When partners give support, give thanks! Say thank you early and often. Thank your partners promptly and personally every time they help out. Your relationships with your partners are built on mutual respect, trust, and being appreciated for what you offer them and what they are able to offer to Main Street.
Above all, be heartfelt and specific with your thanks. This can be as simple as a hand-written note, a serenade or poem in their honor, or cookies or balloons from a Main Street business. Partner with the chamber or business owners for free coupons as a thank you (coffee, scone, burrito). Signs on your projects recognizing those who helped. Give your volunteers a t-shirt, mug, or even a bumper sticker. One Main Street community partners with the historical group to give out historical photos of Main Street to people in the community. For helping in the wake of the 2013 floods, one community gave squeeze stress balls in the shape of a port-a-potty (their sewer had failed), and awards for the best decorated port-a-potty (social media exploded).
When you write that informational newsletter, thank people or organizations by name. Feature another partner on your social media as you thank them for their help. Take photos at all of your events, and publish those photos with names. The more personal you can be with your appreciation, the more partners will appreciate it.
Thanks do not just come from staff - sometimes the Main Street manager is not the best person to give appreciation, although they are a key part of your efforts. Usually the board members, as the ambassadors and champions of Main Street, are the right people to thank your supporters. But, it is all about building relationships – the person who knows the partner or donor is often the best person to show appreciation.