There’s a famous quote by Henry Ford that reads “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is NOT training them and having them STAY.” Think about that for a minute. No matter how big or how small your Chamber is, there’s always going to be a question about how to […]
Early on in my career I worked for a metropolitan Chamber and when I started the job, times were good — really good. Membership was way up, the staff was growing, and we were spending money like it grew on trees. Then, something happened in the early 2000s. Membership took a nosedive, 19 staff left, […]
As I write this post, I am sitting in a gorgeous hotel with an absolutely breathtaking view of the city of Reno and the surrounding mountain ranges. But what is even more incredible than the panorama in front of me is the group of people surrounding me. Annette and I are attending the 2013 Chamber […]
(GREENVILLE, SC) October 23, 2013 Membership180, a membership development consultancy working exclusively with Chambers of Commerce across North America, has been selected to serve on a groundbreaking project in South Asia. The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is coordinating the launch and development of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI). The […]
As part of a class I teach on the effective use of LinkedIn, I ask the audience to pass a ball of yarn around the room from person to person. The rules are simple…they must only pass the ball to someone they know, like and trust and they must hold on to a length of […]
It’s the question we hear more than any other when we’re consulting with a Chamber of Commerce or facilitating a Membership Campaign: “Is there one common problem that you see everywhere you go?” At first, we really couldn’t come up with a good answer. Many Chambers struggle with one of a few very common issues […]
One of the benefits of working with Chamber and Association executives every day is getting the chance to learn from REALLY smart people EVERY DAY! Whether we’re working one-on-one with an organization on a Membership Campaign, teaching dozens of students in classes at the Institute for Organization Management, or just sitting around the hospitality suite […]
When you work at a Chamber of Commerce or Association, serving your membership and being on hand to manage relationships, solve problems and look out for the bottom line, you often feel like you should get hazard pay. It seems we’re ALWAYS busy putting out fires. A day…a week…even a MONTH can slip away and, […]