U.S. Chamber's Institute for Organizational Management Scholarship OPEN for CCEO Members! Winter Session- January 4-8, 2023 in Tucson, AZ.

Top 10 Membership Retention Actions to Take!

Fellowship Provides State and Local Business Leaders with Opportunities to Engage Nationally on Critical Education and Workforce Issues

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Many suburban and rural Chambers of Commerce operate on tight budgets with no more than two paid staff. If that’s the case for you, then spending a lot of time chasing new members isn’t necessarily the answer. You may very well end up churning through members and burning yourself out at the same time.At the CCEO Winter Conference last week, I asked a room full of Chamber Execs how many of them operated with only one or two paid staff. The overwhelming majority raised their hands. The [...]

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 [...]