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Community Development: Resources

First Impressions

What kind of impression does your community make? First Impressions offers a structured opportunity for your community to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a community similar to yours while they do the same for you. The results from a First Impression visit can give you a truer picture of how others regard your community - information that can be important as you develop your community action plan.

History

First Impressions was developed by Professor Andrew Lewis, University of Wisconsin Extension and James Schneider, Grant County (WI) Extension Office, in the early 1990s, and the program has now been successfully used in many states and hundreds of communities across the country.  Professor Lewis provides the materials and background information for any community on his Web site. 

Making an assessment

A First Impressions exchange involves volunteers from two similar communities doing unannounced exchange visits and reporting on their findings. Participants become “secret shoppers” for the day to discover what they can about their sister city.

Materials available

We can provide your community with the materials including a manual for the site coordinator and for the volunteers, training presentation, report templates and PowerPoint presentation templates for the follow-up community meeting.  (The manuals and sample reports are also available on Professor Lewis's Web site.)

Community matching

We can help you identify communities similar to yours that are interested in participating in the program.  We'll provide you brief geographic and demographic data and contact information for other communities that may be interested in the program.  Or we can post your community name here on our Web site so other communities will know you're looking for a match.

A wise investment

The costs are minimal compared to the results that you'll receive. Costs might include travel to the partner community, meals during the visit and training or planning meetings, and any costs that might be associated with the final report to the community.  There are no costs for the materials from the University of Wisconsin Extension or Alliant Energy. 

The process

Step 1: Planning
Identify a community that is similar to yours with comparable characteristics, including, but not limited to:
Distance from a major highway
Miles from a major urban area
Region of the state
Population
Major industries/employers
Public high school located in community
Request information about the community you will be visiting and review it prior to your exchange visit.
A team of 5-7 volunteers should be selected for the exchange visit.

Step 2: The visit
Areas of evaluation include:
Community entrances
Downtown business area
Other retail shopping areas
Industrial parks/commercial areas
Healthcare services
Housing
Schools
Churches
Civic organizations
Residents
Public infrastructure
Recreation/tourism
Senses (smells, sounds, etc.)

Step 3: The report
Notes from each team member are compiled and a final report should be sent to the community visited. A community meeting is recommended to share what was learned and review major points.

Step 4: Develop an action plan
An action plan should be created to address areas of concern.

Step 5: Follow up
Follow-up meetings should be scheduled to track progress and report results.

If you would like to talk about possible matches for your community or would like to receive materials, contact Shelly Turner .