Identifying Common Initiatives and Roles of Chambers in Workforce Development

A strong workforce equals a growing community.  That's been true for many years. 

That's nothing new!

What's new is what does your community have that is attracting that strong workforce?

I think we can all agree on what attracts businesses to your community:

• Infrastructure;
• An educated workforce; and
• A sense of community.

There are all kinds of jobs that need to be filled, not just lawyers and doctors but welders, plumbers, electricians and carpenters.

Does your community have a strong relationship between the high school, vocational school, junior college and the business community?

It’s essential that the three are tied together for success.

We need to get to a place where we do not stigmatize high school graduates, vocational school, or junior college graduates.

At the end of the day, it's the electricians, plumbers, and construction workers who work with the architects, engineers, and the financial industry to build the infrastructure of the 21st Century within our growing communities.

We need all levels of education to fill these key jobs to move our communities forward.

And let's not forget that many electritions and plumbers are making more money than the college graduate, without any college debt! 

3 Keys to Recruiting Sponsors for Your Event

WIIFT (what's in it for them)?

What is their ROI (return on investment)?

What kind of exposure are you giving your sponsors?

What kind of exposure are they getting from the media that is worth so much more than attending that one event they may attend?

Position your sponsors as partners that are supporting the Chamber, which in turn, supports the community as a whole and that's something everyone can get behind?

Not just at that one event but as a partner for the whole year.

Build relationships, show that you're working together to build a stronger community that benefits everyone (i.e., small business members, customers and the community at large).

For more information on sponsors from the American Society of Associations Executives (ASAE) go HERE.

Structuring the Foundation of a Government Affairs Program

With any government affairs program it's important that you create a transparent system for your members, non-members and elected officials so everyone understands where you stand on issues on behalf of your membership.

If you are transparent, no one can get angry on the positions you take on behalf of your membership.

That's what we do as Chamber executives on behalf of our members.

It's our job to fight for our small business members before the local Zoning Commission, City Council, State Government and even the Federal government when appropriate.

I've said it before, we should not be in the "parade" business.  We should be in the advocacy business and not shy away from it.

Your members will appreciate your taking a stand for them before the appropriate elected body to look after their best interest.

Never forget that that's the business we're in!

Communicating Your Message with Impact

Institute faculty member Tony Rubleski at Mind Capture taught the COPE theory of communications, "Create Once Publish Everywhere!"

I recently read an article on using three words to describe your business (see that previous blog post HERE).

In addition, I wrote another blog post on effective messaging that will resonate with your audience based on an interview that AssociationNow did with James Carville.  You can find that HERE.

And by the way, right or wrong, left or right, James Carville knows what he's talking about when it comes to communications.

Put another way, keep it simple, or put another way, less is more!

I totally agree that the key is to keep your message consistent over all your communication vehicles and keep it simple.

Which goes back to the opening sentence of this blog post.

COPE!

Don't recreate the wheel with the different social media platforms you may be working on to get your message out.

"Create Once Publish Everywhere."  COPE!

Evaluating Advantages and Risks of Various Dues Schedules

There are basically three types of dues schedules:

1. Dues based on full-time employees (FTEs);
2. Dues based on an overall budget of the business; and
3. Dues based on tiers.

The trend over the past ten years has been moving to a tiered dues system and I'm a fan of that trend.

The first two set you and your members up for an adversarial relationship!

With a tiered dues system your members can pay for exactly what they want based on your tiered dues structure and there is no going back and forth with the business leader on how many employees they have at any given time or what their current budget is for that given year.

Get out of that game!

Work with your members to give them what they want and what they are willing to pay for based on your tiered dues structure.

The key is to be transparent on what the different levels will deliver for their dues point.

That's a win win for both the chamber and your members or potential members.

For more on a tiered dues structure from Kyle Sexton go HERE.

Developing and Analyzing Data Through Surveys

Qualitative vs. quantitative.

You need both and you also need to do focus groups.

How often are you surveying your members?

In today's world with all the free or nominal fees associated with online surveys, you have no excuse not to do an annual survey and find out what your members want and expect from you.

Remember, you can't serve all members.  In fact, I did a previous blog post on that subject that can be found HERE.

The key, in my opinion, when conducting these surveys is to be consistent from year to year.  You need to be asking the same questions so you can get a benchmark to work from.

If you just change your questions each year, you have nothing to base your results on.

I'm reminded by the membership survey that Marketing General, Inc. has conducted over the past 7 years.  They ask the same questions so they can have a base and measure changes over time with the same audience.  That's data that's worth following.

If you want their latest benchmarking survey on membership go HERE.

In addition, do you have a process that all new programs need to go through before you add them to your program of work?

If not, you should create a document that is used for all potential new programs the chamber is considering getting into.  Don't go into any new program blind.  Find out if your membership wants it, is willing to support it, and that it is sustainable.

That's a recipe for success! 

3 Tips for a Great Presentation

Start with a bang.  Tell a story.  End with where you began.

All successful speakers have mastered these three techniques in addition to their own experiences on delivering the goods on a great presentation.

Here's three I'd like to focus on:

1. Know your subject matter;
2. Tell a story; and
3. Keep it simple.

Know your subject matter:

You're not credible if you don't know your subject matter.  Don't fake it!  They will see right through you. The key is to stay focused on your presentation and subject matter and don't get off on a tangent.

Tell a story:

If you've ever read anything about giving a top-notch presentation, it's all about storytelling.  Begin with a story and end with a story that ties back to the original story that you told.  The stories is what your audience will remember, not the other stuff, unfortunately.  So it's key to bury your main message in the story.

Keep it simple:

I'm reminded by a blog post I did, and you can find it HERE, that if you want them to remember something keep it to three topics, if you want them to remember nothing, than tell them 10 things.

It's so true.  Keep it simple and they will remember your message. So don't push that theory!

Figure out what you want them to leave with and deliver that message.

I'm also reminded by a recent blog post I did on "If You're Creating a Start-up: Find Your Three Words" to describe your business?  You can find it HERE.

It's true, keep it simple and they will remember your message.