CHAMBER 2022…& BEYOND!INFLUENCES AND CHALLENGES RESHAPE VISION

Immediate Needs

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• New CEO
• “BIG LIST”
• Grow Membership
• Grow Budget
• PAC?

Wish List

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• Six-Month's Cash Reserves
• New Chamber tech
• ChamberPAC War Chest
• Marketing Budget
• Grow membership
• Grow budget

What Are Some of Those Influences & Challenges?

In my recent WACE Board meeting we conducted a focus group of western Chamber execs

Top 3 issues facing their chamber

• Revenue Issues - Some already going away from Tiered Dues...what's next?
• Relevance - They'll join a kickball league before they'll join an organization that might save their job or business
• Differentiate - Chambers suddenly not fashionable, yet everyone seems to be succeeding by acting like one...Yelp, Facebook, other organizations, etc.

On a scale of one to nine...how are the other chambers in your area doing?

If 1 is doomed and 9 is awesome....

• Average response was around 5

What else do you see in your area chambers?

• Regionalization & Mergers - Think there will be fewer Chambers in 5 years
• Chambers taking on Economic Development & Tourism - If they aren't already

WHAT ELSE DO YOU SEE IN OTHER CHAMBERS?

• Just getting by financially
• 9% of Chambers we spoke with had no cash reserves
• Only 14 % of Chambers we spoke to had over $250,000 in cash reserves

What Are Some of My Thoughts?

New Realities ???

• Are there too many of us doing the same thing and competing for the same dollars
• Millennials seem to join causes not clubs...how do we reposition our message?
• Zero in....we've always been generalists because of our diverse membership....now it's about personalization and tech....how do we grow and stay small at the same time?

New Realities ???

• How do we become essential?
• Less is More - Do fewer things better
• Do we make hamburgers out of some sacred cows? For example...if we hadn't been doing ribbon cuttings for 100 years...would we start doing them now?
• It's not about belonging...it's about believing!
• Do we need to start an endowment...pursue foundation grants?

The questions along are intimidating and frightening....

"Things that are urgent are seldom important and things that are important are seldom urgent."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The good news is that we can continue a deliberate pace and intentional goal setting....

Additionally, the new stuff will be just as grand as we thought the old stuff once was!