What is your chamber doing to improve value without involvement and/or how are you communicating this value to your members?
John Tayer
President/CEO
Boulder (CO) Chamber
We often tell our members, we are a “no guilt chamber,” meaning they don’t have to attend our networking gatherings or business meetings to get value from their investment in our work.
While we still believe in the benefit of facilitating business-to-business connections, making a positive impact on the business environment and our community — by identifying critical issues, developing solutions, and advocating for action — is core to the Boulder Chamber’s mission.
The result of this work earns the respect of our investors, through tangible benefit to their business operations, from media attention it garners, and in direct member communications.
Terri Cole
President/CEO
Greater Albuquerque (NM) Chamber
Our focus on advocacy benefits our member businesses of every size. Small and medium-sized companies need an organization to fight for them at all levels of government — they simply don’t have the resources to take it on themselves.
Meanwhile, larger companies need community support to protect them against the most threatening policies. Plus, while they often have their own lobbyists to advocate on industry issues, they appreciate supporting an organization that can engage in other conversations too.
In New Mexico, business must be at the table on foundational economic issues like crime, education and the workforce, and they trust problem solvers and advocates like us to create that space for them.
Derek B. Miller
President/CEO
Salt Lake (UT) Chamber
We create and improve value with members by setting expectations at the outset, tailoring membership packages when they join and reevaluating them during the renewal process. These packages include specific initiatives where the members have a personal or professional interest, whether that be receiving timely economic data and analysis, air quality efforts, entrepreneur mentoring, our social impact foundation, or supporting minority- and women-owned businesses.
We also recognize that business owners and leaders have limited time to attend personally, so we work with these leaders to identify others in their organization who can get involved with the chamber.
Katie Stice, IOM
President/CEO
Rancho Mirage (CA) Chamber
We have been very successful in this area given the inability to get involved due to the pandemic. The following are now a consistent part of our value proposition. E-introductions are simple and a warm way to introduce new members through the chamber and it is so appreciated!
We also do a “Live with Your Chamber” interview video series via Streamyard that can be seen on multiple platforms and later launched “Adventures with Anne” where we share lots of photos and the history of the business/owners on a social media post.
The pandemic taught us that people wanted to hear stories of those in their community — so we created the opportunities to do so weekly.
That general concept is still valuable and engaging. In the last 28 days, we’ve reached more than 15,000 people and this is a consistent number.
Andrew Hoan
President/CEO
Portland (OR) Business Alliance
One way the Portland Business Alliance is creating additional value is through enhanced promotion of new members across our marketing activities. Each new business that joins the Alliance is officially (and publicly) welcomed across our social media channels, with vibrant artwork and a link to their own websites. Given the aggregate size of our social media audience, this is a significant amplifier for many businesses.
Additional new member highlights are added to our revamped monthly Member Newsletter, which provides new members the opportunity to be featured across our 6,800+ member base.
We’ve also leveraged our trade agreements with local media to promote new and renewing members in print ads. For small businesses, this might be the only opportunity to show up in the newspaper or business journal — it’s a unique value add that is deeply appreciated.