It was a very positive message, it’s our time to share! It’s our opportunity to show the value of your chamber to your members, non-members and the public in your community.
And part of that positive message is talking about an economic recovery not just Covid-19. He went on to lay out some best practices for your chamber.
Communications:
- Have a single spokesperson for your chamber throughout this process to have a consistent message;
- Now is the time for that elevator speech (and it should be tight); and
- Track and share good deeds.
Bob stressed you need to continue to recruit new memberships on the work you are doing. Do you have an ROI Dues Value Calculator? If so, now is the time to publicize it. Do not stop sending those invoices. If you’re out of business, you won’t be useful to anyone. And a thought I’ll throw out there, have you thought about a GoFundMe site?
Board Governance
- Extend terms if needed;
- Now is the time to empower your executive committee in these times of possibly having trouble in getting a quorum at a full board meeting; and
- Reduce meeting agendas and make sure you are using the consent calendar to your advantage.
He went on to talk about pausing your long-term plan and pivot to creating a recovery plan for the next three to six months. Make it specific on how you’re going to help your members get back in the game.
You might want to set-up some short-term task forces to deal with specific issues and not worry about your standing committees at this time. And remember, these task forces go away in the near future!
And he ended with:
- Now is the time for advocacy to champion the interests of your members;
- Repurpose your events - in-person to online programming; and
- Work with your sponsors to find value for them and keep them involved in your organization. Always keep your lines of communication open.
Good luck!
