In Sarah
Sladek’s book "The End of Membership as We Know It," she discusses three shifts that will
have a major impact on membership organizations.
While there have been many books written on membership, some with a doomsday approach, this book, for me anyway, just confirms the fact that you need to adapt to change and be relevant to your members.
The three shifts discussed in her book are:
And by the way, that's not a new concept.
- Economic recession;
- Demographic change; and
- Technology
And by the way, that's not a new concept.
She goes
on to talk about how we need to solve problems and provide solutions for our
members.
I assume
you're already doing that!
So while
something’s change, others stay the same.
Remember,
it's been said here before that you can't be all things to all people/members. Decide on what kind of chamber you want to be
and deliver on that promise/brand.
What is
your brand? For a previous blog post on that go HERE.
If you
can't answer that question, you need to go back to your board and members and
survey them to see what they want out of their chamber membership.
That's called a needs assessment survey and for a previous blog post on that go HERE.
Once you know what their needs and wants are, fulfill them!
That's called a needs assessment survey and for a previous blog post on that go HERE.
Once you know what their needs and wants are, fulfill them!
One
thing I do know that's not going to change is the need to be a strong advocate for
your members before different levels of government.
Explain
how the chamber is in the business of advocating and solving problems for their small business which in turn will help grow their business.
Be an advocate!
