What is a Chamber of Commerce?
A Chamber of Commerce or Board of Trade is a non-profit action organization designed to meet community or area needs. It is a voluntary organization of progressive individuals and businesses that work together to advance the commercial, financial, industrial and civic interests of a community.

What does a Chamber do?
The Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst — a common vehicle mobilizing enlightened members from all segments of the business community to work together for the common good of the total community. With the aim of achieving economic success, staff, volunteers and business people strive to keep their area’s economic conditions at a level where businesses and residents willingly and enthusiastically risk their capital in their community in the hope of making a profit. Everything else the Chamber does is a means to an end (events, mixers, fundraisers and Meetings).

Who funds the Chamber of Commerce?
The Chamber of Commerce is funded by the membership with the assistance of fundraising activities.

Who runs The Chamber?
A Board of Directors, elected by the Chamber of Commerce’s members, runs the organization. The Board, serving as volunteers, sets the policies and goals of the organization. If the Chamber of Commerce is large enough, the Board employs an administrative head.

What do the Volunteers do?
Volunteers provide the ideas, the drive, the goals, the funds and the voluntary services to keep the Chamber of Commerce motivated and operating.

Do members ever disagree with what The Chamber does?
The only way for the Chamber to avoid disagreement on some ground is to do nothing at all, or do only those rare things in which everybody agrees. But that would mean a meaningless or feeble program of activity. As a member, you have the privilege of a vote in every project undertaken.

What is the benefit of membership?
The major benefit of membership is the Chamber of Commerce acts as the unified voice of the area businesses, including industry and professional firms. Chambers of Commerce also provide their members with value-added programs available only to members (i.e. merchant rates, comprehensive group insurance, courier and natural gas to name a few). The savings from these programs often offsets the cost of membership.
Strong membership involvement in its activities will increase the impact and effectiveness of the organization. Chamber of Commerce membership is an investment in the present and future of the individual’s and the community’s welfare.

What is the benefit of a Chamber to the community?
In any community, it is from the profitable operation of business that all other benefits result. Only by succeeding in this fundamental goal can a community provide the jobs and produce the wealth to finance all of the cultural, charitable and various other needs a community is faced with everyday.

How The Chamber decides on projects it takes on?
Prior to taking on a project, normally committee driven, the Board and the membership should address the following:

5 KEY QUESTIONS:

• Does it fit with the mission?
• Will it build the membership and business community?
• Will it strengthen the policy process (governmental affairs)?
• Does it add value for the membership?
• Will it improve communications?

These are the areas that will guide the actions of the Chamber of Commerce as it strives to increase its influence in the community, the relevance to business, and overall ability to represent the members. The focus must be on the needs and wants of the membership.

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