Jimmy Cusano, of Your Chamber Connection from Frisco, Texas, fires up a group of volunteers at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce during a membership drive that ran Aug. 30–Sept. 1.
Chamber membership drive draws record volunteer volume
Geoff Pickle
Posted online
During its Aug. 30-Sept. 1 membership drive, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce signed 420 new members, bringing its membership base up to 2,171 from 1,751 prior to the event.
Brent McCoy, membership director for the Springfield chamber, said the pre-event goal for new memberships was 202.
"We took that and blew it out of the water," he said.
The chamber hired Frisco, Texas-based Your Chamber Connection to conduct the event based on word of mouth and referrals from other chambers.
McCoy said 394 people were involved in some level of the event, a shared record for the chamber and Your Chamber Connection. He added that 90 percent to 95 percent of those that signed up to help showed up at the event.
"Right now, with the challenges out there, volunteerism, I think, nationwide is down, so that was a huge benefit and something to celebrate for our community," he said. "Our volunteers did come through."
McCoy said involvement of the chamber's existing members was a hefty benefit for the event, as it helped to educate the chamber's membership base and the business community.
"They're making the chamber of commerce stronger," he said. "I think that's been one of the neatest parts of the whole thing - getting our existing membership's awareness raised and just that sense of community."
McCoy declined to disclose the investment dollar amount for the event but said it was substantial.
"When the dust settles, I think the membership investment total for the event will be a chamber and Your Chamber Connection record."
McCoy said the chamber likely won't hold another membership drive for two years, as it will be focusing its efforts during the next 12-16 months on a retention and engaging its new members.[[In-content Ad]]
A new and improved Reed Academy is being constructed on the middle school’s original site to preserve a neighborhood connection that goes back a century.