2. Darwin said: It is not the strongest of the species that
survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one
that is most adaptable.
3. Are We Relevant? Can We Adapt to Survive? The answer must be
YES! IS THEIR STILL VALUE IN BEING A CHAMBER MEMBER? Schapiro
Credibility Continues to Grow for Local Chambers With permission of
ACCE. YES! LINK TO Credibility Continues to Grow for Local Chambers
by Schapiro
4. BUT, With the growth of the Internet and the increase of
various networking groups, your Chamber is no longer the only game
in town. Chambers are no longer going to be able to rely on their
present membership benefits as that era is gone! The good old days
of automatic membership renewal are just a memory Most business
people want to see a ROI for their memberships when being asked to
renew and, very definitely, when being asked to join.
5. WHY? Our values as a society have changed The "New Chamber
of Commerce" must be perceived as being a relevant brand of
resources and technology that help our members market, network
& manage their organizations profitably. Encourage your staff,
board members, ambassadors, and volunteers to walk in your members'
shoes and then add value to the membership experience so that, at
renewal time, the answer to the ugly question "What did I get for
my membership dues?" will be delivered with comfort, pride and a
smile.
6. WHAT IS YOUR MEMBERSHIP MODEL OF THE FUTURE? Membership is
not dead, as author Sarah Sladek argues in The End of Membership As
We Know. She outlines real, useful advice and plenty of examples
for moving your membership model into the future. For example,
learn why organizational culture has an enormous impact on
recruitment and retention what emerging member-prospects value and
want why and how to focus on member ROI instead of program ROI how
to craft and deliver compelling benefits rather than features how
to extend your reach which emerging models are taking root and
showing promise Sarah L. Sladek is founder and CEO of the
association consulting firm XYZ University in Maple Grove,
Minnesota. This article is excerpted from her new book, The End of
Membership as We Know It, available in the ASAE Bookstore. Email:
[email protected] Sarahs formula to forecast your existence
based on your present retention rate.
7. Baby Boomers (1946-1964); Generation X (1965-1976);
Generation Y (1977-1991); and Generation Z (1991 and later).. Most
of our nations companies are vastly unprepared for the loss of
their loyal Baby Boomer leaders and need our Chambers to take the
lead on workforce development, leadership development, and economic
development. When a Chamber can identify what they truly bring to
the community, and can communicate that out, they become more than
just relevantthey become a NECESSARY COMMODITY! For the first time
in the American history, there are five generations in the
workplace with different perceptions of work values and attitudes,
communication and management expectations: Radio Babies (born
during 1930-1945);
8. Your Chamber needs to know what younger generations care
about because without them your association will struggle to
survive. Ask your Chambers leadership to spend time with younger
generations. You must have diversity on your Board! Empower a group
of influential emerging professionals to act as your ambassadors.
Create focus groups with them.
9. LEAD LEARN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
10. She says in her article, Social Media: What has Your Local
Chamber of Commerce Done for You Lately? A Chamber should ask the
below questions in regard to their efforts in online marketing and
social media: Is social media Providing value to their membership?
Bringing benefit to the Chamber business via brand awareness,
membership, membership loyalty, sales efficiencies, etc.? Helping
the Chamber business grow their membership? Justifying the
investment? She goes on to say that Local networking meetings are
being replaced by Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn groups, MasterMinds
filled with people you meet online, sales funnels, automated
nurturing programs leveraging technologies such as Infusionsoft,
Campaign Monitor & Constant Contact. All of these things are
being integrated into marketing and business plans of local
businesses and bringing value to their bottom line. The issue is
the majority of Chamber organizations arent doing these things
themselves. If they dont understand the technologies and art of
using such how can they connect with their members and potential
target future members online?
http://www.pammarketingnut.com/2011/05/social-media-what-has-
your-local-chamber-of-commerce-done-for-you-lately/Link to
website
11. The Omaha Chamber of Commerce in Omaha, Nebraska is
considered one of the best chambers in the country that understands
the importance of Social Media and how it can benefit its members.
Link to website Click box to start Press Esc to exit full
screen
12. E Newsletter Story Sponsorship: The Greater Chamber of
Omaha has a chat line! Click box to start Press Esc to exit full
screen
13. The Future of the Chamber of Commerce Twelve Success
Strategies & Best Practice by Michael D. Flint To reinvigorate
your organization and ensure that it is the most dynamic,
respected, center of influence in your community, you must
implement and fine-tune the following:
http://chamberstrategies.com/chamber-white-paper.php 1. Become the
Information Gateway for your Community Make your website the go to
resource for information about your community. List all the key
resources for ease of conducting business in your community. The
successful Chamber of Commerce will be the automatic starting point
for people looking for community information. Once again, its
reasonably simple and costs almost nothing! 2. Showcase your
Members Offer no-cost ways for your members to publicize and
promote the following important aspects of their businesses: - new
staff & promotions - new product introductions - accolades
& awards - special offers - volunteer needs - events, classes,
etc. 3. Improve Communications with Members and the Community
Communicate the following on a regular basis: - The Community
Calendar which includes. Upcoming Chamber events Upcoming Members
events Other community events - Upcoming Chamber seminars and
workshops. - Members business news and publicity. - Members
discounts and special offers. 4. Implement the Sustainable
Membership Growth Model Your membership should grow by a
predictable percentage each year. This growth must be sustainable.
We accept the axiom that if a business isnt growing then its
gradually fading away. So ..... - Review and understand your
communitys business and nonprofit profile. - Implement the
Sustainable Membership Development Model. - Implement the
Sustainable Membership Retention Model.
14. 5. Use an online Contact Management System This is pretty
basic stuff today. You should know exactly what your members are
experiencing how their business is doing, what their challenges
are, what they would like the Chamber to do, what issues they are
concerned about, etc. You should know exactly what is happening
between your membership and your staff and have a record of these
ongoing relationships. 6. Establish or Re-energize your Chamber
Ambassadors Club Do you have an Ambassadors Club program? If not,
then youre missing an incredible, almost-no-cost opportunity to
improve membership retention and development, establish a pool of
loyal volunteers, and enhance the overall membership experience for
all concerned. Done correctly, using an integrated client contact
system, it gives you a wonderful window into what is actually
happening with your members. 7. Activate a Lead-Generation system
for Members Remember most of your members joined because they
wanted to increase their business. Help them! 8. Offer Business
& Executive Roundtables and Forums Make sure you understand and
are operating in sync with the pulse of the business and nonprofit
communities. You must listen carefully to the issues and concerns
of your community leaders members and non- members and must be
perceived by them as being empathetic, proactive and involved in
addressing those matters.
15. 9. Offer Meaningful Educational Programs Your members are
looking for ways to increase their business so meaningful means
offering seminars, workshops and educational programs that deal
with sales, marketing and business grow issues what the members
want in addition to the other financial and administrative topics!
Understand the sales and marketing profile of your community.
Tailor your educational programs accordingly. 10. Be Visible Make
sure your Directors, staff, and Ambassadors are visible at all
government meetings, public forums, city-wide functions, etc. Make
sure your Chamber is seen everywhere advocating for your members as
well as the overall financial health and well-being of your
community. Remember the cry ... Theyre everywhere! Theyre
everywhere!? Its an excellent strategy. 11. Honor your Members
& Community Leaders Host functions that honor those in the
community who are making things happen (e.g. Businessperson of the
Year). Most of these awards, naturally, will be to Chamber members
but some should reach outside and generate increased community
interest and publicity (e.g. Student Entrepreneur of the Year). 12.
Build Solid Relationships Effective relationships demand
conversation, participation and commitment. Establish various
committees, advisory groups and panels dealing with relevant issues
and regularly ask members to participate. Constantly offer
opportunities to be involved and request feedback whenever
possible.
16. Are the Chambers still Relevant in the Age of Social Media?
By Edward Warren Five Leaps of Faith for Chambers by Frank Kenny
Race for Relevance: Five Radical Changes for Chambers of Commerce
By Harrison Coerver & Mary Byers, CAE The Real Value of Joining
a Local Chamber of Commerce/The Schapiro Group 2007 The Real Value
of Joining a Local Chamber of Commerce/ The Schapiro Group 2012
ACCE /Revenue Models: An Examination of Income Trends for Chambers
of Commerce http://frankjkenny.com/5leapsoffaith
http://midamericachamberexecutives.com/files/686.pdf
http://www.gotahoenorth.com/pdfs/ValueOfJoiningChamber.pdf
http://www.manateechamber.com/articles/SchapiroRelease2012.pdf
http://www.theoaklandchambernetwork.com/ACCE_RMWP_Insperity__1_.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/smithelliottkearnsandco/are-chambers-of-commerce-still-relevant
17. How would The Perfect Chamber Look? For the first time in
American History, there are five generations in the workplace with
different perceptions of work values and attitudes. Radio Babies
(1930-1945) Baby Boomers (1946-1964); Generation X (1965-1976);
Generation Y (1977-1991); Generation Z (1991-and later) Break
Attendees into groups according to their generations and ask them
to create their Perfect Chamber.
18. Excerpt from Innovation, Status Quo, and The Group by Frank
Kenny, Contributing Writer for The National Chamber Review have
engaged and active members, both online and in-person, intent on
mutual prosperity for themselves and the community; have a strong
board of directors comprised of the top business and community
leaders; have a large budget, allowing her to hire and retain top
talent, keep up with technology, and explore opportunities; have a
deep bench of volunteer members dependably working on various
committees and projects; be technologically advanced. It would
leverage social media, digital marketing, and the Internet to tell
its story, build relationships, and bring in substantial dues and
non-dues revenue.
