MEASURING THE IMPACT OF ADVOCACY CONDUCTED BY BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS

The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) helps unlock economic potential and create greater economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting residents to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building a fairer economy in neighborhoods across the five boroughs. As the oversight agency for the City's Business Improvement District (BID) program, the SBS Neighborhood Development Division monitors the fiscal and organizational health of all 73 BIDs in New York City. SBS enlisted a Capstone team to assess the impact of the BID program's advocacy and identify needed resources. The team conducted focus group discussions with SBS, developed and implemented a survey administered to all 73 BIDs, and conducted in-depth interviews with select BID executive directors to define BID advocacy and determine measurement methods. Based on the collected and analyzed data, the team compiled a final comprehensive report with recommendations that included a framework for measuring the BID program's advocacy going forward.