Expanding Impact Through Partnerships
Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives
ACCE connects and empowers chamber executives to have the courage and confidence to be catalytic leaders.
Chambers are no stranger to partnerships, and the traditional list might include economic development organizations, tourism groups or member businesses. Getting creative with cooperation might start with cold feet, but it could just be a match made in heaven. A few years ago, the Chamber of St. Matthews and the Louisville Wedding Network?collaborated on a wedding show, connecting the wedding industry with other businesses and creating a new stream of non-dues revenue. The?Membership Development Division?discussed a wide variety of partnerships during its February roundtable.
Business and Leadership Organizations
By working with other local business organizations, chambers can expand their reach and impact without adding additional staff members. Think of organizations like?SCORE?or a local?Small Business Development Center. Some of these organizations even co-office with a local chamber, like?SCORE Grand Rapids?in Michigan or the?KU Small Business Development Center?in Lawrence, Kan. Those collaborations can provide business support for current members and a warm introduction to the chamber for new startups. In Oklahoma, Leadership Tulsa is separate from the chamber, but a collaboration led to a?Women’s Leadership Summit?featuring a national keynote speaker and presentations from Tulsa Leadership Warriors.
Local Nonprofits
Each community has its own unique partners, too, so focus on connections that will enhance your chamber’s mission like workforce, child care or diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Decide what the chamber needs to lead on and what it can partner on, pinpointing your role in the community. Chambers that have a foundation may even provide grants to local nonprofits to support mission-related initiatives. For example, the?Knoxville Chamber recently asked the city to sign off on funding for a program?with Centro Hispano de East Tennessee for Latino community businesses. The Hampton Roads Chamber Foundation rallied together child care providers, sponsors and grantors to create the?Hampton Roads Shared Services Alliance?to help develop and grow early childhood businesses.
Members
This one seems like a no-brainer: remember to look at your membership roster to see what potential collaborations could come to fruition. For example, the Northern Kentucky Chamber?recently announced a partnership with Fifth Third Bank?that will allow the chamber to further develop its?diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the area. The Greater Topeka Partnership and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, along with the state chamber executive organization and 24 other chambers in the state, are now?providing access to insurance for small businesses. Think about how your chamber can avoid duplicating efforts while working to establish areas the chamber brand can take ownership of.
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Other Chambers
Competition has evolved into coopetition, something chambers can take advantage of by doing business together. Some chambers create collective legislative agendas for regional, state and federal governments to enhance the impact on elected officials. Others might come together to host networking events to generate new connections between area businesses or ribbon cuttings for businesses that join more than one chamber.
How is your chamber partnering with other organizations??We’d love to hear your stories.
Additional ACCE Resources: