to hosts, cities planning events also rely on the help from partners who do
not supply monetary or in-kind donations, rather they provide various promotional
and logistical assistance with the event itself. Its most beneficial to work with partner
organizations who can reach out to their members about the event, sending details
about applying as a creative team through newsletters or other emails, and then
promoting the event to their members to attend the event.
Many cities have found great success in partnering with professional creative
organizations like AIGA, AIA, IDSA, ASLA, as well as groups focusing on advertising,
business, environmentalism, and urban redevelopment. Neighborhoods and
community-focused groups also make great partners, as do alumni groups or other
educational institutions.

A typical partner relationship has looked like this:

Partners will help promote the event through blog posts, Facebook,
Twitter using a link to the event invitation and the city-specific hashtag.
Partners will blast both the call-for-creatives and the event information
to their membership through newsletters or email.
Partners will be thanked at the beginning of the program.
Partners will have their names included as on the event post about
the event and all invitation copy for the event, with links to their
organizations.
Partners will have their logos projected on screens before and after the
program at the event.
If space allows, partners can table at the event, putting their programs
or publications out for the audience to view.

24

Local chapters of AIGA, a national design organization, served

as excellent partners in all our 2012 events. Find out how you
can partner with an AIGA chapter in your city

25

- media partners One of the biggest draws for a branded GOOD Ideas for Cities program is the
national and even global reach of the GOOD media network. From the print
magazine to the online network, GOOD plays a big role in bringing attention to
your event. However, even with such a great media partner on the national scale,
nothing can replace the benefit of a solid local media partner to help you generate
interest from the community and share your stories.
Remember we recommended that you include local media in your big brainstorm
list of who should get involved in your citys GOOD Ideas for Cities event. From
that list, you will want to identify one or two outlets that you feel would be ideal
partners in telling the story: newspapers, alternative weeklies, city magazines,
radio shows, television stations. In addition to traditional media, dont forget your
local bloggers who cover urban issues. We have found that partnerships with
prominent blogs have yielded some great stories and online content. Additionally,
many cities have seen wonderful success working with local public media.
When you are approaching a media outlet to become a partner, it will be important
for you to determine in advance what you would like the partnership to yield and
what you will offer in return.

A typical media partner relationship has looked like this:

Media partners will help promote the event through blog posts,
Facebook, Twitter using a link to the event invitation and the
city-specific hashtag.

Media partners will provide coverage before and after the

event: One or two blog posts or calendar listings before the
event, and a recap of the event afterwards

Media partners will live-tweet at the event, using the cityspecific hashtag.

Media partners may publish creative team profiles in advance of

event to generate buzz.

Media partners may publish the ideas, videos and presentations.

26

27

Media partners will be thanked at the beginning of the program.

Media partners will have their names included as on the event post
about the event and all invitation copy for the event, with links to
their organizations.

Media partners will have their logos projected on screens before

and after the program at the event.

- Creating a one sheet To reach out to any potential hosts, partners or sponsors to get them involved in
your event, its imperative that you create a simple one-sheet about the program.
In the early stages, it doesnt need to cover all the specifics, but it should have
some basic background about the GOOD Ideas for Cities initiative as well as your
vision for how the event will transform your city. If you have any confirmed hosts
or partners, add those names and organizations. If you have a date, time and
venue confirmed, you should also include that information as well.

For DIY events, this is a good time to start thinking about your
event title and graphic.

For featured events, our GOOD Ideas for Cities team will work
with you to create a graphic template for the one-sheet, including
a city-specific logo for you to use throughout the program.

Public television stations make great local media partners.

Watch the video that Nine Network made for the St. Louis event

For more links to media coverage of GOOD Ideas for Cities

events, check out our Storify page
28

Creating a one-sheet is a great way to engage potential

collaborators. Check out our sample one sheet
29

Organizing
- The happy hour Kickoff event
One of the first official tasks for your taskforce will be organizing the happy hour kickoff
event to bring together all the hosts, partners, sponsors, plus selected urban leaders
and selected creative teams. You also might want to include volunteers who want to
help with the event itself. This will be a chance to answer any questions about the
event and to give participants an opportunity to meet each other. We suggest a very
casual gathering at a place that serves food and drink which is centrally located and
accessible to transit. A good timeframe for this kickoff is two months from the event
date, just as youre announcing the challenges and pairings and opening up the RSVPs.
You can also speak with participants at this time about helping to promote the event.

Dallas organized their kickoff event during an annual

Design Week festival. Learn how they did it
30

31

- sponsors -

Fundraising
and
Securing
Sponsors

Producing a GOOD Ideas for Cities event typically requires

various in-kind and monetary needs that your taskforce
will have to secure. Many cities have been lucky enough to
have much of their hard costs covered through generous
donations, ranging from beer from local breweries to a
venue offered free of change.

Working with a local sponsor can be one of the most valuable relationships in
the GOOD Ideas for Cities process. As with the hosts and partner relationships,
youll want to reach out to sponsors that have values aligned with the program.
But also think of sponsors as resources. Sponsors tend to have clout in the local
community and can serve as a great way to connect you to urban leaders. Its not
unusual for representatives from the sponsor organizations to join the taskforce
and become extremely involved in the planning process.
Also, as youre looking for sponsors, think about what your event can do for the
sponsor. Can you offer them visibility or the chance to interact with an engaged
local audience? Put together an enticing proposal for a sponsor that shows how
they will be more than just a donormake them part of the initiative.

A typical sponsor relationship has looked like this:

Sponsors donate money and/or in-kind items.

Sponsors will be thanked at the beginning of the program.

Sponsors will have their names included on the event post

and all invitation copy for the event, with links to their
organizations.

What kind of support is needed?

Sponsors will have their logos projected on screens before

First, look at your budget for your event. If most of your needs are tangible goods
and services like snacks and videography, you may be able to line up sponsors who
will provide those goods in exchange for exposure. If additional funds are needed,
you may want to look at fundraising, including selling tickets to the event or using
a crowdsourcing platform like Kickstarter.

32

and after the program at the event. They can also create
tables or displays with product or business cards at the event.

33

potential
- roles for sponsors

Venue
In many cities the generosity of sponsors (who can also be event hosts) helped to
provide a venue free of charge. Civic organizations and academic institutions are
usually happy to offer up their spaces, and often also have great networks through
which to promote the event.

Drinks
We think our events work best when attendees can have a complimentary beer
(or wine) in hand. Cities have had great success working with local breweries and
wineries that can provide local flavor for the evening.

Food
Showcasing local restaurants is a wonderful part of our events. Food trucks have
been a fixture in many cities, offering smaller portion sizes or a simplified menu.
Sponsorships can help offset costs and guests really appreciate the gesture,
especially at evening events.

Videography
Filming the presentations can be one of the more expensive items to cover when
planning an event. Connecting with a vendor who will donate these services is
a huge help. Cities have had luck with schools getting involved with their film
students or production teams, which has given them a great opportunity for
interviewing and editing.

34

35

- raising additional funds To cover even more costs for your event, you might want to engage in some
fundraising activities that brings in donations or ticket sales from the community.
Here are a few methods weve seen work well for events like these.

Selling Event Tickets

This is probably the most simple way to raise funds. Using a platform like Eventbrite
(which we recommend even if youre taking free RSVPs) you can set ticket prices
and allow attendees to pay via credit card or PayPal . If you sell tickets online,
you should also be prepared to sell tickets at the door, with cash to use as change,
a way to accept checks, and credit cards, if possible. Square is an easy way to take
credit cards using an iPhone.

Using Kickstarter to Pre-Sell Tickets

A crowdfunding platform is a great way to not only bring about awareness of your
event, but it can also serve as a great way to pre-sell tickets. Using Kickstarter ,
attendees can pledge their support at different levels and receive different
premiums, so simply make a ticket one of the premiums. You can also use You can
also use Kickstarter to sell sponsorships. However, your taskforce must create,
distribute, and deliver upon those premiums, so think carefully about them. Also look
at Indie-a-Go-Go , which works in the same way as Kickstarter, but doesnt require
a funding minimum to be reached in order for the project to be funded.

Taking Door Donations

A less-formal way to raise money is simply to ask for donations at the door of the
event. You might even want to assign a specific monetary value ($10 suggested
donation, for example) to encourage people to give a specific amount but not require
it. Be prepared to take credit cards or checks, as many people may want to donate
that way.

T-Shirt or Poster Sales

Some cities have had success in creating custom t-shirts or posters promoting the
event and selling them in advance to raise funds. This is a great idea as it engages the
creative community, and the posters can also be used as promotional tools.
36

Most GOOD Ideas for Cities events have used Eventbrite to

register and manage attendees. Check out the event page
for our Richmond event
37

Many cities have used these challenge categories to

organize issues:

Inviting Urban
Leaders
and Collecting
Challenges

The GOOD Ideas for Cities program relies on two major

ingredients: urban leaders to issue the challenges and the
creative teams who will work to solve them. The quality of
challenges that are issued at your event, and therefore the
quality of the creative solutions, depends heavily on who
you can engage as urban leaders.
What issues should be addressed?
Sometimes its difficult to separate the process of finding good challenges
and finding good leaders. You can choose to start with the challenge area
picking issues important to the city so you can go and find the leader who has
the responsibility in those areas. For example, if you know biking will be a big
issue for your audience, you can reach out to the local transit authority or a
bicycling advocacy group. But you might know some great leaders off the top
of your head who youd want to reach out to and let them drive the scope of
their challenge. In most cases, it is a hybrid of both approaches, and you can
customize the process in the way thats most appropriate to your city.

38

Community

Environment

Culture

Food

Economy

Public Space

Education

Transportation

Once youve made that list, revisit your master list of potential participants in
your GOOD Ideas for Cities program. Are there any city leaders and organizations
who are working for change in these areas? If you have existing relationships with
urban leaders, you may want to start there. If you have a connection to local
government, thats also a great place to begin.
The goal for the event is to recruit urban leaders who can actually implement the
solutions proposed by the creatives, so look for people who are in positions of
authority. Some sample leaders from past events include: mayors, transportation
authority directors, parks and recreation directors, economic development
advisors, school district superintendents, heads of non-profits and advocacy
groups. We dont recommend tapping leaders from for-profit entities because
we dont want the creative teams donating their time to work on projects for
companies and corporations. Pick leaders who are known for serving their city
and use your best judgment.

39

reaching
- out to urban leaders
Establishing contact with leaders can be a delicate task as youre often dealing
with people who have very busy schedules. You might want to begin by casting
a wide net to gauge interest before you ask for challenge statements outright.
Many of the people you reach out to may not be able to commit to the effort,
so this is an excellent opportunity to engage a broad audience for the program
and the event. People who are asked to get involved will likely return the favor by
promoting the event, even if they arent able to participate.
In some cities, weve seen such an outpouring of interest from leaders who
wanted to be involved that it made sense for leaders from similar areas to pair
up and create their challenge statement together. This is a great approach and
encourages wonderful collaboration between organizations and agencies.
When reaching out to your potential leaders, use that one-sheet youve created.
Be sure to outline your expectations of their role as a leader and offer other
opportunities for their involvement in the event they are not able to serve in this
capacity. Most importantly, be authentic in your requestthis is your opportunity
to make a personal connection.

The initial contact you make with local leaders is critical.

Read our sample letter for reaching out to potential
urban leaders
40

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wording
- challenge statements
Once the city leaders are confirmed, youll need to gather their challenge
statements for the most urgent problem facing the local community within their
areas of expertise. It could be big or small in scale, specific or broad in scope,
social or physical in nature. It can be geographically specific to focus on a
neighborhood or even a single block. It could originate locally but be potentially
applicable to cities worldwide. But it should be a problem that, if solved, would
have a significant and widespread impact on the local community, improve daily life
for its citizens, or truly change the way the city works (for the better, of course).
The reason we reach out to urban leaders is because we want the creative teams
to address real-world challenges in the hopes that they could produce real-world
solutions that could possibly be implemented. Not all the solutions are totally
executable, mind youand those kinds of solutions are important as well!but a
real goal of the program is to work with the creative teams and urban leaders after
the event to help fund solutions. This is something to keep in mind as you work with
them to craft their statements.
The ideal challenge statements are two to three sentences long, and end with a
question. Of course the urban leader can include more information or resources to
pass along to the creative team, but its important to condense the challenge into a
brief, memorable call-to-action.

In New Orleans, local residents used Neighborland.com

to suggest issues which leaders could sponsor. Read their
community-generated challenge statements
42

Here are some examples of great challenge statements:

Neighborhood street corners across New Orleans are often in disrepair.
This neglect can make our blocks feel unwelcoming and unsafe.
Constrained by expense and other concerns, beautification of our
intersections is seldom a priority. How can we help empower artists,
cultural producers, and neighborhoods to take beautification into their
own hands?

The City of Dallas has more than 110 miles of hiking and biking trails.
But due to lack of branding, non-existent wayfinding system and a
comprehensive electronic field guide, many citizens dont know that this
incredible resource exists. How do we connect the dots so local residents,
business owners and developers not only know about, but make better
use of our hike and bike trails?

There are some vibrant elementary schools in the City of Richmond.

However, middle schools can be another story. Some parents send their
children to private schools starting in middle school and other parents
stop showing up. The community is often more interested
in volunteering in elementary schools or high schools. How can we keep
the community involved with the goal of improving our citys middle
schools?

Located in the heartland, St. Louis has unique resources that could allow
it to become a leader in urban agriculture. Yet most of the food consumed
in the region is produced hundreds or thousands of miles away, and many
urban areas of St. Louis have limited access to fresh food. How can St.
Louis use our resources and stakeholders to increase accessibility of
healthy, locally grown food?

Homeowners in the Greater Cincinnati area are spending far more than
they should on electricity and gas because their homes lack proper
insulation, storm windows and efficient heating and cooling systems. With
the goals of saving money, reducing emissions and putting local residents
to work, how do we get more Cincinnati households to perform energy
efficiency upgrades on their home?

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- role of the urban leader Once the urban leader has proposed the challenge, you will need to pair each
leader with a creative team youve selected from your call-for-creatives. Weve
found that each team works differently depending on the availability of their
urban leader; some teams simply attend the kickoff happy hour meeting with
their urban leader and then prefer to work independently until the event. Others
have organized weekly meetings with urban leaders, or simply stay in touch via
email. Its important for the leaders to have at least one in-person meeting with
the creative team after their challenge has been assigned. Also if the leader has
an assistant or someone else in their office who can help facilitate needs from the
creative teamsresources like images, contacts, datathat will be very helpful.
Its important for the teams and urban leaders to establish expectations early on
that are respectful to everyones time.
At the event, the urban leader plays client as the creative team who has
accepted their challenge will present their solution to them in front of a live
audience. Afterwards, we think its important for both the creative team and the
urban leader to engage in a Q&A onstage with questions from a moderator and, if
time, the audience, to surface any queries or concerns. (For featured GOOD Ideas
for Cities events, the Q&A will be moderated by GOODs Alissa Walker.) The event
then culminates in lively discussion and debate about the future of cities, and the
conversations make for a great cocktail hour afterwards.

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45

- creating the call for creatives selecting

local
creatives

Finding creative teams to participate in your event is usually the

part thats most fun for organizers. There are two steps in the
process of securing creative teams. First, getting the word out
to creatives and encouraging them to form teams, and second,
selecting the teams who will participate. The challenge is
getting the right mix of creatives in place for your event.
How to choose creative teams?
For most cities, a call-for-creatives is posted, and creative teams self-organize, name
themselves, and apply as a unit. Most cities saw at least 30 teams apply, and opted to
narrow the field to five or six teams. This method allows your taskforce to select the best
candidates your city has to offer, and the spirit of competition encourages the creatives
to assemble extremely diverse, talented teams.
In 2012, Richmond, New Orleans and Dallas opted to build inclusive teams,
allowing individuals to apply and then grouping the individuals into teams based on
their interest. This allowed everyone who was interested to participate, but it also
created some logistical and organizational challenges since the teams were large and
unfamiliar with each other. At the same time, most participants said they welcomed the
opportunity to meet and work with new people.
46

The call-for-creatives should be posted three months out to both explain how the
event will work and also get the creative community excited about participating.
Its up to your city to establish the rules and requirements for applying as a
creative team, but most cities ask applicants to include a team name, names of
members, short bios, work samples, preferred challenge areas, and a written
statement about why theyd like to participate.
Many GOOD Ideas for Cities programs used Submittable a submissions
management tool which allows teams to upload links as well as text into various
forms. You also might want to use a more simple tool like Survey Monkey or
even the Google Drive form tool to track responses. Or you can simply set up
an email account where teams can mail in their applications.

- publicizing to creatives Posting the call-for-creatives online is only part of the processnow youve got to
get the message in front of the right people and encourage creatives to apply. By this
point in your process, the Facebook page should be created for the initiative and a
city-specific hashtag already in action. Asking your hosts and partners to distribute
the call to their friends and followers is a great start. If you already have a media
partner in place, they should be able to help with promotion as well. Some cities have
had success posting flyers at creative workspaces or co-working spaces, or giving out
flyers at creative events. Perhaps your venue would allow you to put up posters or
make announcements at other events.

A call-for-creatives should be simple, clear and to-the-point

See an example we created on Submittable
47

This is also a great reason to choose partnering organizations that are already in touch
with creatives. As we mentioned before, professional creative organizations like AIGA,
AIA, IDSA, and ASLA have memberships of enthusiastic creatives. Design and art schools
also usually have a great network.

- selecting teams Roughly 10 weeks from the event day, the call-for-creatives closes. Your taskforce
should decide how to share the submissions with the team in charge of selecting
participants. Hopefully youll be able to meet in person to review all of the
submissions with the goal of narrowing them down to the right number and mix to fit
the challenges youve decided on for your event. There arent any strict guidelines for
this process, since each city is unique.

Here are some general criteria cities have used when it comes
to selecting creative teams:
Diversity: Striking a good balance between creative disciplines as well as
drawing participants from different neighborhoods and backgrounds is very
important. Its great when you can find teams that come to the competition
with a diverse, multi-disciplined group. If not, be sure to mix it up team
to team. The goal is to get a broad spectrum of people working on the
challenges for your city.
Work Samples: Because the presentations are visual, its important that
the teams demonstrate the ability to create visually intriguing work that can
excite attendees. Work should not only show evidence of creative problem
solving, it should also be able to inspire attendees to collaborate on the
solutions.
Passion: Teams should show that theyre personally invested in the idea of
improving their city. Past collaborations between city leaders and creatives
have gone far beyond the event, working together to make the solutions a
reality. A team should demonstrate that theyre in for the long haul.

Instead of having teams apply, you may want to let all

interested individuals sign up and then let them choose which
challenge to work on. Learn how Dallas built inclusive teams
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49

- pairing Creatives with challenges Pairing creative teams with challenges is an interesting process thats different
for each city. As we mentioned before, cities have asked teams to indicate which
challenge area theyd like to focus on. Most cities like to give creatives their first
or second choices of challenge areas because it means that the creatives are
more likely to be personally invested in their solutions. But theres also some value
to asking creatives to step slightly outside their comfort zones. Weve seen great
examples where graphic designers were tasked with an issue around the built
environment, for example, and really enjoyed the challenge.
Another way to assign challenges is to look at the type of clients or issues the
creatives already work with. Again, sometimes its valuable to assign a challenge
in-line with their existing work, and sometimes its fun to let them stretch a bit.

- the role of the creative team - working with urban leaders -

50

Once the creative team has received the challenge, they should reach out to their
urban leader. Weve found that each team works differently depending on the
availability of their urban leader; some teams simply attend the kickoff happy hour
meeting with their urban leader and then prefer to work independently until the
event. Others have organized weekly meetings with urban leaders, or simply stay in
touch via email.

Once the challenge has been issued, the creative teams have about two months to
respond to the challenge issued by their urban leader. Again, some solutions have
been easily implementable and realistic, some solutions have been more radical
and wildly imaginative. Its totally up to the team to decide what kind of solution is
right for the challenge. Sometimes the most outlandish ideas can help people to
realize the potential of a not-so-feasible real-life solution. We see the value in both
the possible and the impossible. However, we encourage creatives to think big
their solutions may respond to a particular geographic area, but ideally they could
be executed anywhere in the world.

We ask for the urban leaders to have at least one in-person meeting with the
creative team after their challenge has been assigned. Also if the leader has an
assistant or someone else in their office who can help facilitate needs from the
creative teamsresources like images, contacts, datathat will be very helpful. Its
important for the teams and urban leaders to establish expectations early on that
are respectful to everyones time. Also creative teams should feel free to reach out
to other local experts or contacts who might be helpful to their challenge.

At the event, creative team presents to the client, their urban leader who has
accepted their challenge, in front of a live audience. Afterwards, creatives should
be prepared to engage in a Q&A onstage with questions from a moderator and, if
time, the audience, to surface any queries or concerns. (For branded GOOD Ideas
for Cities events, the Q&A will be moderated by GOODs Alissa Walker.) Afterwards,
creatives in many cities have set up tables or stations where they can show their
materials and answer questions one-on-one.

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- guidelines for presentations As each venue and program is different, each city will have to decide on which
event format is right for them. But we have a basic formula for creatives to follow
that has worked well in many cities.

Heres a sample list of guidelines for creative teams:

Each team needs to prepare a seven minute presentation for the
event. Weve experimented with many presentations and found seven
minutes to be the just-about perfect length.

Someone should be keeping time and signal to the team when they

have 2 minutes left, 1 minute left, and their time is up.

Teams should turn in their presentations in a program like
Keynote, PowerPoint or as a PDF. Organizers should then merge all

the presentations into one document and test it before the event.
A program like PDF to Keynote will allow files to transfer easily.
Teams should turn in their presentations to the event
coordinator by the day before the event. If files are large, you can

use services like Dropbox

or YouSendIt

to share them.

Visualizations and engaging presentation design are very

important. Props, mockups and other real-life prototypes are also

most welcome!
Teams should think about how their solution can live beyond the
event. Consider that the audience is a large group of enthusiastic
local residents who want to participate. Is there a URL they can set up
where people can volunteer to help? A Facebook group? A hashtag?

Teams often create their own websites or blogs for their ideas

where people can go for more information.

To ensure that the ideas presented at your event move towards

reality, you might want to consider awarding microgrants to
the teams. Learn how New Orleans gave $500 to each of their
teams to create real world impact

We recommend thinking of this like a Pecha Kucha or TED

presentation, meaning it should be provocative, entertaining and

spark a lively discussion!

52

Clearly outlining the objectives of the event as well as logistical

details is key. Read our sample letter to creative teams
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planning
your
event

As with any event, GOOD Ideas for Cities events require

attention to detail for everything from finding the right
venue to securing food and drink to keeping everyone on
trackand on time!with a solid run of show.
What are the goals for the event?
The best way to get started with event planning a GOOD Ideas for Cities event is
to think about what you want your city to get out of it. Work with your taskforce
to define the big takeaway experience you want to create and make a list of
your priorities. For example, some cities want to draw a large crowd to generate
broad awareness, while others want to create a more intimate setting that
fosters conversation and dialogue. Getting everyone on the same page early on
will help facilitate the many decisions you will have to make along the way.

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55

- venue selectionYour event venue is one of the biggest factors to consider when planning your
GOOD Ideas for Cities eventit will set the tone for the entire night. The size,
location, amenities and setup will shape your event almost as much as the content
itself. In general, the goal is to create a fun, celebratory environment for networking
but when the time comes, the space also lets your audience listen and focus on the
presentations. This second part is critical, since teams have worked hard to come
up with their presentations and only have a short timeframe to share them.

Here are some things to look for while selecting your venue:
Size: Approximately 200-300 people for a mid-sized city is a good target.

Be sure to find out the seated capacity as well as the standing capacity.
Theater-style seating usually doesnt offer much flexibility as far as numbers,
but if its a more open space, its nice to offer both seats and places to stand
since some attendees usually like to move around.
Location: Central and urban, preferably within a short walk to restaurants

and bars, and with good access to transit

Refreshments: We think food and drink are a must. If your event space

doesnt provide, you will want to work with a caterer to secure. It doesnt
have to be a full menu, but a little sustenance goes a long way!
Setup: Theater-style is preferred to ensure that people will be able to see

and hear all of the presentations without too much distraction. If you have
a bar venue that allows for table seating, be sure that you move tables to
the back of the room and allow for some theater-style up front, closest
to the presenters.

- providing food and drink Following the presentations, having food and drinks available is a great way to
keep the conversation flowing and encourage the kind of networking these events
are known for. At past events, some of our venues have provided beer and wine
plus some light snacks for the program. Where possible, its great to find local
donors to contribute these items in-kind. If thats not possible, you might find
food trucks or other vendors to sell food and drink at a discounted price. This is a
good detail to nail down quickly so you can promote any in-kind donations as you
publicize the event.
Alcohol laws will vary from city to city, but typically an event venue will have some
ability to accommodate either a liquor sponsorship or have a cash bar. For food,
be sure to check with your venue first to understand the options and whether or
not food trucks are allowed.

AV: Projection and amplification are key to make sure the presenters are seen

and heard. Check to see if the venue provides AV or if you need to rent it.

56

Think about how to give your audience an opportunity to get

involved in the ideas presented. See how Cincinnati created
pledge sheets that allowed attendees to pledge their time,
talent or money

57

- selecting a date and time -

Heres a sample run of show weve found works well:

In many of our most successful programs, the GOOD Ideas for Cities event has
been promoted as part of a larger festival or conference, like San Franciscos
Architecture and the City Festival, or New Yorks Urban Design Week. If thats not
possible, then its key to partner with art, design or other creative organizations

4:00 Hosts and moderator arrive

that can co-promote the event to their members.

6:00 Doors open, urban leaders arrive, bar opens

Our events seem to be best attended during the week, as an evening event on
Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Depending on the traffic patterns in your city,
you may want to start as late at 7:00 p.m. or as early as 6:00 p.m. The program
itself should runs anywhere from 1.5 hours to 2 hours. In many places, what
has worked well is having a 30-minute buffer for people to arrive, then the
program, then an hour-long reception after the program.

6:45 Announce to people to start taking seats

5:00 Volunteers arrive, videographers arrive, team

leaders arrive for AV check

7:00 Program begins: Welcome from venue

7:03 Welcome from hosts
7:08 Moderator introduces program and thanks

all hosts, partners, sponsors
7:18 Team #1

- creating a run of show -

7:25 Q&A with Team #1 and Leader #1

7:31 Team #2

To help keep everyone on track on the night of the event, its a good idea to create
a run of showa detailed, minute-by-minute schedule of who does what and when.
Everyone involved in planning the event should have a copy in advance of the night,
including your venue staff support, videographer and photographer, and all the
creative teams and urban leaders.
For featured events, our GOOD Ideas for Cities editor, Alissa Walker, will moderate
the evening, keeping the presentations on time. If youre doing a DIY event, youll
want to consider early on who will be in this role and decide if youd like a formal
time keeper in addition to your moderator to ensure everything stays on track.

7:38 Q&A with Team #2 and Leader #2

7:44 Team #3
7:51 Q&A with Team #3 and Leader #3
7:57 Team #4
8:04 Q&A with Team #4 and Leader #4
8:12 Team #5
8:19 Q&A with Team #5 and Leader #5
8:25 Closing remarks
8:30 Drinks and mingling
9:45 Last call
10:00 Everyone out!

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- basic av requirements Theres nothing worse than watching a great presentation thats plagued by
technical problems. You wont want any surprises when it comes to your AV setup,
so its important to test the system well in advance of the event, and, if possible,
have a technician on-site during the presentations as well.

Although weve had a wide variety of stage and speaker

arrangements at our events, heres whats seems to work best:
One screen with a projector that uses a VGA adapter to
connect to a computer
Projector and screen
An adapter that allows the computer to play video and audio
All presentations on one computer (ideally merged into one
document) to minimize transition time
Computer on-stage with the presenter so slides can be
advanced by hand
At least three mics: One podium mic for the presenter/s, one
for moderator and one for the urban leaders to use during the Q&A.
(You can also use wireless and clip on mics, which are great, but not
necessary).
Sound amplification thats adequate for the space
A soundboard that allows the videographer to capture sound
directly from the mics way.

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- videography & photography We cant emphasize enough how important it is to capture the event through videos
and still photos. This documentation rewards the creative teams and leaders with
something tangible they can share with stakeholders and decision-makers, and it
allows your city to distribute your ideas to a wider audience. Plus, attendees can
use the videos to share their favorite ideas with other people, and theyll also will
want to view the event photospeople love looking at photos of themselves! For
both videos and photographs we recommend working with providers who are able
to turn around the files in a quick timeframe. We suggest 10 days maximum, sooner
if possible, so that you can share the results with your community quickly and keep
the great momentum.
For videography, decide basic details ahead of time including file format, file size
and aspect ratio. You should also talk with who will be editing the footage (often
the same person who is shooting the footage) and discuss any captions or graphics
that youll be adding. Our videos include both the presentation and the Q&A and
are usually between 10 and 15 minutes in length. We suggest optimizing videos for
YouTube or Vimeo so they can be easily shared and distributed.
For featured events, your photos will be uploaded to the GOOD Ideas for Cities
Flickr page .
Also, its a good idea to identify a few volunteers ahead of time who will capture
photos and video on their phones so that you can have both quick, real-time
content for social media updates as well as the more polished pieces for event
documentation.

Capturing great footage of the presentations is important,

but it doesnt have to stop there. In Cincinnati, the Queen
City Project created beautiful in-depth videos of each
challenge, interviewing creatives and leaders
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- taking rsvps The ideal sized audience for a GOOD Ideas for Cities event is about 200 to 300
people. This number allows for interaction with the audience and still creates
enough energy for the presenters. But weve also had events in larger venues with
bigger audiences. Cincinnati expanded their audience to 400 with a simulcast
lounge, and St. Louis had 850 attendees!
Youll want to decide early on if you want to sell tickets or make it a free event.
Both have their own merits. Obviously if you have costs you need to recoup, selling
tickets is a good idea. Also, asking people to pay even a small amount to reserve
their space results in higher attendance since they feel theyre invested in the
event. A free event is obviously more accessible to the general public and gives the
sense that its truly open to anyone. But with free events, there is a high rate of noshows. Luckily, there are always plenty of people who didnt RSVP who simply show
up at the door.
If your event is ticketed or free, you should use a system to track RSVPs. Not only
will you have everyones email addresses captured so you can contact them with
updates, but youll be able to keep a headcount, which is an especially good idea
in a venue that could fill to capacity. Many cities used Eventbrite to track RSVPs,
and for free events we recommend overbooking by about 50% to ensure there
are no empty seats. We dont recommend using waiting lists, instead you can add
information to the event language encouraging people who want to attend, but
who did not RSVP, to come the night of the event and wait in a rush line. Even if the
event sells out, there will always be no-shows so it usually works out perfectly, and
we are able to find space for anyone who shows up.
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- promotion and publicity From the moment the call-for-creatives is issued, youll want to activate every
means possible to drum up interest and boost attendance. Of course, your media
partners will be extremely helpful in getting your message out to their audience
but youll also have to do a bit of on-the-ground publicity yourself. Social media
channels like Twitter and Facebook are ideal for promoting your mission, building
an audience and creating buzz about the event, while more traditional methods like
posters and press releases can garner offline interest as well.

Here are some of the successful methods that cities have used
to promote their events:
Facebook: We recommend setting up a Facebook page about three
months out from the event as a place to start the conversation. While
not everyone in your audience will be on Facebook, it does provide a
convenient repository to capture information, post updates and answer
questions real time. Then, about one month out, create an event on the
page with all the information so people can share it and post that theyre
attending. Facebook has been a great way for people to not only get the
latest information about the initiative, but it also provides a place to have a
dialogue about other issues in the city.
Twitter: This is yet another powerful tool for both promotion and
documentation. As one of your first orders of business, we recommend
creating a hashtag specific to your program that you can use to track
responses before, during and after the event. The hashtag should
be included in all event postings and announced at the event before
the presentations. These should be as few characters as possible:
#GOODIdeasSTL and #GOODIdeasCincy are some examples from 2012
events. Media partners as well as a few volunteers should be charged
with live-tweeting the event, using the hashtag. If youre so inclined, you
also might want to create your own Twitter account and post updates
from there. Remember with both DIY and featured events, were happy to
help you promote through our @IdeasforCities account if you email us
information or use @ replies to contact us.

Local media outlets: Youll want to send a media alert to all local
publications outlining the goals and format of the evening and inviting
them to the event. This can be a very personal emailin fact, thats
what will resonate best with journalists. For reaching out to local media
outlets, traditional press releases will work, or even using your updated
one-sheet. You might also consider using Twitter as way of letting
reporters know whats happening and when. An @ reply on Twitter can
get their attention, but dont abuse this method or youll annoy your
journalists!
Poster and flyers: In addition to social media and traditional press,
dont forget about the power of low-tech options. Some cities create
flyers and distribute them around town in coffee shops and other
public venues. This could be a fun way to engage a local university
or art school to hold a contest for a poster design and let students
volunteer for distribution around the city.
Promotion on GOOD.is: For featured events, your event will be
publicized through GOODs website, which sees over 3 million visits
per month, as well as on GOODs Twitter feed, which has over 680,000
followers. Well also make several call-outs to your event through our
@IdeasforCities Twitter feed.

A Facebook page is a great place to keep the conversation

going online. See how St. Louis continues to update its
excellent Facebook presence
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- documenting your event -

after
the
event
-

In many ways, the event is just the beginning of the GOOD

Ideas for Cities initiative. After the ideas are presented, the
real work begins, as the community comes together to rally
around its favorite initiatives and (hopefully) start moving
towards implementation. As an organizer, its your job to
make sure these ideas reach as many people as possible who
might want to get involved with their outcomes.
How will you share your ideas?
Its also important that you share what youve produced so other cities can learn
from you. From the local taskforce you formed, to the ideas you generated, to
the dialogue your event inspires in your city, the process is almost as important
as the outcome. Already, weve discovered how many cities are facing the same
challenges, and our goal is to not only pair creatives with urban leaders in their own
cities, we want to bring cities together to learn from each others ideas.

Its also important that you share what youve produced so other cities can learn
from you. From the local taskforce you formed, to the ideas you generated, to the
dialogue your event inspires in your city, the process is almost as important as the
outcome. Already, weve discovered how many cities are facing the same challenges,
and our goal is to not only pair creatives with urban leaders in their own cities, we
want to bring cities together to learn from each others ideas.

Here are a few ideas for documenting your event:

Archive the Presentations: Its a great idea to find a place for all the
content created to live online. This could be a website or blog from one of the
host or partner organizations, or it could be a special website created just for
the initiative. As weve mentioned previously, videos and photos of the event
are essential, since they really help to put faces and personalities to the ideas.
But youll also want to include links to stories and blog posts about the event
written both by your media partners and other media outlets. In many cities,
team members themselves wrote wonderful stories about participating in
the event. Having a single link you can point people to after the event will be
extremely helpful as youre working with media requests or helping the teams
with implementation. After the event, you may want to consider using Storify ,
which aggregates a variety of links into one narrative timeline.
Share Your Story on GOOD: In addition to sharing locally through your
network, share the photos and video as soon as they are available through the
GOOD website. HOW: We have to talk to Casey about this. For featured events,
after the event happens, the program will be covered in depth on GOODs
website and the ideas themselves will be posted individually on the GOOD Ideas
for Cities site.
Create a Survey: Once your event is over, its helpful to create a survey to
send to all the organizers, leaders and creative teams in your event asking them
to pass along their thoughts, feedback and anecdotes. Most cities have used
Survey Monkey . The answers will help you to generate your own takeaways
from the process that you can share with your community. You can use the
information you receive to learn more about the great work that you are doing,
document the outcomes, track impact, follow successes, and improve your
process. Additionally, feel free to pass along the feedback to us.

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- keeping the conversation going Giving participants and attendees more chances to interact is key to implementing
change in your city. After the event, the creative teams are energized, the urban
leaders are enthusiastic, and the audience is curious about what happens next. The
best way to keep the momentum going is to plan formal and informal opportunities
to stay connected.

Stay Connected Through Social Media: Many attendees will have

already liked the Facebook page you created, so continuing to use it
allows the event to stay top-of-mind for your audience. It also gives people
a common place to add their comments about the event and carry the
conversation for you. Post all the content from the event as well as all the
media stories, blog posts, and follow-up that comes out of the event. The
same is true for Twitter: Post every story about your event here and use the
hashtag you created. You can keep using it to promote additional efforts by
your participants or other relevant news.
Host a Post-Event Meetup: A very informal yet highly effective way to
keep the dialogue going is to plan a public meetup a week or two after the
event. You can announce the details at the event and post on social media
channels. For the audience, it gives people who get inspired a way to get
involved. For the creative teams and urban leaders, it provides a somewhat
structured forum to keep the energy and new relationships alive. After the
initial meet-up, the group may decide to keep on meeting and take on one
or more of the challenges to help see it through implementation. Action
will evolve, but the important first step is to proactively structure that first
opportunity.
Plan a Follow-Up Event: Idea generation is valuable, but an idea that
evolves into action is priceless. A great way to make that leap from vision to
reality for your citys creative ideas is to build in a follow-up event at least
six months out. The format of the follow-up event is flexible, but the intent
is to check in with at least one, and hopefully more, of the ideas that get
traction from the first event. By planning a follow-up event ahead of time,
you can set the expectation from the beginning that you are looking for
tangible solutions from the teams and clear commitment from local leaders
to implement them.

Planning a follow-up event gives the community a chance to

follow the ideas as they move towards implementation. Learn
how St. Louis planned a successful event six months later
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city case studies

Building Inclusive Teams

74

Frances Yllana, Dallas

Collaborating with Local Universities

78

Nicole Lavelle, Portland

We admit, we didnt think of

everything! Each city we visited
in 2012 came up with their own

Partnering with AIGA Chapters

82

Frances Yllana, Dallas

great ideas for increasing the

impact of their event. Weve
asked five of our partners to
share their knowledge in the
form of short essays.

Giving $500 Microgrants to Teams

86

Alan Williams, New Orleans

Creating Pledge Sheets

90

Frank Russell, Cincinnati

Organizing a Follow-up Event

Jeannette Thompson, St. Louis

98

- dallas -

A lot of people want to help, but

lack the connections, organization,
ability, etc. to make it happen. This
event got like-minded people together
in an environment more conducive to
actually implementing change.

Mark Lea
Spire Realty Group

- Building Inclusive Teams Frances Yllana, Dallas

When GOOD Ideas for Cities agreed to come to Dallas, our local chapter
of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Design, see: Partnering with AIGA
Chapters), AIGA DFW, had already planned a creative think tank that would
serve as a gathering place to form partnerships to drive change in Dallas.
We had invited attendees to come brainstorm challenges for the city which
we could address as a group. Once GOOD Ideas for Cities was involved,
they helped us confirm the participation of DART (Transit), the City of Dallas
Office of Economic Development (Elmwood) and the Dallas Parks Foundation
(Bike/Hike), who would share their challenges with us as urban leaders. This
helped us focus and establish better goals for the think tank event. With
the challenges in place, we realized the event would be a great place for
interested individuals to organize into groups and create a plan of action for
working together in the two months before the GOOD Ideas for Cities event.
One of our goals for the program was to make sure any interested creative
who wanted to would be able to participate, so the invitation to the GOOD
Ideas for Cities Think Tank was open to everyone. We spread the word
through press releases, email and social media blasts. On that Friday in April,
a colorful crowd of about 30 attendees attended our Think Tank kickoff
event: designers, architects, environmental designers, and even those from
the outer circles of the creative community we usually dont reach.
Challenge Presentations
We set up our Think Tank with a main speaking area and three separate areas
for each group to organize after the presentations. We started the Think
Tank by introducing the initiative, and followed that with presentations from
the three city leaders who each gave a 15 minute talk about their challenges.
After each leader presented, the leaders and attendees separated into the
different group meeting areas. The attendees were encouraged to go to the
section of the venue that held their challenge of interest.

and have everyone register with us using a survey we created using Google
Docs. Here they stated which group they picked, along with their name, skillset
and contact information. Then for the last 30 minutes of the Think Tank, they
conducted their initial brainstorms and organized their meetings for the next
two months. We gave them the base tools they would need to present together
in June, but the organization, and initiative was left to each group.
Progress and Participation
AIGA DFW put together a DFW Design For Good Facebook page for the
groups to communicate with each other, and for us to generate excitement
about the work the different groups were doing. This is also where we published
the challenges, in case other people who were unable to attend the Think Tank
kickoff were still interested in participating. The growth of each group was
pretty organic, and mirrored the interest and enthusiasm you already see in
the city with respect to each of the challenge areas. As the weeks towards the
presentations passed, the Bike/Hike and Elmwood groups kept the majority of
its team members, while the Transit team lost about half of their team members.
AIGA DFW kept up with each team, volunteering to fill any spots if necessary,
specifically in the presentation/materials design area, but it wasnt needed.
Results
There are definitely challenges when it comes to organizing a group of strangers
as opposed to working with a group of people you know. If I could do things
differently, Id better prepare our groups for preparing and presenting their
proposal by giving them a better framework to present their case, showing them
how to engage their audience and keep them interested, and holding a dry-run
rehearsal a week prior for timingall of which designers do regularly. But in the
end, the groups were able to come together and present very interesting and
engaging proposals, and the Bike/Hike and Elmwood groups are currently still
working together to facilitate their plans in their challenge areas.

Frances Yllana
[email protected]

During the group breakouts, AIGA DFW gave each group an itinerary for the
next two months: what to do, what to expect, links to previous GOOD Ideas
for Cities presentations, and contact information for any help theyd need
in the upcoming months. Each group was asked to pick two team leaders

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75

- portland -

Through the GOOD ideas process

we were able to develop a strong
partnership with our creative team and
continue to work with them to develop
a tool for addressing our challenge
of increasing community support for
our public school system.
Lisa Libby
Mayors Planning and Sustainability Director
City of Portland

- Collaborating with
Local Universities Nicole Lavelle, Portland
I teach a course called Design Thinking at Portland State University. Most
of my students are graphic design majors, looking forward to making visual
communication work in studios, agencies and firms. In this course, I try to
help them understand the broader context of design, exposing them to
different situations to which they can apply their critical thinking and creative
skills. The GOOD Ideas for Cities project was the perfect vehicle for students
to direct their efforts toward their own community, an ongoing focus of our
department and university.
The timing worked out perfectly. Halfway into the term, we shifted our focus
to cities: we watched Gary Hustwits Urbanized and looked at the work of
Candy Chang. Alissa visited our class that week to introduce the GOOD
Ideas for Cities initiative and share past solutions that student teams had
presented in their own cities.
The students attended the Portland rendition of GOOD Ideas for Cities that
week, where I presented as part of a team. I had students write responses
to the GOOD event: What did they like? What would they change? What
solutions were their favorites, and why? Were they drawn to the outlandish
solutions, or the pragmatic ones?

One month later, we held an evening of presentations. Alissa returned to

Portland to lecture on her current work and host the evening, and we held the
event off campus in the community. We called it GOOD Ideas for Portland,
and I invited local creative professionalsgraphic designers, journalists, design
strategiststo offer the students live feedback on their proposals.
Results
The event was a total success. The students were nervous, but felt exhilarated
after presenting their ideas to an audience of Portlanders! Our guests offered
excellent feedback, and the audience was interested. The students were elated
to have their work shown on good.is, alongside the proposals from professional
GOOD Ideas for Cities participants across the nation. Valuing the students
ideas in this way empowered them to understand the potential they wield as
creative thinkers and the impact their efforts can have. The major piece of
critical feedback from the students was that they wanted to see their ideas put
into action. For future iterations of the project, they suggested more effort be
made to connect to local leaders who could help implement their ideas.
We documented the students work on the class blog:
designthinkingpsu.tumblr.com/goodideas

Nicole Lavelle
[email protected]

Organizing a Student Event

After the event, we set out to produce our own version of the evening, a
sister event where the students would present their suggestions for change
to a public audience of Portlanders. Unlike the first Portland event where
teams were partnered with civic leaders and given challenges, the students
were charged with identifying their own urban issues. I think this is important:
the problem seeking component was just as important as the problem
solving. When students are able to direct a process of inquiry that they
developed from the beginning, I think they inject more energy and attention
into their work.

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79

- richmond -

Extremely fantastic ideas and resources.

Christine Pizzo
Digital Advocate
Create Digital

- partnering with
aiga chapters Frances Yllana, Dallas
AIGA, or American Institute of Graphic Design, is a national organization of
22,000 designers in over 50 chapters across the country . In 2012 I was the
vice president for AIGA DFW, serving the Dallas-Ft. Worth region. Part of AIGAs
national mission is to advance design as a cultural force to show the value
of what were trained to do for our clients by showing what we can do for our
communities through community-oriented events and creative problem solving.
A new initiative, Design for Good , encourages each AIGA chapter to lead
projects which spark social change in their cities.
Needless to say, AIGAs Design for Good mission is a great fit with the GOOD
Ideas for Cities program and we were excited to collaborate on this program.
Their contributions to our event and added exposure inside and outside of
Dallas, was already invaluable to us as an organization, as well as to our city.
(In fact, each of the 2012 GOOD Ideas for Cities events featured a local AIGA
chapter as a partner.)
Design Week Kickoff
One of our goals at AIGA DFW is to reach outside of our base design community.
As part of AIGA DFWs second Design Week in April 2012, a week-long festival of
design events around the city, we programmed days dedicated to interactive,
women designers, freelancers and design leaders, with speakers including Doug
Powell, president of AIGA national and head of the Design for Good initiative. We
also used the Design Week to hold the kickoff event for GOOD Ideas for Cities,
which we called a creative think tank.
Our GOOD Ideas for Cities Think Tank event (see: Building Inclusive Teams for
details) and Design Week as a whole were great examples of how many AIGA
chapters across the country plan and implement community events. A space
was donated to us for the entirety of Design Week a vacated showroom in
the middle of Dallass Design District. All of our printing, paper and signage was
also donated because we were creating networking and educational events that
brought the community together. Our chairs and AV equipment were heavily
discounted. So advertising, marketing, along with space for the Think Tank was

82

already folded into our programs, press releases, email and social media
blasts for the weeks events and personal alerts to our connections in the
change community.
Managing the Event
From April to June, my role was overseeing the progress and planning
the presentation event. Each of the three groups used their own project
management system. I was included on all correspondence, so I knew when
and who to nag if I didnt see progress happening. While I was finding and
negotiating the venue and organizing refreshments, volunteers, door prizes,
videographers, press releases and social media, Alissa helped us spread word
to other design organizations which have local chapters across the country
like AIA (American Institute of Architects) and IDSA (Industrial Designers
Society of America) .
We had a great turnout at the GOOD Ideas for Cities event on June 6. In
addition to our base group of designers, we saw attendees on the outskirts
of the creative community, as well as people completely uninvolved in the
advertising and graphic design community. Each group presented, and
conversations were started about our ability to affect change together.
The best thing for AIGA DFW was the connection we made to the greater
community: we showed them that we are here, we are a resource, and that
we have the same goals for Dallas as many attendees do.
Results
At first, we thought AIGA DFW would have a much more hands-on role with
each team. We thought a board member would lead each group, but in
actuality we did no more than oversee each teams progress and plan the
event surrounding their presentations. AIGA DFW became their cheerleader,
their hosts and a conduit for their creativity. Another great surprising
outcome was that the participants and attendees werent all designers. So,
not only did AIGA DFW show our value to the community, we achieved our
goal of showing the value of our profession. The inspiration drawn from our
events success has propelled the success of our events afterwards. We hope
to continue the model of partnership we learned, so we can continue to
reach more people, spread our message and intent further. We can continue
to communicate to the community that we are not only stewards of good
design, but designing for good.

Frances Yllana
[email protected]

83

- new orleans -

Our idea has already been

implemented and we have
been asked to present our
idea at other venues.

Johan Barrios
Civil Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

- Giving $500 Microgrants

to Teams Alan Williams, New Orleans
When we first started planning GOOD Ideas for New Orleans, we looked at all
of the amazingly inventive proposals that had come out of cities like St. Louis,
Portland, and Cincinnati. Then we got nervous.
The ideas were creative, thoughtful, playful and visionary. And that was the
problem. Neighborland , the civic engagement startup where Im a community
director, was incubated in New Orleans, with the support of the Tulane University
Social Entrepreneurship program. As a company, we quickly learned what we
already knew as individuals: seven years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleanians
had little interest in seeing great ideas for solving local problems. The long
recovery from Katrina elicited visionary rebuilding proposals as well as more
prosaic plans to address the citys existing dysfunction and inequitiesmost
of which never came to fruition. The result was an attitude referred to locally
as planning fatigue. People in the city crave real, tangible change that will
improve a prized quality of life, the citys resilience to a changing climate,
and the economic opportunity of its citizens. This reality deeply influenced
Neighborlands development into community focused not just on good ideas, but
on collaboration to make things happen. We wanted the GOOD Ideas for Cities
event to have the same goal.

Real Life Solutions

With just $500, four teams of creatives came up with projects that did exactly
that. Working on behalf of local bike and transit advocates, one team designed,
produced and installed guerrilla wayfinding signs on one of the citys most
important, but dangerous, bicycle arteries. Supporting the citys fledgling food
trucks, another group designed and actually built a revamped online hub for
food truck information. To improve public space, another group designed a
low-cost, modular bus shelter and used the money as the seed of a larger
investment. To tackle the wicked problem of access to healthy food, another
group prototyped a pop-up farmers market at a community health clinic
bringing fresh food directly to the citys most at-risk communities.
Results
Each of these projects were a low-cost way to demonstrate real progress on the
challenges New Orleans faces, bringing public attention to the issues in a way
that went beyond just the event. In addition, all the teams are still collaborating
in some form, which is a sign to us that the microgrant was a solid catalyst for
action. But perhaps most importantly, each team learned by doing, and in the
process gained both a better understanding of the issue and more credibility to
call attention to the need for long-term solutions.

Alan Williams
[email protected]

Adding Financial Incentive

As a result, Neighborland decided to offer the tremendously creative
participants of GOOD Ideas for New Orleans microgrants, and a design brief
that challenged them to conceive projects that could go beyond mock-ups and
presentations, and into the real world. We issued each team pre-paid debit
cards through our bank, which sent us itemized reports on how the money had
been spent each week. With proper reporting and a conversation about trust,
we felt good about letting the teams spend the money as they pleased.
While Neighborland was able to invest this amount (a total of $2000) in the
event, we envision that a local organization or corporation would likely be able
to donate an equal amount of money in exchange for becoming a sponsor of
the event. The amount of $500 was agreed upon as a figure which was just large
enough to create real world impact.

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87

- cincinnati -

Having all those decision makers in

the same room with all of the big idea
people showed them that if they invest in
the members of their own community, we
really can affect change, together.

Carrie Farler
Associate Producer
Possible Worldwide

- Creating Pledge Sheets Frank Russell, Cincinnati

As we considered the follow-up that might (or might not) occur after our
GOOD Ideas for Cities event in Cincinnati, we realized that a simple request
for spontaneous financing and volunteer support might be slow in coming
without a clear mechanism to do so. While we did have the ability to extract
email addresses from the online registration data, we felt that we could get
something more immediate at the event itself instead of relying on follow-up
email appeals.

seated. Second, we learned that people were very excited to declare one
of the presentations as their favorite, so perhaps a gaming aspect could be
added by using the pledge tickets as votes for the winning proposal (and
possible implementation funds could be awarded to the winners). Finally,
it should be emphasized that the contribution of time is as valuable as a
contribution of funds.

Frank Russell
[email protected]

Building Ownership
We created a pledge form to hand out at the beginning of the event, hoping
that participants would be struck with the urge to give either funds or time.
We wanted to provide participants a chance to own one of the proposals
by signing up through the pledges, and we also wanted each team to be able
to connect directly with members of the audience who wanted to make their
ideas reality.
Two versions can be found here:
Pledge Form (Cincinnati)
Pledge Form (Dallas)
Two versions of pledge sheets created for two different events

In the end we did not collect many pledgesonly 65 sheets were returned
out of 350 attendeesand only five people promised funding. However, we
were able to see which proposals attendees were the most excited about,
and we were then able to pass along a spreadsheet of the pledge sheet
information to the leaders of each team, who could contact interested
attendees and recruit them as volunteers (or solicit donations).
Results
I would recommend this for any future event with a few qualifications. We
found that it was difficult to collect the tickets as people were leaving, either
because they had not actually filled the pledge out, or because they had
discarded or lost it during the event. So the timing of the distribution of the
pledge tickets needs to be carefully planned to take advantage of the peak of
enthusiasmperhaps right at the end of the event, but while people are still

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91

- st.louis -

Allowing youth leaders to tackle big

vision problems provided a forum for
creativity, determination, energy and spirit
that doesnt happen in the work places
that are trying to solve these issues.

Susan Trautman
Executive Director
Great Rivers Greenway

- organizing
a Follow-Up Event Jeannette Thompson, St. Louis
In the early stages of planning our GOOD Ideas for Cities event, it became
clear to our committee that people were going to want to hear more than
ideas. Missouri is the Show Me State and many St. Louisans are tired of big
campaigns with little to show. To be sure that this initiative didnt likewise get
dismissed, we decided to build in a follow-up event that would help create more
accountability.
Planning a follow-up event before hosting the first one was a risky move. But
given the amount of interest and support we received during the planning
efforts, we had a pretty good idea that we were on the right path. The big
challenge was figuring out what the event would look like and what it would offer
to the creative community as a whole.
Leveraging Our Network
Thanks to our partners at AIGA St. Louis (see: Partnering with AIGA Chapters),
we were connected with Andra Pellegrino, president of the Pellegrino
Collaborative based in New York, who has dedicated her career to helping
designers and creatives get their ideas off the ground. In speaking with her, we
were able to identify some of the hurdles social entrepreneurs face and how she
could help as a consultant.
At first we wanted to provide her expertise to all of the teams and explored
the idea of a workshop. But given our timeframe and budget, we determined
that people learn more by doing and perhaps it would be better to provide
more depth and less breadth. Ultimately, we narrowed the scope, awarding
Pellegrinos consultation to one teams idea, which would culminate in a case
study presentation that would serve as a feature of the follow-up event.
Securing the funds was achievable through local sponsors and we were able to
announce this plan to all the teams in advance of their presentations.
Rounding Out the Program
So often these events stay at the macro level and never give the on-the-ground
education people really need. We decided that in addition to presenting a

94

case study from one team, we would convene an expert panel to give some nuts
and bolts about the challenges of implementing social change. We made sure to
include both national and local perspectives by inviting not only Pellegrino herself
to speak about the specific project in hand, but also AIGA president Doug Powell
to speak to the broader initiatives AIGA is spearheading and Roseann Weiss of the
St. Louis Regional Arts Commission to provide local perspectives and resources
for creatives. And, of course, our event program would not have been complete
without the editor and guru of GOOD Ideas for Cities, Alissa Walker, as our emcee
and moderator.
Our program, named GOOD Ideas for Cities STL: Bringing Good Ideas to Life had
three parts:
Open Mic: Where are they now? Informal opportunity for several of the
teams who had been making progress to share their updates and solicit
further support.
Case Study: Learning from one teams journey as they found out what it
would take to make their idea a reality.
Expert Panel: Engaging in a discussion with local and national experts on
design for social change.
Results
GOOD Ideas for Cities sparked a wave of entrepreneurial spirit around putting St.
Louis back on the map and tapping into creative talent to do it. More than 850
people showed up at the event on March 8 at the Contemporary Art Museum and
the program has spawned several more spin-off crowdsourced idea generation
contests and initiatives in the region .
Around 400 people turned out for the follow-up event, which was packed with
content that was both inspirational and meaningful for anyone working on their
own idea for St. Louis. We were able to provide takeaways, including a resources
page created by the Regional Arts Commission that included various grant and
funding opportunities in the city (PDF ). We established an ongoing relationship
with the St. Louis chapter of AIGA who agreed to carry the dialogue forward
through their chapter initiatives. And we continue to post updates on the teams
and other good ideas on our Facebook page .

Jeannette Thompson
[email protected]

95

- dallas -

The most valuable takeaway the building of community.

Samuel Stiles
Director
Dallas Parks Foundation

contact us!
Thank you so much for your
interest in GOOD Ideas for
Cities. Were excited to see
what you organize for your

Alissa Walker
[email protected]

Jeannette Thompson
[email protected]

city. Please contact us with

any questions or comments.

t ool ki t de s i gne d by ne onh one y t i g e rl ily

Thank you!