Dear Chamber Board Member...

An open letter to Chamber of Commerce Boards of Directors?

Thank you for taking on this crucial leadership role to serve and advance your community. What you may not know is that your timing is exceptional. We’re in the midst of a chamber renaissance. Chambers of commerce have never been more essential to regional prosperity and are being called on to serve as partners, thought leaders and innovative problem solvers in new ways, on new issues. Now is the time to capture this momentum and elevate your chamber and your region.

The Future of Chambers of Commerce

ACCE has conducted extensive research on the future of our industry, including the?Horizon Initiative , featuring nine influences shaping the trajectory of our profession. Many chambers leverage this report to craft their strategic plans. We also have new research on three pillars essential for chamber success. We frame these pillars with questions to ask ourselves when thinking about our chamber’s role:

1. Does your mission focus on community impact?

Successful business communities need successful, strong communities. With this, chambers are pivoting from transactional to transformational, with missions designed to make their regions as strong as they can be. This focus can take many forms, whether it’s workforce and talent, advocacy, inclusive economic development, enabling a stronger small business ecosystem or other critical areas. Focus means saying no to things that don’t align with that mission. We can’t be all things to all people. And sometimes that means rethinking - or abandoning - our sacred cows. Without a laser-sharp focus on our mission, our value proposition gets diluted and our teams are stretched too thin to truly be effective.

2. Are you leading courageously around your mission?

Leadership takes many forms. As chambers we play different roles in different circumstances. We’re often the trusted convener, gathering stakeholders for input and problem solving. Sometimes we’re the consensus builder, rallying everyone around an idea. As a catalytic leader, we’re catalysts for change, shaping our external environment. Recently, we’ve seen bold leadership in areas chambers haven’t historically engaged in like community health, smart justice reform and inclusive economic growth. Our research also finds that the value of partnerships is stronger than ever, particularly uncommon partners. You can share the workload, gain clout and add credibility by tag-teaming with others to achieve goals.

3.?Does your business model align with your mission?

To ensure your mission and value proposition are clear, your chamber should deliver on its mission with laser-sharp focus. Chamber resources – staff time, funding, programs, events, communications, networks and partnerships - should all align with your core focus. If you’re doing things that serve too small a constituency or don’t align, it’s time to say “no” more often.

Funding chamber work requires diversified revenue sources. At ACCE, we’ve been tracking chamber benchmarking data for decades. Membership as an overall percentage of revenue has been flattening or declining for most chambers, so we can’t rely exclusively on membership revenue for growth. Membership is still critical, but chambers are rethinking membership models to reflect modern engagement tactics. And new funding sources are emerging as strong ways to fund mission-based efforts. Creating or leveraging a 501(c)(3) foundation, fee-for-service work, creative sponsorships and other models have emerged as sustainable options.

Driving Success at Your Chamber

Board engagement is often viewed as a leading indicator of success for high-performing chambers of commerce and associations. Here are areas top chamber executives identify as the most fruitful role for board members:?

I. Participate:?As eyes and ears in the community, share your insights, ask smart questions and show up before you need the chamber to take action on your behalf.

II. Foster a culture of innovation:?Our world is dynamic. Old business models don’t speak to the changing nature of our regions. We must think differently to engage the next generation of community leaders.

III. Ensure the board reflects your community:?Potential members want to see chamber leadership that looks like they do. If the board isn’t reflective of the range of dimensions of diversity in your community – age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, abilities, among others – it’s hard for individuals to feel like they belong. You can help identify candidates for the leadership pipeline.

IV. Identify potential partners:?What are challenges and opportunities in your market? If other organizations are working on them, can the chamber play a supporting role? If there are gaps in service, can the chamber find partners to address them in tandem?

V. Understand and support the staff: Running a chamber is not easy work. It’s rewarding and impactful, but challenging. Our?industry burnout survey ?shows the leading cause of burnout is the expected 24/7 nature of the job. In light of this, staff expectations are changing, and chambers need to change to address them. Traditional benefits like retirement and insurance can go a long way. (ACCE offers?these benefits ?to chamber professionals.) But support should go beyond that. Encourage time off, ensure there are clear job portfolios and balanced workloads, benchmark to ensure fair compensation and encourage work-life balance. As an expert on workplace dynamics, Adam Grant points out that much of the Great Resignation?isn’t a mad dash away from the office, it’s a march toward freedom and flexibility . How can you help the chamber develop a culture that allows for that flexibility?

Your community needs your leadership more than ever. As does your chamber. Thank you for taking this on and helping to elevate and strengthen your region, all while making your chamber a beacon of modern leadership to support and advance your market. You’re a huge factor in our success, so thank you for your courageous leadership.

As always, let me know how I, or ACCE, can help strengthen your board and advance your goals.

Additional ACCE Resources:

Learn More About the 3 Pillars

Want to Talk About?This at an Upcoming Board Meeting?

Want to Benchmark Your Chamber Against Peer Organizations?

Seeking more on leveraging Chamber 501(c)(3) Foundations?

Do you want to hear about chamber of commerce best practices, trends and the latest research that supports community impact work? Follow ACCE @accehq on any social media platform, visit our website acce.org or reach out to anyone on our team . We're happy to help. If you'd like to be part of the largest gathering of chamber professionals this year, join us in Indy this July.