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Local nonprofit previews new Believe in Brighton website, expands events and sponsorship plan
Summary
Believe in Brighton, the downtown marketing nonprofit, presented a new, content-focused website and outlined expanded events, sponsorship tiers and a modest marketing budget at the Feb. 11 Brighton City Council meeting.
Ken Larshide, a member of the Believe in Brighton board and the Downtown Development Authority, told City Council on Feb. 11 that the nonprofit is relaunching a consolidated website to promote downtown businesses and events and will offer event submission and membership features to improve search visibility and marketing.
Why it matters: The new site centralizes what had been several web properties (Taste of Brighton, Believe in Brighton, Ladies Night) into one platform intended to boost SEO, allow businesses to submit events, and run targeted local advertising to attract visitors to downtown Brighton.
Key details
- Organization and governance: Larshide said Believe in Brighton is a nine-member board composed of downtown business owners and community members; the board oversees Taste of Brighton and other downtown events. (Larshide described the board membership at 1929.5599–1954.43.)
- Finances and sponsorships: Larshide reported the nonprofit has annual income “just under $100,000,” with net revenue retained around 15 percent and a current bank balance just over $19,000. He said a $1,000 sponsorship option will be offered for new display pads, with 80 percent of each sponsorship directed to the artist and 20 percent for maintenance and promotion (remarks at 2015.475–2045.095 and 854.45–880.485).
- Website and features: The upcoming site consolidates event listings, an interactive business map, and business profiles. Larshide demonstrated the draft site and said businesses will be able to submit events directly; the platform will surface the 12 upcoming events and support filtering by date and category (presentation at 2244.455–2419.055).
- Marketing plan: Larshide said the group plans paid, localized social advertising with an estimated marketing budget of about $8,000 per year (roughly $2,000 per quarter) aimed at a focused local audience (2218.1748–2244.455).
Quotes
"Believe in Brighton has an annual income of just under a hundred k," said Ken Larshide, summarizing the nonprofit’s finances. "We’re going to be bringing back the Brighton sculpture tour with an exciting new twist for display pads, including two new locations on Main Street." (Larshide at 1955.37–1986.7338 and 828.31006–854.45.)
Council response and next steps
Council members praised the work and encouraged continued coordination with the city and the Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce. Larshide said the site is not yet live but is expected to launch at the end of the month; staff indicated the city has linked to the prior site and will coordinate promotion once the new site is live (questions and responses at 2532.605–2554.73).
