Working with SaveYour.Town: Resources and support for your small town journey
My co-founder Deb Brown and I are streamlining our work this year, so this feels like a good time to share how you can work with us at SaveYour.Town. Start by exploring what’s possible in your community.
Deb and I have been doing this work together for 10 years now. We’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and we’re focusing on the offerings that make the biggest difference for you and your small towns.
Here’s how to work with us, based on where you are in your journey.
Start exploring
If you’re new to our work, these are all free:
Get the First 10 Steps to Making Your Town Idea Friendly. No signup required, just practical steps you can start using right away. Download it at First 10 Steps.
Sign up for our free email newsletters. Each week we write to almost 3,000 rural friends about how to make your town a special kind of place. Many of our best ideas show up here first. Sign up!
Explore the Survey of Rural Challenges. Over 2,200 rural people have shared their needs and priorities with us since 2015. See what matters most to rural communities.
Learn practical skills
Ready to go deeper? These resources give you step-by-step guidance:
Online toolkits. Want to fill empty buildings? Try a Tour of Empty Buildings. Need more activity downtown? Hold a Pop-up Fair. Want to make your town more open to new ideas? Get the Idea Friendly Method toolkit. Find all of these at LearnTo.SaveYour.Town.
Cohort-based learning. We’re partnering with Dakota Resources to offer facilitated cohorts where you learn alongside other rural communities. Deb led a cohort on the Tour of Empty Buildings in 2025, and in 2026 she’ll facilitate Collaborations That Don’t Fizzle Out. Interested in joining this cohort? Want to partner on a cohort for your organization? Leave a comment or use our contact form.
Books and solution guides. Deb Brown’s From Possibilities to Reality: Save Your Small Town is being used by community groups and organizations across the country. 15 book club groups have formed around it! My Idea Friendly Guide hit bestseller status in its first month. New short, focused Solution Guides will launch in 2026, starting with Improving Rural Housing in spring. You’ll find them all at SaveYour.Town/Books
Be an Insider. Get all the toolkits plus unlimited access to our full library of practical videos. Join at LearnTo.SaveYour.Town.
Bring us to your community
When you’re ready to work with us directly:
Keynotes and workshops. We don’t just talk about rural issues; we live them. We’ve spoken at events from the local to the international, including the IEDC Rural Retreat and the International Association of Fairs and Expos. Your event deserves real rural speakers who fit right in with your people and bring practical steps that actually work for small towns.
Community visits. Deb is currently working with Joe Smith of Black Natchez, using From Possibilities to Reality as the centerpiece of a community visit and conversations. These visits help you see your town’s potential and identify specific steps you can take to make meaningful change.
Intensive Action Package. Invest six months to work with us in person and online to generate lasting change in your community. It’s customized to your biggest needs. See the Intensive Action Package details.
What’s right for you?
Not sure where to start? Grab the First 10 Steps PDF and sign up for our newsletters. That will give you a good feel for how we work and what resonates with your community. Download it at First 10 Steps.
Already know you want to work with us more closely? Get in touch at our contact form and let’s talk about what makes sense for where you are.
Here’s to making 2026 the year your town becomes more open to new ideas.