The Difficult Conversation that You Need to Have with your Chamber Board

Mar 06, 2019
  1. Your Chamber currently has 250 members.
  2. You have promised your Board Chair that- without fail- you have a plan that is guaranteed to land your Chamber one new member every two weeks for the next ten years.
  3. You have also promised your Board Chair that- without fail- your membership retention rate will be 90% for each year for the next ten years. This means you guarantee that your Chamber will exceed the industry average of 87% member retention by three percentage points (Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Trends in Chamber Membership Statistics for Fiscal Year 2017 , p.6).
  • One new member every two weeks = 26 new members in the first year
  • 90% retention of 250 members = loss of 25 members
  • 26 new members minus 25 members = 1 net new member in the first year
per week
By Josh Torres 31 Aug, 2022
U.S. Chamber's Institute for Organizational Management Scholarship OPEN for CCEO Members! Winter Session- January 4-8, 2023 in Tucson, AZ.
19 Jul, 2022
Top 10 Membership Retention Actions to Take!
By Josh Torres 14 Apr, 2022
Fellowship Provides State and Local Business Leaders with Opportunities to Engage Nationally on Critical Education and Workforce Issues
07 Jun, 2021
Many, if not all, chambers of commerce set membership goals based on the number of new members they plan to recruit each year. They may or may not understand the cumulative impact of retention and attrition over time. Membership retention and growth is a math problem, not guesswork. You must do the math before you make a plan. If you don’t, you and your Board of Directors will likely make unrealistic decisions regarding your growth and run the very real risk of staff burn-out.According to [...]
10 Jul, 2020
Skilled workers were crucial before the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re needed even more as we recover.Dave MoravecLike most states and regions, Ohio and Colerain Township have felt serious impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. While our governor and his team received praise for their decisive early actions, certain businesses and industries may have a tough road back from resulting economic losses; for some, the return could be a long one. While businesses start to re-open, it is unclear where t [...]
08 Sep, 2019
Hopefully, the summer of 2019 was a fun and memorable one for all!  There are so many great things to do in our state during the summer, and my family and I were able to enjoy several across Ohio: baseball games, county fairs, amusement parks, visiting family, and so much more!Since my last CCE Ohio blog, the state budget passed, and it was a great one overall for strengthening Ohio’s families and communities.  While businesses found much to like (and some to dislike), this was t [...]
28 May, 2019
I continue to be impressed with the hard work and dedication of local chamber executives, not just in promoting your communities as a great place to do business, to raise a family, and to visit, but also in going the extra mile make it so.  In carrying out these awesome responsibilities, there is something taking place next year for which participation, backed by your support, can help all our communities continue to thrive.It’s hard to believe, but we’re only a few, short month [...]
09 Apr, 2019
A message from Michael Harlow, Ohio State Director, ReadyNationIt was a pleasure to meet many of you at Winter Conference.  There were great conversations at our table, during the speed sponsorship, and at meals and during presentations. It was an all-around positive experience which lays the groundwork for future engagements.  I look forward to seeing you at upcoming events and meeting other Chamber executives. We were excited to add seven chamber executives as ReadyNation members!&nb [...]
09 Feb, 2019
A couple of weeks ago, I learned from a detective at a local police department that someone had attempted to open a business account at a high end electronics store and a couple of business lines in my name. The perpetrator had my social security number, driver’s license number, and home address.I can’t really say that I was angry. Identity theft is far too commonplace for me to believe that I am somehow exempt. Part of me was just plain disgusted. All I could do was shake my head an [...]
08 Mar, 2017
​With tax time in full swing, it’s easy to get swept up in the chaos of this busy season. However, this chaos undoubtedly contributes to the uptick in email scams trying to take advantage of businesses.  We are here to help prevent this from affecting your business through education. Button Text [...]
Share by: