We're working on final plans for our annual golf outing, set for Aug. 31 at Little River Country Club.
About a year ago, a chamber member asked me why we held a golf outing. This particular member thought we ought to concentrate on business development.
We agree. And that is exactly why we hold a golf outing every year: To raise money to fund our business development programs.
Chambers have two basic sources of income: Dues revenue and non-due revenue. The latter category includes money raised at special events, management fees, and sometimes rental.
Our annual golf outing falls into the special events category, along with our wine tasting and several other events. (For the record, the contract we have with Marinette County to manage tourism falls into the management fee category and the rent we receive from Don Clewley, executive director of the Marinette County Association for Business & Industry falls into the rental catergory.)
The golf outing raises an average of $10,000 annually. That money goes into our general fund, but it covers expensees associated with programs. Salaries are covered by your dues investment.
A smart chamber gets about 60 percent of its revenue from events and contracts and about 40 percent of its income from dues. That's roughly where we stand. Some chamber experts recommend different ratios, but generally a 60/40 ratio either way is considered healthy.
Many people assume chambers receive annual allocations from taxpayers or the government. That is simply not the case, unless the chamber has a contract as we do with Marinette County for tourism. A situation like that is not unusual.
No matter where our funding comes from, we work very hard to use it wisely.
And we look forward to our golf outing, a day to kick back and have a little fun - and raise money to fund programs like our new Web site job listing page and other online efforts to serve members.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Another new member benefit
We were excited this week to roll out another new benefit for chamber members: The ability to post Help Wanted ads on our Web site (http://www.mandmchamber.com/).
So far the response has been positive.
Last fall we launched another chamber member benefit: Cell phone discounts through Cellcom. That too brought a very positive response from members. One of our board members pointed to a $10 per month savings on cell phone calls. That adds up!
What we've heard from our members is that they want benefits that help their bottom lines, especially in these challenging economic times.
We will continue to seek ways to serve our members through benefits such as these.
There is no greater thrill for me as a director than to find ways to help your business flourish.
So far the response has been positive.
Last fall we launched another chamber member benefit: Cell phone discounts through Cellcom. That too brought a very positive response from members. One of our board members pointed to a $10 per month savings on cell phone calls. That adds up!
What we've heard from our members is that they want benefits that help their bottom lines, especially in these challenging economic times.
We will continue to seek ways to serve our members through benefits such as these.
There is no greater thrill for me as a director than to find ways to help your business flourish.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
What exactly is a chamber of commerce?
I'm always glad when someone asks that question. It's a chance to talk about who we are and what we do.
We are first and foremost a business organization that serves its members. We have 420 members; serving as a resource for their success is our top goal. We do this by providing learning, networking and promotional opportunities. We make sure our members communicate with each other and we try to provide benefits that impact their bottom line.
We are also a community organization in that we look for opportunities to work with our member businesses to create the kind of community that's a good place to live and work. Often this involves coordinating special events, like the upcoming Aurora-MACC Run and Walk, which give people a chance to get out and get fit - together.
Our summer concert series is another example: It provides entertainment in what are arguably two of the loveliest natural settings in our community: Menominee's bayshore and Marinette's riverfront.
Much of our work involves bringing people together and creating a sense of pride in community. It is that pride that propels others forward to create other opportunities, like farm markets and art fairs.
It's a joke among seasoned chamber staffers everywhere that chambers hand out maps. We do that and we do it with pleasure! Every time someone new visits our office to learn about our community, we have another chance to make a friend.
Often, people are surprised to find out a chamber is not part of the government. We are not funded by tax dollars but by membership investments, special events profit and management contracts. We often work with government officials, but we are not attached to city, county, state or federal governments in any way.
If you have any questions about who we are and what we do, please contact me. I love to talk about what we do and how we are changing to better meet the needs of our members and the community.
We are first and foremost a business organization that serves its members. We have 420 members; serving as a resource for their success is our top goal. We do this by providing learning, networking and promotional opportunities. We make sure our members communicate with each other and we try to provide benefits that impact their bottom line.
We are also a community organization in that we look for opportunities to work with our member businesses to create the kind of community that's a good place to live and work. Often this involves coordinating special events, like the upcoming Aurora-MACC Run and Walk, which give people a chance to get out and get fit - together.
Our summer concert series is another example: It provides entertainment in what are arguably two of the loveliest natural settings in our community: Menominee's bayshore and Marinette's riverfront.
Much of our work involves bringing people together and creating a sense of pride in community. It is that pride that propels others forward to create other opportunities, like farm markets and art fairs.
It's a joke among seasoned chamber staffers everywhere that chambers hand out maps. We do that and we do it with pleasure! Every time someone new visits our office to learn about our community, we have another chance to make a friend.
Often, people are surprised to find out a chamber is not part of the government. We are not funded by tax dollars but by membership investments, special events profit and management contracts. We often work with government officials, but we are not attached to city, county, state or federal governments in any way.
If you have any questions about who we are and what we do, please contact me. I love to talk about what we do and how we are changing to better meet the needs of our members and the community.
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