The Idea Friendly Guide, a new book from SaveYour.Town

The Idea Friendly Guide shown as a paperback and ebook on a blue background with a burst of sparkling light

You’ve been told you need to slow down. You have too many ideas. You need to wait for permission.

You need to form another committee. Sit through more meetings. Write yet another plan.

We tried that once. That’s not how we do things here. And what about liability??

Forget all that.

You don’t need to struggle with difficult people. Those are not your people.

You don’t need permission from resistant leaders. 99% of the best things you can do don’t require anyone’s permission.

You don’t need to fix your broken community. It’s not broken. People are using broken methods because that’s how they’ve been taught for years.

You can transform your community by taking small steps, starting now, without waiting for permission, support or perfect conditions.

Communities like yours are doing this

This is how Webster City, Iowa, recovered from losing a major manufacturer. They filled 10 empty buildings and became their own heroes to save their movie theater.

Webster City theater marquee is lit up with neon and says Zero to Hero
They became their own heroes. Photo by Deb Brown.

The Idea Friendly Method is how communities across the USA, Canada and globally are nurturing new businesses, expanding libraries, and beautifying their towns. Not through grand plans and big committees, but through people using this new method together.

This is the Idea Friendly Method

Gather Your Crowd with an idea that entices others.

Build Connections to turn your crowd into a powerful network.

Take Small Steps to accomplish your idea together.

It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.

This framework helps communities like yours break free from the “slow down and ask more questions” trap that keeps good ideas from happening.

Can it really be this simple?
It’s been my great luck to work with Becky as she rolled this method out. I asked her a ton of questions like ‘What do you mean, no one has to take notes? Really? It’s not a meeting? Come on, it can’t be this easy, right?’
But that’s just it. Instead of showing up for another meeting (yawn), you actually get out and do things together (much better). Once I got that, I was all in. That’s when I knew Idea Friendly was going to change the world.

Deb Brown, IOM

Former director, Webster City Chamber of Commerce
Co-founder, SaveYour.Town
I’ve used the Idea Friendly Method over the last 6 years to create two downtown public spaces, including millions in investment from the city, and am now using it to grow affordable housing opportunities.
Kathryn Witherington, a woman with light skin tones and blonde hair wearing dark-framed glasses

Kathryn Witherington

Walla Walla, Washington
The Idea Friendly Method helped our small team remove the barriers that events require committees, multiple meetings, and multiple levels of decisions. We were shocked that 75% of the event was done and what remained was manageable. People popped out of the woodwork to help once they saw the momentum.
Stephanie Ray, a woman with light skin tones and blonde hair standing in a field

Stephanie Ray, AICP, PMP

Stillwater County, Montana

Your community is next.

This book is for you if you genuinely care about your community and are ready to stop waiting for permission to improve it.

You might be a business owner building something meaningful in your town. An employee who chooses to live and work here because you believe in this place. An economic development professional who knows traditional approaches aren’t keeping up. A volunteer who’s tired of endless committee meetings. An elected official ready to support what the people themselves want to do. Or simply someone who loves where you live and wants to make it better.

We’re all in this together. We’re just in different towns.

Becky McCray wearing a winter coat and white scarf has one hand on a downtown building while three people listen to her ideas.
Becky McCray leads a downtown ideas tour in a small town in Idaho. Photo by Ana Blaisdell

I’ll be your guide.

I’m Becky McCray, co-founder of SaveYour.Town. I wrote this book because small towns have a future. I know because I’ve been a small town store owner, city administrator for a town under 1,000 people, and a lifelong cattle rancher. I make my home in Hopeton, Oklahoma, population 30. I don’t just talk about rural issues, I live them. And I’ve spent the past ten years helping communities take action, the Idea Friendly way.

What’s inside: Practical steps that seem manageable

You won’t be overwhelmed with an endless sea of “You should do it this way” advice. You’ll be having a conversation with me.

In the first chapter, we’ll walk through a complete example. Then we’ll explore each part of the method in depth, with examples and how to make each part work in your community. Then we’ll dive into the behaviors you need to make this stick as a lasting change. Finally, we’ll apply this method in different situations, from working with skeptics to transforming organizations to collaborating across groups.

Here’s a preview of the Table of Contents. The whole book takes about 3 hours to read. I’m preparing ebook, paperback, large print and audiobook versions.

Table of Contents of the Idea Friendly Guide with 12 chapters and a discussion guide for groups.

What early readers said

Becky McCray’s Idea Friendly Guide is one of those rare reads that makes you want to jump off the couch and get to work. With her powerful Idea Friendly Method—gather your crowd, build connections, take small steps—she offers practical and energizing advice about sparking meaningful change in your community. My favorite parts were the deeply hopeful stories of real people transforming real towns, without five-year plans, standing committees, and endless meetings. Bottom line: You don’t have to ask for permission; you can get out there and start creating the place you want to live right now. I love this book! 
Melody Warnick, a woman with light skin tones and long blonde hair, wearing a jacket

Melody Warnick

Author of This is Where You Belong
I met Becky a few years ago in Oklahoma at the “Teeny Tiny Town” summit. I sat in on her session about small town development and entrepreneurship and have stayed in touch since. Few people are more passionate about small town growth than Becky. This book extends that passion. As one of the few books on the subject, it reinforces that every place, no matter the size or location, deserves quality economic development. Through Becky’s “Idea Friendly Method” and focus on local relationships, you’ll see how economic development can be done with heart. I encourage you to read it!
Dell Gines, a man with medium dark skin tones and a dark graying beard, wearing a suit and tie

Dell Gines, PhD, CEcD

Chief Innovation Officer, International Economic Development Council
As a planner by trade, I know the value is in what we DO to make our communities better places. Becky McCray’s Idea Friendly Method provides the how–gather a coalition of the willing and try new ideas, then try some more. In the Idea Friendly Guide, you can find useful and practical examples of how people like us have done just that. Ideas you can put to work today.
John C. Shepard, a man with light skin tones, with dark blonde hair and a mustache, wearing a suit and tie

John C. Shepard, AICP

Vice-Chair, APA Small Town and Rural Division
Author at JCShepard.com
The Idea Friendly Method gives rural leaders and volunteers a clear, hopeful path to make things happen, without waiting for permission or perfect plans. Becky shows that how we work together, build on what we have, and take small steps forward makes all the difference. As someone who studies rural communities, I find this book a refreshing, inspiring guide for anyone ready to turn small ideas into big change in their hometown.
Ben Winchester, a man with light skin tones and blonde hair, wearing a button up shirt

Ben Winchester

Senior Research Fellow, University of Minnesota Extension, Center for Community Vitality
Becky has captured something I’ve spent a career trying to practice: how to move from overthinking to action, from bureaucracy to belonging. With both small-town roots and big-city experience, I can tell you—this is the kind of practical roadmap that makes change feel doable at any scale, and talks about it in a way that everyone can understand.
Tim Parsons, a man with dark hair and a light goatee, wearing dark rimmed glasses, a button up shirt and loosened tie

Tim Parsons

Senior Advisor, Idealist.org
Becky McCray doesn’t just write about rural communities — she lives it. The Idea Friendly Guide shows how rural people everywhere can create opportunity without waiting for permission. Her approach reflects the same entrepreneurial spirit we see lighting up small towns across Canada and the U.S. It’s honest, hopeful, and exactly what our rural communities need right now.
Andrew Button, and man with light skin and dark hair

Andrew Button

Founder and CEO, Mashup Lab
Nova Scotia

What beta readers said in the comments

  • “Rich in content, full of notable lines and big aha moments”
  • “strongly motivating and makes me want to keep going”
  • “I started answering the questions as I read“
  • “EXCEPTIONAL!!! This right here is pure GOLD!!!“
  • “it not only gives the reader hope, but a set of steps to follow that seem manageable”
  • “You have so many success stories that inspire others and the storytelling IS powerful.”
  • “like you are having a conversation with the reader.”
  • “I feel called out, haha. How inspiring!“

Coming in December 2025 from Becky McCray, co-founder of SaveYour.Town

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