Do you wish more people could hear the Strong Towns message?
“The Strong Towns movement transcends the “normal” answers to the very complex issues that our communities face... That is what it is going to take to bring real change, and that is why I am drawn to and supportive of this movement. ”
Our Strong Towns events are gaining momentum and size. Years ago, I would speak to groups of two or three people and was thrilled someone was interested. Now, we routinely present in front of groups of hundreds, and even groups of thousands.
Despite this success, one thing remains constant: every time I speak, people come up to me and say, “I wish _______ had been here to hear this.”
For example: "I wish our mayor had heard this message." "I wish our engineer had been part of this conversation." "I wish my good friend from the bakery had heard this." And on and on….
Here’s the exciting thing: they can. And with your support this week, they will.
Today we start our winter member drive. We currently have about 1,700 members. Our goal is to get to 2000 members — to be #2000Strong — by the end of the week. That’s an aggressive leap, but we can do it. You can do it.
When you become a member of Strong Towns, you are saying that you want more people to hear the Strong Towns message. You want us to reach more communities, open up more minds and change more hearts. You want more people talking about the need to make our cities, towns and neighborhoods financially strong and resilient.
Chuck Marohn meets with residents in Santa Ana, California for an event earlier this fall (Source: AHOC)
When you become a member of Strong Towns, you are helping grow a movement that is changing the way we talk about our places, from Main Street to Wall Street, from the corner cafe to the White House.
I’ve been doing a little experiment lately. I’ve been asking people how big they think the Strong Towns organization is. We’re a movement of over a thousand members reaching over a million people with our content this year. But how big is the team of staff that makes it all happen?
Most guesses range from 30 to 40 people with a budget in the multiple millions. The correct answer? There are six of us. Four full time, two part time and a handful of contractors that provide us help with here and there. Our total budget for 2017 is just $340,000. That’s nothing.
Yet look at what is happening.
We’re on track to reach over a million people with our message this year. I’ve personally shared our message with thousands of people at events all over North America. And we’re seeing success happen on the ground as a result.
So who do you wish could hear the Strong Towns message? Become one of the #2000Strong — become a member of Strong Towns this week — and then let us know. With your help, we’ll make it happen.
Join Me for an Open Discussion
If you'd like to learn more about this movement and our approach to change, or you've got a question for me, please join me for an open discussion on our Slack discussion forum, this Wednesday at 12pm CT in the #_scheduled-slack-chat channel. Get more info about how to join Slack here (it's really easy, we promise).
#2000Strong
(Top photo source: CIP)
Charles Marohn (known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues) is the founder and president of Strong Towns and the bestselling author of “Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis.” With decades of experience as a land use planner and civil engineer, Marohn is on a mission to help cities and towns become stronger and more prosperous. He spreads the Strong Towns message through in-person presentations, the Strong Towns Podcast, and his books and articles. In recognition of his efforts and impact, Planetizen named him one of the 15 Most Influential Urbanists of all time in 2017 and 2023.