YGM Total Resource Campaigns

Tend to your sponsorship garden

May 15 2020 admin Blog, Sponsor development, TRC, YGM 0 comments

Spring is beginning, and I love to see the flowers beginning to bloom. This spring has been anything but usual, but we have seen people out tending to their gardens. In fact, we have seen a few more flowers and gardens popping up around the neighborhood. I think people are finding the calming effect of being in nature.

When you look around your neighborhood, is there one house with a perfect lawn or beautiful stoop? If that beautiful display is at your home, then you know it doesn’t happen by accident. The true beauty of a garden happens thanks to the dedicated hand of a gifted gardener.

In many ways, maintaining your Chamber’s sponsorship list is like maintaining a garden.

Those gardeners who enjoy their beautiful garden in the spring and summer and then leave it dormant through the fall and winter have a very difficult time preparing the garden again the next spring. It is extra work, and through the years, the garden may not continue to rebound with the same beauty as the year prior.

But those who tend to their gardens through the year, a little at a time, discover that their gardens blossom greater and greater each year.

In order to properly tend your sponsorships as a garden, you will need to work on them throughout the year, not just during your Total Resource Campaign. If you are just considering a Total Resource Campaign now because of what is going on with this pandemic, consider that if your chamber had conducted a TRC in 2019, all of your funding for 2020 would already have been secured.

In a ‘normal’ year, as chambers hold events throughout the year, staff should review them in light of their future sponsorships.

Did you value the sponsorship appropriately in this year’s sponsorship campaign?
Is your marketing and promotion of the sponsorship appropriate?
Are there any additional sponsorships that you could launch in the future?
Have you discovered that, thanks to the marketing and promotions of the event, the sponsorship should be valued higher (or lower) in the future?
Have you discovered additional layers to the sponsorship?
Are additional benefits available which would increase the sponsorship value?

Considering these questions throughout the year rather than just at the beginning of your TRC allows your sponsorships to be stronger and more appealing to sponsors.

If you have a fall TRC, be using these questions to conduct your strategic planning for your campaign. Think about what areas of your membership haven’t been reached well in the past and need to be approached, what volunteers performed really well in past TRCs, what sponsorships seemed to appeal to your members the most, and how you can take this information and use it to make this your best TRC yet.

Right now, so many chambers are (and have been) in the process of reviewing their remaining 2020 events to determine which ones can be modified to move to a virtual environment and which ones need to be rescheduled to 2021. Be sure to look at your calendars, what sponsorship benefits can still be provided, and to involve the sponsors. Continued communication with your sponsors will ensure that they feel valued and that their interests and needs are being met.

As we all move through this current moment in time, continual review of your sponsorships will allow you to prune the excess, to see areas that can be improved, and to find places where growth is possible in your TRC sponsorships.

Use this as an opportunity to take another look at your sponsorship list, even if you aren’t currently in a TRC – maybe especially if you aren’t currently in a campaign. Even if you aren’t making alterations to a sponsor’s event or initiative, consider just touching base with that business owner, letting them know you are there for them.

Tend to your campaign as a good gardener, and you will be rewarded with a blossoming garden of sponsorships when your next TRC arrives. As always, if we can be of any assistance or offer any guidance, please feel free to reach out to us.

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What Is So Great About a TRC?

April 28 2020 admin Blog, TRC, Uncategorized 0 comments

As you can imagine, I could talk about Total Resource Campaigns (TRCs) until ‘the cows come home,’ as the old adage goes. I could tell you about how TRCs focus on sponsorships, are led by volunteers from the business community, and invite businesses from across your community – both large and small – to participate in greater depth in the life of your chamber.

But today, in the midst of all that is happening around us, there is one benefit of a TRC that is so powerful that it cannot be overlooked.

If a chamber held a TRC in 2019 for 2020, that chamber’s entire budget for 2020 would already be funded. Money would already be in hand for all of 2020.

Think about that for just a moment.

If a chamber held a TRC in 2019 for 2020, that chamber’s entire budget for 2020 would already be funded. Money would already be in hand for all of 2020.

That chamber’s staff would certainly be looking at working from home, virtual staff meetings, and conducting board meetings via Zoom or other virtual meeting platforms. They would absolutely be reviewing their calendar to see what initiatives and events should be postponed and which should be pivoted to a virtual environment.

But they would not be frantically trying to determine how they would fund their budget for the remainder of the year in addition to doing those other things.

Total Resource Campaigns serve as strategic planning on a deeper level than what many chambers have done before. That planning allows chambers to have a greater knowledge of their members and community and a renewed sense of their mission. With that, they are better able to make sure their initiatives and events follow their mission.

Through that strategic planning process, chambers offer sponsorships in the TRC that meet the marketing needs of their members and of the businesses in their community. When chambers do that, businesses response enthusiastically. And successful TRCs allow chambers to fund their next year’s budget.

With those fully funded budgets, chambers have the freedom to focus on assisting their members, especially in challenging times like these.

Those chambers who have done TRCs in the past know the financial freedom a TRC can offer. If you are interested in information about how you, too, can conduct a TRC and experience that for your chamber, please contact us at: info@nullygmtrc.com.

And yes, it is still possible to conduct a TRC this year, despite the uncertainty around us. We have a plan for a full virtual TRC, and we will be there to walk you through the process if conditions require that.

The TRC is built in such a way that volunteers talk to their business contacts in whatever manner they feel comfortable. Often, they are already dealing with those contacts virtually anyway – via email or text – regardless of the outside circumstances. Moving those volunteers and the campaign to an entirely virtual environment will be more of an effort for the chamber staff than for the volunteers or sponsors. It can be done and done well with a little extra effort on your staff’s part.

And those who have done a TRC in the past know it is well worth the effort. Consider this comment from Amy Britt in Seminole, Okla.

“Doing our TRC in October of last year for 2020 saved us from having to try to ask for donations or cancel events due to lack of funds. TRCs are the best thing we’ve ever done to ensure funding for our next year.”

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Sponsorships in a Time of Uncertainty

April 21 2020 admin Blog, Chambers, Sponsor development, TRC, YGM 0 comments

You had your 2020 calendar all set and were excited about the plans you had in place. And then the world turned upside down, and now you’re trying to determine how to plan the remainder of the year. But it’s really challenging to plan when none of us has a good grasp of what the rest of the year will look like.

And if it’s hard for you to plan as chamber leaders, imagine how difficult it must be for your member businesses. We have some ideas that we hope will prove helpful to you.

One thing to remember, now more than ever, is that chambers working through unprecedented times is not unprecedented. Chamber professionals work through recessions, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and more. Uncertain times and adversities are standard operating conditions.

As you begin to review your calendar for the remainder of 2020 with an eye to determining what to keep and what to move or cancel, keep in mind that there is a need for chamber professionals to provide services to members to help those member businesses thrive and succeed.

What do you have on your calendar what would facilitate that goal? Be sure to keep those initiatives.

Review, too, the benefits you have promised your sponsors for the events and initiatives on the calendar for the remainder of the year.

Are there benefits that can still be provided, even if they require a bit of modification?
Could you place a sponsor’s logo as a background on a Zoom gathering which will be recorded and shared on social media? That breakfast might not have to be canceled now. The sponsor will actually gain benefits due to the increased visibility of the logo and the additional presence on social media?
Specific members find specific things they can gain from their sponsorships. Consider why the sponsor chose their unique sponsorships when reviewing how to convert benefits to a virtual world.

It can be tempting to decide not to keep your signature events because they are the largest and demand the most time and effort from the staff. But those events are also usually your largest in terms of funding. Consider how you might keep those while moving or canceling your smaller, less cost-beneficial events like after-hours or monthly gatherings.

You won’t be able to keep everything. You have to look at your calendar with a strategic eye. How much of a burden will it be to move everything? You can’t move everything from this spring and summer to this fall and still have the fall be feasible. You also can’t simply cancel the rest of the year and still have your community view you as a business leader.

Chambers that are positive encourage positive attitudes in their membership. Right now, members are looking to their chamber leadership for positive energy more than ever.

If you need help working through your 2020 calendar and determining what to move, cancel or keep, please get in touch with us. We will be happy to help.

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Tips for Chambers Moving to Remote Work Flows

March 19 2020 admin Blog, Chambers, TRC, YGM 0 comments

As more chambers close their offices and move to remote work flows, it will take some time to adjust to the newness of telecommuting. We are here to help with some tips to get everyone started on how to make the best of this new situation.

Communicate!

We’re assuming you’ve let your member businesses and community know that you will not be present in the offices but will be working remotely. Be sure to make this information readily available on your website and chamber social media platforms. Give contact information as well. While it may feel a little odd to be working from your sofa, you will, indeed, be working. You want people to be able to reach you about chamber business.

One of the most important things to remember, both in terms of interactions with your fellow chamber staff members and with member business representatives, is that tone and inflection are much more difficult to infer via text or email than in person. Don’t take something as rude or angry from someone who would rarely be that way with you in person. Often teasing comments don’t translate well to the written medium. This is a trying situation for everyone. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Assume they mean well and that all comments were taken out of context or were meant with the best of intentions. If you are uncertain, ask for clarification.

Remember the Law of 7 Views… You will need to overcommunicate – during this time, your members are going to be hyperfocused on their own businesses, and they may not see all of your posts. You will need to provide access to the information often enough that they might be privy to it.

Work at Home Like You Work at Work (Mostly)

One of the best ways to keep things moving relatively smoothly in a home office environment (even if that home office is your dining room table) is to keep to a few key tips.

If you typically reported to work at 8 a.m., plan to begin your workday at or close to 8 a.m. at home as well. Keep your normal schedule.

Even though we are being urged not to leave home and it’s tempting to stay in pajamas or comfy workout wear, get dressed. Even if it’s just casual wear. You will likely be on video calls at some point in the day, and you don’t want to be on camera in your college band tee shirt, even if it is your favorite.

Set timers. Take breaks. There are fewer places to go at home, so you’ll be moving less (unless you are also home with your children who are not in school… but that’s a different topic). Set timers for every hour, and get up and move. Do jumping jacks. Take a quick walk (unless you live in an urban setting and that’s not possible). Do a few yoga poses. Do something to get moving.

Plan those snacks. You thought there were lots of snacks in a chamber office! Snacking just got way easier at home. Don’t be tempted every time you walk by the fridge. If you need an extra coffee or some fruit mid-morning, go for it. But don’t leapfrog into 12 cups a day just because you now have the coffee pot at home with you.

Video Call Best Practices

We’ve all seen funny videos of videoconference fails. Here’s how to avoid being one.

First, prepare. Do you have children or pets in your home with you? Is there a room you could go into for the video chat that has a door you could close so you can take your call while a caregiver watches your child? If so, plan to use that room.

Next, practice. Turn on the camera on your computer and do a few tests. Where in your chosen room has the best lighting? How can you best adjust the camera to show your background? Look closely at the background… is there anything you would prefer someone not see? Some video conferencing platforms allow you to select a generic background, and the platform will drop that in behind you rather than having your location background appear.

Play with that until you are comfortable. Turn on the audio & do an audio test. Again, the platforms will all allow you to do these tests prior to an actual call so you can ready when the first call happens. Try it with your staff before you have video calls with member businesses.

During your calls…

Be dressed appropriately
Don’t have music or tv playing in the background (it can be distracting to others, and, again, this is work)
Have all of your material ready when the call begins so you don’t have to leave to get items to take notes or to present your information
Keep your mic on Mute until/unless you are ready to speak
The ‘chat’ box is only for work-related/call-related topics. Never use it to talk with a friend. Typically, everyone can see the chat box.
Make sure your desktop is free from anything you wouldn’t want everyone to see. If you need to share your screen, everyone will be able to see anything on your desktop, including folders and their names.

Communicate

Communication is going to be the key that makes remote flows successful. Set aside a few minutes at the start and close of each workday to review and respond to emails. Make sure you are on top of those communications as they will prove to be important to the success of your interactions during the day.

With some basic common sense efforts, your team can make the most of this time of remote work flows. You may discover that it turns into a time of innovation.

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Help your Chambers deal with information overload

March 18 2020 admin Blog, Chambers, TRC, Uncategorized, YGM 0 comments

Part of what we do at YGM is monitor various things (we’re nicer than the hall monitors of your childhood, but we’ve still got our eyes on the pulse of what’s happening).

We monitor your chamber social media accounts. We monitor your event advertising to view your sponsorship benefits. We monitor your balance of “event inviting” versus “business informational sharing.”

What I can tell you from my recent monitoring in the midst of COVID-19 is that everyone is overwhelmed. I also know all of you are deeply concerned about providing your member businesses with information that could be beneficial to them. Social media is a great informational sharing tool, but we all need to make sure we use the platforms appropriately.

It’s great, for example, to share which restaurants are doing curb-side pickup or delivery. It’s also important to share which nonprofit organizations are providing meals for school children. However, just “sharing” each of these individual posts can be overwhelming to your members, your businesses, your citizens, your community. It may also prove frustrating when someone wants to go back to find a particular bit of information but it is lost in the trove of other information which has been shared.

The chamber is a convener, a place for information sharing. Take the time to position your organization in the right way – in a way that best helps your community.

You are likely thinking it will take extra time to write your own posts or listing pages rather than simply sharing the information. And you are right. It may. But the time you spend will be valued by your members.

Create a place – a post that you pin to the top of your Facebook page, a webpage, or a unique page on your chamber page – for all information that is localized to your community. It doesn’t matter where… just have one central clearinghouse page and make that page easily accessible.

Sharing information from the CDC, ACCE, US Chamber, etc., are good ideas, but it is especially valuable to share local information. The real trick, though, is to sift through the information and pull out only what is really valuable to your local community. Your member businesses are struggling at the moment to adapt to this ever-changing landscape. They don’t have time to read all of the posts if you simply click ‘share’ on all of the great information you come across.

You need to digest and distill the information for them. Make it locally relevant. You want to promote and encourage engagement with your local member businesses. Local information is vital.

In order to accomplish this, divide and conquer. Use your Chamber staff and their respective divisions:

have events division work on options for virtual meetings for chamber networking as well as virtual options for businesses to interact with their clients
have your governmental affairs/economic development division work on breaking down the information for small business loan relief … also suggest working with a local banker to discuss how to qualify for these loans
have your membership division work on benefit options for small businesses in this uncertain time

With just a little planning and effort, you can be of tremendous assistance to your member businesses.

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TRC as a Strategic Plan

March 01 2020 admin Blog, Chambers, TRC, YGM 0 comments

“We have a strategic plan. It’s called ‘doing things.’” – Herb Kelleher

No offense to Mr. Kelleher, known to many in the business world as an American icon, most businesses (and chambers alike) need a more structured plan than simply ‘doing things.’

As we move forward, chambers are going to want more initiative-based programming rather than primarily event-based programming. From our perspective at YGM, a Total Resource Campaign is a tool to implement and affect your strategic plan wrapped in a sponsorship drive.

In talking with chamber professionals around the country, we hear them say over and again how they just keep doing the same things every year but are frustrated with how to break the cycle.

Taking the time to do the difficult strategic planning, looking at your chamber with fresh eyes is the best way to break that cycle. Be clear about who your chamber represents and what your mission is. How can you walk that line between staying true to your mission and making enough money to carry out your programming?

Are there events in your book of business that you hold simply because ‘it’s always been done that way?’ Look at those. How well are they attended? What types of businesses are represented? Is it possible you could discontinue those events and replace them with an initiative that might reach a broader audience?

Taking a critical eye to the way you do things and to the events you have is a necessary element to successful strategic planning. And successful strategic planning will lead into successful total resource campaigns.

The two together can put your chamber in a place where you can dream for and set into motion new and innovative initiatives that will benefit your chamber members and your community at large.

“Vision without execution is just hallucination.” Henry Ford

Commit to setting aside dedicated time for you and your staff to work on your upcoming strategic plan. Execute your vision for your chamber and your community.

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60 (actually 45) sponsorship ideas for your Chamber

July 26 2019 admin Blog, Chambers, Sponsor development, TRC, Uncategorized, YGM 0 comments

We hope all of you who attended the ACCE annual convention were at the 60 Sponsorship Ideas in 60 Minutes session we sponsored. I know it’s likely been a whirlwind since you returned home, so we’ve gathered together a list of the ideas that were presented at the session. As always, take the ones of these that best fit your chamber and tweak them to make them your own. We’d love to hear how you integrate these ideas.

Pints & Porters – This was held at a local brewery and was geared toward small businesses.
Digital Billboards – Purchase a board and create a co-op for small businesses to share.
Sponsorship Book – Combine all sponsorship opportunities into a bound book.
Podcast – Feature a live podcast at your CEO Summit. If you have a regular podcasts, offer those as sponsorable opportunities.
Lip-sync video – Write a song about your Chamber/community & have sponsors pay to appear in and sponsor 6-8 seconds of the video.
Office Collaborative Workspace – Many of you may already sell sponsorships of your boardrooms or office spaces, but offer your larger spaces as collaborative workspaces for longer periods (think 3-5 years). The business that purchases the sponsorship also receives complementary rentals of the room.
Collaborations with local restaurants – Have local restaurants host your New Member Orientations each month.
Create a retail shopping card – Encourage the community to shop local.
Holiday Open House – Invite your local caterers and small business owners to supply the holiday open house. It is a great way to show off their skills.
Mayor Calls – Work with the mayor, city manager, and Chamber representatives to visit community business leaders each week to discuss concerns and needs of small businesses.
Create new levels – Consider your existing events such as a golf tournament and review the sponsorship levels. Are there ways to change them or update them?
Roast and Toast – As the outgoing Board chair prepares to leave, plan a roast for him or her.
Sponsorship Book Ad – Sell ads for your annual sponsorship book.
Highlight Small Businesses – Create a sponsorship level (for all events) just for businesses with 10 employees or less.
Raffle Tickets – Sell raffle tickets for businesses to have the opportunity to be the spotlight sponsor of a community night at a local sporting event.
Flash Drives – Instead of making paper new member packets, put all of the necessary documents on a flash drive and sell branding rights for the flash drives.
Windshield Bus Patrol – Highlight your community to residents.
Surprise Patrol – Purchase small treats and deliver them to local businesses. Video the deliveries and post them on social media.
Back to School Buzz – If there is a business that expresses that they are having difficulty, ask how you can help. For example: a craft brewery was having trouble getting the community to visit them more often, so the chamber sponsored a school supply drive. It brought people to the brewery and benefited those in need.
5K – Be sure to share the charity which receives the proceeds on social media.
Non-profit Business After Hours – Once a quarter, focus your After Hours on local non-profits. Let them tell about the work they do in the community.
Sponsorship Bundles – Offer a discount to those businesses which purchase several sponsorships.
Chamber Casual Friday – Local businesses have the option of purchasing a Friday during the year for $100 and providing branded tee shirts for the chamber staff to wear on that day. It allows for chamber staff to have a casual day & for businesses to have additional exposure.
Fancy “Potty” Sponsor – Take photos of your chamber staff and leadership according to your annual meeting theme and post them in the bathrooms. Don’t post the same photos in each bathroom. Have all of the photos sponsored.
Federal Opportunity Zone Education event – Tap into what is important in your area and help explain it to those in your community.
Community Table – Bring your community together to share a meal and ideas.
Restaurant Week – Highlight the restaurants in your area.
YP Awards Video Program – Consider how the videos could market by the awards and the businesses.
Christmas Parade – If your chamber has the capabilities, consider streaming the parade or having it broadcast.
Banner Display – Create a logo banner and display it prominently in the chamber window.
Report Card – Repackage your reports and distribute with a sponsor logo
Digital Signboards – Co-brand with the chamber and a sponsor business
Embrace the Unexpected – Ask member businesses for bids and quotes. You might be surprised when one offers to sponsor the job.
Networking – Offer networking opportunities and panel discussions for non-profits which might not have those opportunities as often as more traditional businesses.
When Pigs Fly – Purchase small, plastic squeaker pigs that can be used in driving competitions for golf tournaments.
Women’s Conference – Remember to tell your potential sponsors and vendors that women have tremendous purchasing power.
Thank You – If you send Thank You mentions to people after events, offer sponsorship of the cards/notes.
Pulse on Policy – Focus on advocacy sponsorship.
Social Media Sponsorship – Sell the sponsorship of social media during each event. Consider unique hashtags.
Business Expo – Consider having tailgate sponsors at each end of the expo.
Themed Annual Meetings
Valet Sponsor – Sponsor the valet stations at your events
Coat Check Sponsors at signature events
Parking Sponsor – In addition, consider branded air fresheners from the sponsors.
Valet Sponsor for Business Expo – Assist vendors in bringing in and removing their booth materials.

I hope you are able to glean some helpful options from these ideas.

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What’s Your Perception?

June 30 2019 admin TRC, Uncategorized, YGM 0 comments

Perception.

So much of the way each of our lives are arranged is based upon perception – our perception of the world around us, our perception of ourselves, the perception of the people around us.

Perception, though, is not always reality. That’s why you rarely see the ‘real life’ of anyone through the photos on Facebook and Instagram. Take a moment… how often do you see a photo of someone not looking his or her best?

Recently, I was in a hotel and took the photo above depicting a beautiful, tranquil view of a stunning sunset. The actual photo is below – see all the bird poop out there? Did I utilize the balcony? No. But I easily could have edited this photo to make it seem like the photo I described above.

When my social media contacts saw the photos, they would have seen what I wanted them to see. Their perception of the photo would have created a new reality of the scene.

Your business members are no different from my social media contacts. They have perceptions of your Chamber and the value your Chamber provides to their businesses.

When you think of your sponsorships, think of the perceived value of them, not the actual value. Think of it another way… consider the perception of your sponsorship, not the actual cost of the sponsorship.

For a majority of your sponsorships, the perceived value of your top-level sponsorships should be much higher in the value of deliverable benefits.

In contrast, the sponsorship for the table decorations at the annual meeting will likely not sell for what it costs you to purchase the centerpieces. The perceived value on this particular sponsorship is simply much lower than others.

Does that mean you don’t offer that as a sponsorship? Of course not! You’re just going to price it with the sponsor in mind. The flowers might cost you $2,500. Your sponsorship will probably only be priced at $500… perception is at play here.

Chambers often over-give benefits to validate the cost of a sponsorship when what they need to do is properly evaluate the perceived value. You’ll go bankrupt trying to “make the sponsorship worth the cost.” Instead, do an honest evaluation of what the perception of the sponsorship really is and base both the level and the price on that.

Perceived value is the tactic businesses use to price their goods, products, and services. Supply and demand are influenced by perceived value. Starting pricing your Chamber’s goods with perceived value in mind.

When you begin pricing sponsorships with perceived value in mind, you’ll begin to serve your Chamber better.

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Give Motivated Volunteers a Chance

April 12 2018 admin Blog, Chambers, TRC, Volunteers 0 comments Tags: total resource campaign, TRC, volunteers

Do your Vice Chairs or Team Captains ever ask what type of people make the best volunteers?

As expected, we have tips of all sorts, but sometimes the best tip is to remind your Vice Chairs and Team Captains that anyone with a wide range of business contacts can succeed in a Total Resource Campaign. Never discount someone’s motives or professional drive.

One of my favorite volunteer stories comes from a top performer who surprised everyone with her success. She was not recruited by anyone to be on a team, in fact. She volunteered. She requested that her boss, the TRC Chair, assign her to a team.

As we were doing our wrap up sessions, we asked this volunteer why she wanted to be a part of the TRC. With no hesitation she said, “I was pissed.”

After the group stopped laughing, I asked her to explain.

“I was pissed because no one asked me to join a team. I am the executive assistant to the CEO of one of the largest companies in town, but no one saw me as capable,” she explained. “And I wanted the opportunity to prove them wrong.”

Prove them wrong is exactly what she did. Each week, she was one of the top three performers in the TRC.

She took the knowledge she had gained of the business community through her job and systematically paired businesses with sponsorships that would work well for them. She was highlighting how the sponsorships were going to benefit both the Chamber and the business and, in the process, she was strengthening her own personal business contacts.

At the first few Rally Sessions, you could hear people asking about her and how she was doing so well. By the third or fourth, everyone knew she was one of the ones to emulate.

She proved to her boss and to the others who passed her by initially that she was more than capable. She showed that Vice Chairs and Team Captains need to be relentless in their search of people who have a vast business contact base… that employees can make the TRC work for them… that they can be a success in the TRC with the right mindset.

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Don’t forget to show the love to your volunteers this Valentine’s Day

February 12 2018 admin People, TRC, Volunteers, YGM 0 comments

As I spent some time this weekend thinking about Valentine’s Day, I was reminded of a post I wrote a couple years ago about showing love for our volunteers – at Valentine’s and throughout the years.

When I went back and read the post again, I found that all of the tips I gave still hold true. Volunteers are the backbone of a Total Resource Campaign (TRC) and, really, of any good endeavor.

I do have a few new ideas that I would like to share with you.

Sometimes we roll our eyes at suggestions and ideas that we deem “cheesy” or “corny,” but those are often the simplest to execute and the best received ideas.

Today, run out to a local market and buy a box of Valentine cards – you know the ones… you have likely purchased them for your children. Buy a box or two – or 10 – and think of the volunteers to whom you would like to send an unexpected surprise.

Sign the cards “We love our TRC Volunteers,” or “We love what you do for our TRC,” or “We love the support you give our Chamber.” Customize it for your volunteers. Add a piece or a tiny bag of Valentine candy & you have a wonderful surprise. Spend tomorrow and Wednesday dropping these gifts off at their offices around town. Without a doubt you will start to see little thank yous start to show up on social media from grateful volunteers.

Speaking of social media, don’t forget to use these handy tools. You should have gotten your volunteers’ social media information and can post photos and congrats/words of appreciate on your social media, linking to each volunteer’s personal accounts. Everyone enjoys kind words of appreciation and recognition. Feature not just your campaign’s top three producers but all of those volunteers who make your chamber’s events and programs special.

While Valentine’s Day is an easy tie-in to sharing some love for your volunteers, don’t stop there. The very best TRCs are done by organizations that support and encourage their volunteers throughout the year. Diane Poole of the Trussville (Ala.) Area Chamber of Commerce sent sparklers to their volunteers on the 4th of July with notes saying, “You make us sparkle and shine! Thanks for all you do for the Chamber and our TRC!”

With volunteers and TRCs, little things mean a lot. The work done throughout the year can pay big dividends during the TRC itself.

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