Does Your Chamber Have a Story To Tell?

Competition is everywhere!

The Internet, the chamber in the next town, even some of your members could be providing similar programs to your members.

What’s a chamber to do?

The key is you need to be able to tell your story to your members, your nonmembers and your community.

What is your chamber doing that is unique and a story you can tell to your members, nonmembers and your community?

Tell that story!  And tell it again, again and again.

I was at a conference recently and the following example was given to illustrate the story of this blog post:  An association for landscaping companies cleans up Arlington National Cemetery every year.

Who would not want to be part of that deal?

What a story, and it was suggested that many members of the association join just to be a part of that experience.

What story do you want to tell about your chamber?

Professional Certifications

Do you have any initials after your name?

Are they worth it? Absolutely!

Certifications are not recognitions or a certificate of completion of some course you took online.

No, certification is everything it implies, time in the profession, recognized leader, and oh by the way, yes, you must pass a test just like a lawyer or accountant.

Well in the chamber and association management field we have three:

• CCE - Certified Chamber Executive
• CAE - Certified Association Executive
• CEcD - Certified Economic Developer

And yes, they are worth your time and effort.

It basically makes the statement that you believe in the industry you work in and you have made the commitment to obtain the highest honor your professional society places on that sector.

Like anything worth doing, you need to take the time and effort to go through the process.

For more details on these certifications from the three professional societies that administer the programs:

• For more information on the CCE go HERE.
• For more information on the CAE go HERE.
• For more information on the CEcD go HERE. 

To borrow a tagline from Nike, Just Do It!

Chamber Board and Staff Communications

It’s important that board members and the chief staff executive communicate on a regular basis.

Only you know what works best for your organization.

Here are a few examples that have worked for successful chamber executives over the years with their volunteers:

• Weekly call
• Weekly or monthly president’s letter
• Monthly or quarterly board meeting
• Annual Report

The list could go on.  The key is that you’ve set-up a mechanism that allows for an open dialogue between the board, the members and the staff.

In order to do that, I think communication and transparency are the key elements for you to be successful.

If all three are on the same page, the chamber and the community will be the beneficiaries.

And you’ll be seen as a leader in the community.  Put another way, that’s job security!

For resources on board and staff communications go HERE and HERE.

Leader vs. Manager in Chamber Management

The official definition according to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary:

• Leader - something that leads
• Manager - one that manages

I like to think of it as vision vs. tactics!

We need both leaders and managers to be successful organizations and our chambers are structured that way.

Do you have both?

This post isn’t about becoming one or the other. It’s about recognizing the difference and playing to the strengths of each.

Allow me to draw an analogy we are familiar with – The Strategic Plan.

Pull out your strategic plan. I bet it starts with your mission statement and a vision for what you want to be. But under that you have a objectives and tactics laid out in a bullet format to achieve that vision.

The leaders create the vision (your board), the managers execute the strategy and tactics (chamber staff).

In my 20+ years in the association management field, it’s critical to understand the difference for your chamber to be successful.

Once board and staff understands their role, the opportunities are endless!

Developing a Competitive Workforce

In my last post HERE, I talked about how a strong workforce is a key to a community and the chambers economic development initiatives.

Let’s dig a little deeper into your community’s workforce.

Is your chamber working with the local school system helping to identify the needs of your community’s workforce?

A strong public school system and a post-secondary option is key.

Also, don’t forget the vocations.  Yes, we need doctors, engineers, etc., but we also need electricians, plumbers and carpenters.

Businesses can’t thrive unless they have the employees.

How many books have we all read on leadership, management and to quote Jim Collins, “getting the right people on the bus,” from his breakout book Good to Great?

That’s just another way of saying you need all types of workers to develop a competitive workforce for your community.

Click HERE for resources on building a competitive workforce!

Economic Development

For many chambers economic development is their number one priority.

You’ve heard it said before, if you’ve met one chamber, you’ve met one chamber.

In the chamber business there are some generalizations that I agree with (with exceptions).

• State chambers – advocacy driven
• Metro/Regional chambers – economic development/strong workforce
• Local Chambers – networking

Obviously, each of the three types of chambers listed above are in all three (i.e., advocacy, economic development, and networking to different degrees) but what they specialize in, in my opinion, is accurately stated above.

As for economic development, what are chambers focusing on?  I suggest the following:

• Financial incentives;
• Strong educated workforce;
• Business friendly regulations; and
• Infrastructure.

Successful chambers focus on all four.

Put your business hat on!  If you headed a company, what would be the things you’d look for in opening or relocating your business?

You'd want to know that the local chamber is tracking each of the four areas listed above to ensure a positive business environment for your company.

A strong business community = a strong chamber!

If you’re focusing on the above four areas, I bet you’re a successful chamber.

For more information on economic development and the profession click HERE.

Advocacy: Three Elements of an Effective Program

What role are you playing in the public policy arena on behalf of your members?

As chambers of commerce, isn't that our primary role to protect our small business members from government overregulation and help them grow their business?

If you're not in the advocacy business, you should be.

All the recent studies I've read, including the recent third edition of the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) survey from chamber members across the country are reporting that they want their chamber to play in the public policy space.  It's important to them.

I couldn't agree more.

Do you have a complete government affairs program?  Do you want to build one?  I've always talked about an effective government affairs program is like a three legged stool.

The three key elements are:

• Direct Lobbying
• Political Action Committee (PAC)
• Grassroots

Direct Lobbying

This is where you make direct contact with your legislator and talk about your issue.  The lobbyist is responsible for knowing the issue and the opposite side of the issue.  It’s important to share both sides and explain on why you’re on the right side.  Shouldn’t all issues be voted on the merits of the issue and what’s good for business?

Lobbying is about building relationships with your legislator and their key staff.  It’s just as important that they know you and ultimately check with you before voting on any legislation.  That’s a sign that you’re dialed in.

Political Action Committee

It takes money to get elected and re-elected.  PACs allow you to play an important role in supporting legislators who support your issues.  PAC money is the toughest money to raise so it’s important that you spend it wisely.

Do you have a set criteria laid out that is clear and transparent on whom you support?  If not, you should.  Chambers should be in the business of supporting legislators who support the business community.

Grassroots

While some may argue it’s the most important, rest assured you must have a robust grassroots program to allow you to be effective in the legislative process.  It shows that you have support from the business community on a specific issue.

In grassroots, we talk about key contact or broad based programs.

The key contact program is all about identifying key leaders within your organization and having them contact the legislator.  These individuals are already known by the legislator.  They already contribute to the legislator’s re-election campaign or maybe even campaign for them.

The broad based program allows you to mobilize your entire membership on a specific issue.

Both are important.

For your chamber, it's just good business being in the advocacy business!