Chamber Accreditation: Is this the year? - Accreditation Self-Analysis Survey for Local Chambers of Commerce; Greater Green Bay Chamber Announces 2018 Golden Apple Award Recipients; New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce Community Map; Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce Double Decker Spring Run 2018 Sponsorship Information; Marion Chamber: Applications accepted for 2018 Sister City Cultural Exchange Program, 01-26-18 to 3-01-18; Birmingham Bloomfield 2017-2018 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide; #BestChamber practices: From Jill Cutler, Executive Director, Mercer County Chamber: 2nd Annual Scholarship Shoppe; Legislators Provide Updates from 2018 Legislative Session; #BestChamber practices: Greater Reston Chamber: Financially Bulletproofing Your Business; Midland Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 Annual Report and Annual Meeting; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories, Maps and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S.

Happy Friday #Chamber World! Have a GREAT weekend!

Chamber Accreditation: Is this the year?


Accreditation Self-Analysis Survey for Local Chambers of Commerce


Please use the following checklist to determine if you're ready to apply for accreditation.

Governance

1. Does the chamber have an article of incorporation or a charter?

2. Is the chamber's mission statement clear and feasible?

3. Bylaws:

o Do they regulate the main areas of chamber management;

o Are they considered to be adequate for the laws of the state to the protection of both the chamber and its members; and

o Have they been shared with the board?

4. Organizational Structure: Is it clear and appropriate to the chamber's size and goals? Has the chamber developed an organization chart depicting flow of information and hierarchy?

5. Are there appropriate term limits and job descriptions in place for the board of directors?

6. Are board meetings held on a regular basis and are minutes kept on file?

7. Does a review process exist to evaluate the performance of officers and directors?

8. Are the proper committees in place for the chamber to meet goals?

Finance

1. Does the chamber meet generally accepted accounting practices? (GAAP)

2. Are the chamber's financial policies and procedures documented in a manual?

3. Is an annual operational budget in place (including costs for all programs, management and fundraising) and is it approved by the board?

4. Does the board of directors review and approve all financial statements?

5. Does the chamber maintain current financial statements?

6. Does the chamber maintain liability insurance or director and officer insurance?

7. Does the chamber meet the Accreditation standards for conducting an audit?

o Chambers with revenue below $500,000 must:

§ Conduct an annual review by a certified financial firm

§ Conduct an audit every three years

o Chambers with revenue of more than $500,000 must:

§ Conduct an annual review by a certified financial firm

§ Conduct an audit every other year

8. Does the chamber meet IRS and state filing requirements?

9. Does the chamber withhold and report taxes from employee paychecks to the IRS and state and local government?

Human Resources and Staff

1. Are there distinct roles and job descriptions set up for staff?

2. Does staff understand the chamber's mission and program of action?

3. Are personnel policies in place and current?

4. Does the chamber meet federal and state regulations regarding employees?

Government Affairs

1. Does the chamber have a systematic procedure in place to identify government affairs issues critical to the business community?

2. Does the chamber create a legislative agenda and share it with the membership?

3. Does the chamber communicate its positions on priority issues with elected officials?

4. Does the chamber actively share state/U.S. Chamber information with its members?

5. Has the chamber established a grassroots network?

Program Development

1. Does the chamber understand issues and needs important to all segments of the membership?

2. Does the chamber collect member feedback at least annually?

3. Does the chamber provide an annual report to its members?

4. Has the chamber developed a strategic plan or business plan for the current year?

5. Does the chamber understand the impending factors that will affect the chamber?

Technology

1. Does the chamber have functioning telephone, computer, and mailing systems?

2. Does the chamber keep its computer systems current and secure?

3. Does the chamber use anti-virus software?

4. Does the chamber have a membership database that can track membership information, dues, participation?

5. Does the chamber back up data regularly?

6. Has the chamber developed a data protection and privacy policy?

7. Does the chamber have a Web site that is updated regularly?

8. Is the chamber's Web site registered on Web site search engines?

Communications

1. Has the chamber developed a written communications and marketing plan with clear annual goals?

2. Does the chamber use diverse forms of media to promote the chamber?

3. Does the chamber contact members at least monthly?

4. Does the chamber's Web site communicate general information about the chamber?

5. Can the chamber communicate with members using mass-distribution e-mails?

6. Does the chamber comply with federal CAN-SPAM requirements?

7. Does the chamber issue press releases to local and regional media outlets?

Facilities

1. Does the chamber's facility project an appropriate business image, and is the facility accessible by the public?

2. Does the chambers facility support the chamber’s communications and technology capabilities?

3. Is the workplace kept neat, clean and free of potential safety hazards

4. Is the workplace inspected annually by a safety professional?

5. Does the chamber facility meet accepted OSHA regulations?

6. Is a crisis plan in place?

7. Are employees trained or educated about the crisis plan?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you are not ready to apply for accreditation.

Source: U.S. Chamber


Greater Green Bay Chamber Announces 2018 Golden Apple Award Recipients

Please see attached this year’s Golden Apple Awards recipients.

Each year, the Golden Apple Awards program improves community awareness of the quality of education in the Greater Green Bay area by recognizing high standards of professionalism, leadership and innovation in teaching with the Golden Apple Awards. Seven recipients (individuals and/or teams) are selected annually through a multi-level screening of anonymous applications and personal interviews. Selection criteria are based on the National Board of Professional Teaching standards, which identify the essential knowledge, skills and dispositions expected of experienced, quality teachers.

This year’s stats:

• Nearly 5,000 teachers were eligible for nomination
• 1,695 teachers were nominated
• 135 schools were eligible to have their teachers nominated

Here is a link to the surprise visits video https://youtu.be/tQ73Xj3Ocb4

New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce Community Map 

New Castle-Henry County Chamber map

The New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Map is available at the New Castle-Henry County Chamber today! Thanks to Missy Modesitt, Mary Campbell and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!

Town SquarePublications  (www.townsquarepublications.com) can help you accomplish your chamber's gloss map, directory, community guide or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633. 

Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce Double Decker Spring Run 2018 Sponsorship Information

Plans are underway for the 23rd Annual Double Decker Spring Run, sponsored by the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce.  This year's 10K Run, 5K Run, and Kids Fun Run are scheduled for April 28th, and we want you to be involved!  

The Double Decker Spring Run is proud to partner with Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi as our title sponsor for the 23rd year in a row!  Our race has grown to nearly 1,600 racers last year who came to Oxford from all around the region, and we expect that number to continue to climb this year.   

The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce is excited to once again partner with Start2Finish to bring you this year's race.   Start2Finish is the premier health-oriented event management company in the Mid-South. S2F takes pride in producing events that allow Mid-South residents and area visitors the opportunity to challenge themselves, achieve goals and most importantly have fun!  With their assistance, and our ready team of volunteers, this year's Double Decker Spring Run is sure to be fun for the whole family. For more information on the race or to register go to www.doubledeckerspringrun.com now! 

If you are interested in getting involved on any of the following levels, please contact Pam Swain by March 15th at pam@oxfordms.com  However, please note the earlier your sponsorship is confirmed, the sooner your benefits and promotion will begin.  So to get the most out of your sponsorship dollars - commit early! :) 



Marion Chamber: Applications accepted for 2018 Sister City Cultural Exchange Program, 01-26-18 to 3-01-18

The City of Marion in partnership with the Marion Chamber of Commerce will be selecting adults and students to participate in a weeklong trip to Kanie, Japan, August 2 - 7. The estimated cost of the trip will be approximately $2,000 for airfare plus spending money for students and $2,500 for airfare, hotel and spending money for adults. Application deadline is March 1, 2018. Should you need additional time for getting your application submitted, please contact Jared Garrison at (618) 993-2657 or  Jared@ThePavilionEvents.com . Application should include a $250 deposit toward travel expenses. Your deposit of $250 is tax exempt and is non-refundable. Please make checks payable to the Marion Chamber of Commerce Foundation. An informational meeting is set for March 5 at 5:30 p.m. at The Pavilion. Please RSVP through The Pavilion. 

Birmingham Bloomfield 2017-2018 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide 

The Birmingham-Bloomfield 2017-2018 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide is available at the Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce today! Thank you to Joe Bauman and the Chamber team for their help and direction putting this together! 


Birmingham-Bloomfield 2017-2018 Membership Directory and Community Resource Guide

Town Square Publications (www.townsquarepublications.com) can help you accomplish your chamber's gloss map, directory, community profile or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.

#BestChamber practices: From Jill Cutler, Executive Director, Mercer County Chamber: 2nd Annual Scholarship Shoppe

Good day,John!  We have had a special event with our chamber we are hoping to see replicated.  We just had our 2^nd Scholarship Shoppe.  This is an event for seniors in high school in our area to come and “shop” their money for college, job skill or even to start a business.  We had 140 students this year which included 3 local high schools and homeschoolers and some from other high schools who came on their own.  We hold this with 2 other sponsors: Mercer Extension Office (our location) and the Mercer Co. Community Endowment.  I had had trouble getting good advertising for the Endowment as most folks are unfamiliar with such entities, so by making them a sponsor (they work it and provide lunch for all the presenters) we see a good understanding being developed.  We had 20 presenters which included 3 colleges that are within 40 miles.

More information: Jill Cutler - Mercer Chamber of Commerce <info@mercerchamber.com>

859-734-2365 - www.mercerchamber.com





Legislators Provide Updates from 2018 Legislative Session

(Hamilton County, IN)  The Hamilton County Legislative Breakfast, scheduled for Friday, February 16 at Conner Prairie, welcomes a panel of local legislators to provide updates on the session and respond to questions from attendees.

What:               Legislative Breakfast
Topic:              Session Updates from Local Legislators 
Date:                Friday, February 16, 2018
Time:               7:30 to 9 a.m.
Location:          Conner Prairie – 13400 Allisonville Road – Fishers
Cost:                $20 for members of any Hamilton County chamber; $30 for non-members

Reservations:   Required by noon on Wednesday, February 14 and can be made online at www.onezonecommerce.com or by calling 317.436.4653.

The Legislative Breakfast Series is presented by the Hamilton County Business Issues Committee and includes representation from the four chambers of commerce in Hamilton County. Breakfast events will also be held with local legislators on March 9, with a session wrap-up on April 13.   

Contact: Lisa Wirthwein
317.436.4653lisa@onezonecommerce.com

#BestChamber practices: Greater Reston Chamber: Financially Bulletproofing Your Business

Financially Bulletproofing Your Business
Wednesday, March 14
8:30 - 10:00 am

Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce

No Business Owner should feel like they are in a fight for the life of their business! Join the Reston Chamber's Business Education Series for a 55 minute session that will address:
Creating Scaleable Cash Flow,
P&L/Balance Sheets that Banks want,
Strategies for Retirement Planning and,
Most importantly... 2018 TAX Changes!

Our Panel of experts will not only share best practices but also answer the questions that most Business Owners have been waiting to ask! Learn More or Register

Midland Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 Annual Report and Annual Meeting




Last night, the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its 79th Annual Meeting. Here is what you missed if you didn't attend!

Awards & Recognition 

Business Award Winners

Entrepreneur of the Year
Midland Burger Company

Business of the Year - Small Business
Ieuter Insurance Group

Business of the Year - Large Business
Northwood University

Heritage Award
LaLonde’s Market

Other Honorees

ATHENA® Award
Sharon Mortensen

J. Kermit Campbell Partnership Award
William Gagliardi

Chairman’s Award
Thomas Matonican

Ambassador of the Year
Roger Thornton

2017 Leader of the Year
Wendy D. Kanar

30-Year Members
· Huntington Bank
· The Handlon Eastman Law Firm
· NBS Commercial Interiors
· D & D Asphalt Specialists
· WCMU Public Media
· Rider Type & Design
· Midland Cogeneration Venture
· Mackinac Center for Public Policy



Thank you for making 2017 a successful year!
We look forward to a great 2018.

Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories, Maps and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S.

Town Square Publications, a division of the Daily Herald Media Group, is a national chamber custom publishing group that specializes in developing partnerships by producing high-quality print and digitally integrated publications along with other added value programs dedicated to creating relevancy for local chambers of commerce and other membership focused organizations interested in raising non-dues revenues.

Town Square Publications parent company, Paddock Publications, has over 100 years’ experience of print product development and dedicated customer service in communities throughout the Midwest. Our experience allows Town Square Publications to offer you attractive royalty and non-dues revenue share streams, provide direct distribution of your custom designed printed publications, including digital and mobile integration, and all with the quickest turn-around times available in the industry. Town Square also offers multi-media maps in both print and online formats, both with our No-Cost guarantee. More information: Town Square Publications

Chambers of Commerce and member focused organizations serve as a valuable resource in the local marketplace. The networking opportunities and representation with a wide variety of diverse businesses in your community is the catalyst of a successful organization. For further information about Town Square's publishing partnership with chambers of commerce and our No-Cost guarantee and Earned Revenue Share Program, To request your chamber publication or map proposal, contact Town Square Chamber Proposal