Horizon Insights

Five Horizon That are More Relevant Than Ever

By Will Burns, Vice President of Communications & Networks, ACCE

The COVID-19 crisis has created many challenges for chambers of commerce – and for chamber leaders. During times like these, however, chambers showcase their true value by providing catalytic leadership to address significant challenges.

Many of the influences identified in ACCE’s Horizon Initiative are more relevant than ever. In the current climate, it is crucial that we dive back into discussions about the future of chambers. How will the nature of belonging and gathering change post COVID-19? How can chambers shift their business models to rely less on membership and event revenue? How can we ensure the ongoing stability of our organizations during a time of remote work, social distancing and travel restrictions?

ACCE has engaged many chamber leaders – through peer groups and divisions – to serve as a think tank on the future of chambers. We are building materials on the pivotal role chambers will play in our new economy, as well as resources and guides for rethinking our business models. As we begin crafting this playbook, we looked back at Horizon with a COVID lens to examine the industry’s progress. Here are a few insights that remain vital to the future of chambers.

Increase the Pace of Decision-Making

Can your chamber identify a community need and launch a program to address it tomorrow? Judging by what we’ve seen during the COVID-19 crisis, the answer is a resounding YES.

Chambers of commerce across the country have stopped on a dime and shifted their focus and resources to creative problem solving and community support. Chambers have:

Launched programs to support hard-hit industries like local restaurants and retailers
Created small business hotlines to provide expert answers to questions business leaders are asking
Shifted the format and content of programming to go virtual and address the challenges local businesses are facing
Coordinated the sourcing and manufacturing of personal protective equipment to support the health care industry and ensure that businesses seeking to reopen have the necessary supplies

As your chamber looks to the future, think about the lessons learned and how you can strengthen your organization to allow you to be nimble, and make decisions quickly. That can involve cleaning up cumbersome governance models or bylaws, launching a 501(c)(3) foundation or developing stronger relationships with your community foundation or a local community development financial institution.

Role of the Analyst and Trusted Resource

Business leaders are overwhelmed as they navigate the crisis, and new information is coming at them from all sides. Chambers of commerce are identifying areas where they can serve as a filter and add value by making sense of the endless stream of new information. Chambers have:

Simplified small business grant and loan program details into easy-to-understand guides
Launched job boards and programs to connect displaced workers with job vacancies
Created back-to-work toolkits, with industry-specific advice, to help businesses reopen in a safe, responsible manner
Organized virtual programs with expert speakers on legal, finance and human resources topics
Trained staff and recruited volunteers to serve as consultants to help members navigate a variety of challenges
Sent economic impact surveys and used the data to promote a productive path forward

Engaging the Public Sector

The voice of the chamber is critical as the intersection of business, government and the community. We offer a key perspective on public policy matters and can engage the public sector for the benefit of members and the entire community. This crisis has highlighted the importance of public sector engagement, whether leveraging relationships to build effective public-private partnerships or advocating for public policy outcomes to facilitate a stronger economic recovery.

Many chambers worked with state and local governments to help define “essential” businesses as governors and other leaders drafted stay-at-home orders. Chambers continue to work with state governments to help guide the use of federal stimulus dollars to create programs to help small businesses and displaced workers. As businesses begin to reopen, chambers are out in front, advocating for liability protections and seeking improvements and clarifications to federal and state economic recovery programs, like the Paycheck Protection Program.

Build relationships before you need them. Establish governance structures and rules of engagement for your organization. Work with your members to leverage their existing relationships with public officials and to identify their priorities for a policy agenda. Learn more here.

Deeper Alignment Between Mission and Money

When people think about your chamber, do they see a club or a catalytic leader with a cause?

Chambers of commerce exist to promote economic opportunity and enhance the quality of life in the regions they serve. For many chambers, stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines have served as a wake-up call for their overreliance on dues and event revenue.

At the same time, the crisis has highlighted the value of the community impact work that chambers do. Many chambers continue to explore innovative investor models, fee-for-service funding ideas, mission-driven funding through chamber foundations and more. From talent attraction and placemaking work to innovative workforce solutions and business training and consulting programs, chambers are finding new ways to raise funds where the return on investment is more about impact than access.

Catalytic Leadership

Our chairman’s column says it best: Chambers were made for this moment.

Now is the time to be bold community leaders. As our communities focus on economic recovery, catalytic leadership and cross-sector partnerships will be more important than ever. Calculated risks don’t have to be taken alone. We’re stronger together, and chambers are considering creative ways to partner and align, both within and outside the industry. Alliances allow us to leverage the collective power of many voices in advancing our missions. Chambers of commerce are perfectly situated to lead the way in helping their communities and businesses bounce back.