From Mike Evans: Change is in the Air – New Membership Investment Plans Available
Dear Members:
Last week I told you about our new website and this week I’d like to announce another step the Chamber is taking to give you more choices and add value to your membership. When I was first given the opportunity to take the helm of this organization, I knew that the best suggestions for improving the organization would come from you. Continuous improvement is made possible through your input and feedback.
Your board of directors and I have been working on updates to the Chamber’s membership plans, with our focus being on providing you more flexibility and choice. We’ve recently finalized the new packages, and are in the midst of rolling them out to the membership. As you can imagine, with 1,400 customers, this will take a little bit of time. I wanted to give you a quick overview, because you’re probably wondering, what’s changed?
Most importantly every membership plan has changed to provide you with more options on how you want to allocate your membership investment. Some of our Members value our events and programming, while others look for more traditional marketing opportunities. The plans will allow you to select the packages where you find the most value that best fit with your business’ needs.
Here are some highlights of what has changed:
• Improved brand development and educational resources available to all Members through the Basic Gold Membership plan.
• The ability to co-host lunch and learn sessions in partnership with the Chamber rather than just using our conference room space for a meeting.
• A focus on overall value and annual investment, no more nickel and diming features and benefits. Each package is different based on the needs of the member.
• New, exclusive events focused on business development and relationship building for senior leadership and our most premier members.
• A strategic consultative approach to the Member-Chamber relationship for business growth, from small business development tools available to all Members to one-on-one counseling and strategic introductions made by the Chamber on behalf of our Members.
• The formation of a new President’s Club, an elite level of membership for those companies capable of investing between $5,000 and $20,000 annually. These companies can include business funders and we have recently added several business funders to the chamber including representatives from Fast Merchant Advance and Elite Merchant Funding. These new funding Members are recognized throughout the year for their support.
The Naperville Chamber led the way in our industry with the introduction of the tiered membership packages. Previous Chamber leadership rightly determined that membership plans should be based on a business’ commitment and interest, not on how many employees they have. Many Chambers across the country, and in our region, have introduced some variation of our plans.
We haven’t changed the fundamental element of our membership philosophy that every organization should have choice in determining how involved they want to be. This allows for an inclusive environment that welcomes businesses of every size and background.
That said the Chamber has refreshed the way our plans are designed and managed by you, our Members. At each plan level you have the option of selecting between options and benefits. The higher the level of plan, the more you have to select from. We never want an interested business to walk away because a membership package was too rigid, or didn’t offer what they were looking to get out of the Chamber.
While the new plans put a little more responsibility in your hands, we know that you are the best decision maker for your business. Providing you with opportunity to select the benefits that work for your business is better than the Chamber trying to guess.
You can expect to learn more about the new plan features in the coming weeks and around the time of your membership renewal. If you are curious today, you can always reach out to us to learn more in advance of your annual renewal.
I pledge to continue working with the board and membership to improve the value you receive from your investment in the Chamber. The new website and revised membership packages are just part of our overall improvement plan. This is truly an exciting time to be affiliated with the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce.
When you have time to explore the new options, you will see how we have restructured them to allow you to use your membership in your yearlong plan for your business. Our goal is to have you a happy, satisfied customer who has gotten a positive return for your business.
This is just the beginning of many improvements the Chamber will strive for during our centennial year and beyond. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
Thank you for your continued involvement and support.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Evans
President & CEO
Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce
E: mevans@naperville.net
D: (630) 544-3382
Executive Premier Membership Plan
Category: Chamber News