Programs

Member

Center

Venture Portland is the support organization for all of Portland’s business districts, providing our members with funding, training, marketing, and significant staff support. Since 1986 Venture Portland has helped business districts city-wide best meet the needs of their diverse communities. We invite you to discover the ways Venture Portland can support your business district by navigating this section and contacting us today.

Grants

Venture Portland’s grant funds are available exclusively for member business associations and are offered once per year. Venture Portland grants have funded many of the activities that make Portland unique, including street fairs and other community events, marketing campaigns, public art, and infrastructure. Our current grants help fund business district staff and contractors that build district capacity and support small businesses.

Lunch & Learns

Each year Venture Portland hosts trainings to build the capacity of business district leaders. Venture Portland trainings address all aspects of business district operations such as great promotions, membership campaigns, marketing and running a successful business association.

Marketing & Events

Venture Portland promotes business districts and their member businesses via twice-per-week newsletters, social media, and ventureportland.org. We also regularly host both in-person and virtual opportunities for business district leaders to network and share resources.

Resource Library

Since 1986, Venture Portland has been developing a library of templates and samples to help business districts with good governance, effective boards, and successful events and marketing without having to reinvent the wheel. Whether your business district needs to update its bylaws or help board members understand their roles, we’ve got resources that can make the process as easy as possible.

Sponsorship

Get your business or district noticed with sponsorship opportunities! Venture Portland sends out a weekly press release, a weekly “Friday email”, and we have a monthly Small Business Portland podcast. Now that we’ve moved to virtual trainings, attendance is higher than ever before and people can access the webinars via our Youtube channel at their convenience. Each of these offers a chance for you to advertise your association and/or your business!

Fee-For-Service

Venture Portland’s Fee-For-Service Programs are low-cost options for a variety of business district services from Venture Portland’s talented staff. Programs focus on Strong Membership, District Identity and Strong Business District Associations.

Youtube

Resources

Venture Portland’s YouTube channel has multiple years of webinar recordings on topics ranging from business association governance, marketing, events, and city partners. Check out the most popular videos here or explore more on our channel.

Successful Social Media for Small Businesses
Business District Membership Campaigns
Business District PR – Earning Positive Media Coverage

Podcast

Episodes

The Small Business Portland Podcast features interviews with business district experts, small business owners and local leaders to discuss the state of small business in Portland. Join host Eleni Gerding as she explores issues affecting Portland’s 50 business districts and the small business owners that make them unique.

Membership

Has Its Benefits

The majority of Portland’s business districts are dues-paying members of Venture Portland and receive valuable benefits including grants and representation on Venture Portland’s Board of Directors. Venture Portland also provides start-up support and assistance to emerging business districts.