HERO-Information Office

A QuickPoll on Communications and Marketing Metrics was conducted in March 2014 and results published in April. 160 members participated in the poll.The QuickPoll starts with an overview of respondent's chamber's total revenue range, total membership size, and overall function. Metrics-specific questions include:

• Does your chamber track the following metrics?
• What is your average email open rate?
• What is your average email click-through rate?
• What is your average conversion rate?   
• What is your average monthly number of unique visitors to your website?
• Which Social Media channels are used at your chamber?    
• If tracked, Number of Twitter Tweets per month.
• If tracked, Number of Facebook Likes per month.
• Do you have a closed or open LinkedIn group?
• How many emails or eblasts does your Communications Department send per month
• (includes announcements, e-newsletters, etc.)?
• And other questions.

In the results, learn that 90% of participants track email open rates and 88% track website visitors; 81% track social media interactions, and 78% track email click-throughs.

The poll shows that 26% of participants have a 26-30% average email open rate; 27% of paricipants have a 6-10% average click-through rate; and 38% of participants have between 1,000-4,999 average monthly unique visitors to the chamber website.

Learn that 100% of respondents are using Facebook and 79% are using Twitter, with 76% using LinkedIn. Find these results and many more on the Communications and Marketing Metrics QuickPoll!

On the poll results, you can also find a list of resources (sites/magazines/experts) that chambers are following for communications and marketing trends or the latest in data mining.

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For questions or assistance, please contact the HERO team. Email: HERO@acce.org.

Tags: Communications and Marketing Metrics, Metrics, QuickPoll

It's that time of year - time to go get in a great game of golf, enjoy the summer weather, and, in the case of many chambers, accomplish more than just a game of golf and turn the game into a networking opportunity, a fundraiser, and a way to bring the community together. Find examples on our revised and expanded Golf Tournaments Chamberpedia page.

Many chambers of commerce run golf tournaments as a way to generate revenue and offer a fun networking event for both members and non-members. Below are links to resources related to planning golf tournaments and sample documents that chambers have used for registration and publicity. Want to know more about events at chambers? See stats on chamber events from the QuickPoll conducted June 2012 with 264 participants. 75% of responding chambers said they host an annual golf outing!

Planning:

• Golf Digest Planner is a quick and easy way to set up a golf event website - including online registration, payment processing, tools to market your event, sell sponsorships and attract players
• Golfregistrations.com free resources to help make your outing a success; including, a planner/checklist, and Microsoft Excel based budget, and a set of 5 standard letter templates, which can be easily modified for your tournament needs.
• TournEase shares tips, ideas, advice and helpful information to make your tournament a success

A selection of chambers with Golf Tournaments:

• Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Chamber Open Golf Tournament - Amarillo's Largest One-Day Golf Tournament, annual and sponsored typically sells out.
• Aurora Chamber of Commerce Leadership Golf Tournament - Annual event with sponsors.
• Corning Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament - Annual sponsored event, with golf awards for top players.
• Cushing Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament - The chamber has several great events in multiple days in a row with the Pipeline Appreciation Golf Tournament kicking off the festivities and is then followed by the Chamber's popular BBQ ‘N Blues Festival.
• Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Classic - Annual event with sponsors is a great networking opportunity for businesses.
• Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Cup Golf Tournament - Annual sponsored event with contests and awards for top players.
• Grapevine Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic Tournament - Annual sponsored event provides members an opportunity to network with fellow members or their current or potential clients in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
• Find MORE on our Golf Tournaments Chamberpedia page.

Samples of documents chambers use to promote Golf Events:

• Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce - Scholarship Scramble Golf Tournament Sponsorships - This sample promotes available sponsorship opportunities for the chamber's annual golf tournament, which funds scholarships for high school and community college students.
• Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce Bonita Springs Golf Tour Brochure - Highlights the annual golf tournament event, sponsorship opportunities, participation opportunities, Hold Sponsors, lunch sponsor, and advertising options.
• Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce Spooktacular Charity Golf Tournament Player Registration Form - This October Halloween-themed Golf event sample includes both a player registration form and a description of the available sponsorship opportunities.
• Chamber of Schenectady County Harry Apkarian Memorial Golf Classic - This brochure promotes the golf event, highlights how the funds raised from the event are used, and includes list of sponsors.
• Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce Fall Chamber Golf Classic - Sponsorship Levels - This sample outlines the golf event sponsorship levels. The chamber has combined the golf event, held twice a year, with their total resource campaign. When the chamber made the switch to combine the golf event with the TRC, they sold out the event in the first year. As a result, they have 2 golf events, one in fall and in spring and are very successful fundraisers for the chamber.
• Greater Spokane Inc. Annual Golf Tournament Sponsorship - Example serves as a sponsorship agreement, highlights the benefits of sponsoring the hospitality tent at the chamber's successful annual golf tournament.
• Longview Chamber of Commerce Par Busters Golf Tournament
• Busters Golf Tournament 2013 Flyer
• Par Busters Golf Tournament 2013 Postcard
• Par Busters Golf Tournament 2013 Registration Form

• Find MORE on our Golf Tournaments Chamberpedia page.

Read a selection of articles on chamber golf events:

• Tips for Your Next Chamber Golf Event - blog post by Christina Green, from Frank J Kenny Consulting (March 2014)
• Revenue Models: Choose Your Dues - by Katherine House, Chamber Executive magazine (Fall 2013)
• Find MORE on our Golf Tournaments Chamberpedia page.

Does your chamber have a golf event or tournament? We'd like to hear about it and highlight your program or supporting samples on the Golf Tournaments page. Email us at HERO@acce.org to share.

Tags: Fundraisers, Golf events, Golf tournaments, HERO

ACCE's Chamberpedia section on Events and Programs is being expanded. Here you will find numerous resources to address event planning and programming at your chamber.

Chamber event planners will find ACCE's chapter on Community Events to be helpful in gaining new awareness for successful programming options. This chapter comes from the ACCE Chamber Revenue Model Whitepaper (published December 2013).

Just getting started with event planning? Visit our new page on General Resources for Events and Programs to find online guides and resources, articles, books, whitepapers and research, and event planning samples.

Another good place to start is with the free event planning e-Book 14 Leys to Hosting Events Your Members Will Love (PDF), a guide for Association professionals from WebLink International (provider of Association Database Management Software and Chamber of Commerce Software for Member-Based Organizations).

Want to know how other chambers are handling events and to see what's most successful? See our Chamber Events QuickPoll - Provides stats on number and type of events, seasonal data, marketing events, attendance, and revenue from events from 264 poll participants, compiled June 2012.

Need a quick guide for event planning? See 15 Tips for Running Successful Community Events - From ACCE's whitepaper on Chamber Revenue Models, Events chapter.

Have a few minutes to read a great article? Check out EVENTS, by Katherine House, Chamber Executive magazine (Spring 2014). From community-wide local festivals to a caucus room on Capitol Hill, chambers are creative promoters and producers of profitable events.

To get specific, here are individual pages for specific types of events.

• Annual Meetings
• Breakfast Series
• Business Advancement Events
• Celebrations
• DC Fly-Ins
• Festivals, Parades, and Pageants
• Golf Tournaments
• Government Relations Events
• Health Care Programs & Summits
• Leadership Development Programs
• Lemonade Day
• Membership Orientation
• Networking Events
• Training and Seminars
• Technology Related Events

Event planners can bookmark these pages for resources to help get the job done. Or get the show on the road.

• Awards and Contests
• Evaluating Programs
• Event Calendars & Programming
• Networking Icebreakers
• Non-Member Event Attendance
• Program Agendas and Scripts
• Resources for Chamber Event Planners
• Sponsorships
• Technology for Events (using tech for events)

Chamberpedia pages like these are constantly updated. Have a program resource, sample, or event you'd like to share? Have a question or need help? Let us know. Email: HERO@acce.org.

Tags: events, Events and Programs, HERO

ACCE's Education Attainment Division developed a QuickPoll on Common Core Standards and the results have been tallied and published. There were 140 responses in this poll.

In reviewing the poll results, we learned that:

• My chamber has a policy platform that includes or emphasizes higher/ more rigorous K-12 academic standards and assessments as a strategic priority. 44% said "Yes" and 22% indicated "No, but would like to develop one." 31% said "No".
• 88% of responders said they are "working with the state education agency / local school districts / local teachers. 79% said they are "communicating to chamber members about the CCSS/higher standards." And 63% are "holding events focusing on CCSS/higher standards and/or inviting education leaders to speak at chamber events about CCSS/higher standards.
• Find these statistics and more in our QuickPoll on Common Core Standards.

For assistance with education programs at your chamber, please engage with ACCE's Education Attainment Division or contact Alysia Bell or Jessie Azrilian or call (213) 580-7535. You can also update your profile status online to receive Division communications.

It's time to participate in ACCE's Annual Operations Survey. The Operations Survey provides chambers with information they can use to establish comparisons and benchmarks with similar chambers of commerce. 

Participate in the 2013-2014 Operations Survey NOW through March 3rd. 

To get started, please view our NEW TUTORIAL on completing the Operations Survey.

Ready to jump right in? Visit our Operations Survey web page complete with access links and instructions.

Here are the direct steps to complete the Survey:

• Click on this link to start the survey. You will be asked to login.  If you need your ACCE username and password, request it here.
• Click on Start for your organization
• From the links at the top of the "Start" page, you can print a PDF of the survey, or you can see your survey responses from last year (if you participated)
• If you have any difficulty accessing or completing the survey, please email HERO@acce.org.  
  Here is a link to a list of Standard Definitions. Please review these to be sure that you are accurately reporting your data.

For any questions or assistance, please email HERO@acce.org.

Tags: Annual Operations Survey, Operations Survey, Operations Survey Tutorial

It's that time of year - yes, sit down with a nice cup of hot coffee, watch the snow pile up outside, and participate in ACCE's annual Operations Survey.

The Annual Operations Survey provides chambers with information they can use to establish comparisons and benchmarks with similar chambers of commerce. Participate in the Survey through March 3rd.

How to participate:

• Click on this link to start the survey. You will be asked to login.  If you need your ACCE username and password, request it here.
• Click on Start for your organization
• From the links at the top of the "Start" page, you can print a PDF of the survey, or you can see your survey responses from last year (if you participated).
• Here is a link to a list of Standard Definitions. Please review these to be sure that you are accurately reporting your data.
• If you have any difficulty accessing or completing the survey, please email HERO@acce.org. 

The Results:
The Operations Survey results will be published this spring and you can expect to see a full report, Members Statistics mini-pub, and survey data to download via spreadsheet. Starting in May, chambers can order your customized Ops Survey presentation.

The Benefits:
By participating, your chamber is eligible to apply for ACCE Awards like the Awards for Communication Excellence (ACE) and Chamber of the Year (CoY).

For questions or assistance, please email HERO@acce.org. Thank you for participating in the Annual Operations Survey!

Tags: Operations Survey

Salary Survey

Are you looking for benchmarking information to use with your board, staff, and compensation committee?  ACCE has many great tools to help!  We just released a brand new PDF publication of our salary survey results for 2013-14.  This publication is for sale in the ACCE Store.  It includes salary information for 16 different positions and breaks down the data by total annual revenue, number of staff, number of members, and other measures.  If you are only looking for CEO salary information, we also have a CEO-only publication that contains this data.  The tables and graphs in both publications are easy-to-read and can be taken directly to your compensation committee for use in a meeting.  For more information about our salary survey, including information about how to get free, anonymous spreadsheets of data from the salary survey, go to our Salary Survey webpage.  

Evaluation Forms

Does your board want to do a self-evaluation, or do they need a form to evaluate the CEO?  We have examples of both that can be found through our Governance and Leadership Chamberpedia pages, under the Hiring and Assessing page.  See some examples here:

• Assessing and Supporting Your Chief Executive: A BoardSource Toolkit - for purchase and download from BoardSource
• Sample CEO Evaluaton Form - Longview Chamber of Commerce
• CEO Performance Tools from Bob Harris, The Nonprofit Center
• Performance Evaluation - Chamber CEO - Using SurveyMonkey
• Performance Evaluation - Chamber CEO (Newark)
• Performance Evaluation - Chamber President & CEO (Tampa)
• Helena Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Board Self-Assessment Tool - A spreadsheet form that a board member can use for self-evaluation.
• Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry Board Assessment Form - A PDF form useful for the evaluation of board members.

Operations Survey

Another valuable benchmarking tool is our annual Operations Survey.  The 2013-14 Operations Survey will be open for your participation from February 1st to March 1st, so stay tuned for more information in your email inbox and on our Operations Survey webpage.  

Please note - for ACCE's online resources, members will need to Log in with your username and password. (Forgot your password? Click here.) Have questions, need research assistance, or want to suggest a new link or contribute to our Samples? Please email us at HERO@acce.org.

Tags: Benchmarking, Compensation, HERO, Salary, Survey

Chambers commonly have questions about working with board members. Common questions include "How do I orient my new board members?" and "How do I manage conflicts of interest on my board?" or "How can I effectively work with my new board chair?" ACCE's HERO portal contains resources to address these questions and more!

Books in the ACCE Store:

• How To Manage Your Board While Your Board Manages You: A Practical Guide To Working Effectively With a Board For Both New and Experienced  CEOs by Martin M. Coyne II
  
• Managing Conflicts of Interest, A Primer for Nonprofit Boards by Daniel L. Kurtz and Sarah E. Paul
  
• Taming the Troublesome Board Member by Katha Kissman
  
• The Imperfect Board Member: Discovering the Seven Disciplines of Governance Excellence by Jim Brown
  
• The Nonprofit Board Answer Book: A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives by BoardSource
  
• Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals by Darian Rodriguez Heyman
  
• Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards by Richard P. Chait, William P. Ryan, and Barbara E. Taylor
  
• Presenting: Board Orientation, An Introductory Presentation for Nonprofit Board Members by BoardSource

ACCE University eCourse:

• Chamber 101: Introducing the Work of Chambers of Commerce: In this foundational 8-part eCourse twelve chamber practitioners offer a broad stroke presentation that highlights the work of chambers. This online course is designed to both work in tandem with chamber staff and board orientation programming, while offering a flexibile training tool that can be incorporated into any chamber retreat, lunch-n-learn or training activity.
  
  

Chamberpedia pages:

• Board Composition and Responsibilities 
• Board Management and Conflict
• Board Meetings and Retreats
• Board Member and CEO Relationships
• Bylaws

Chamber Executive Magazine articles:

• How Well Does Your Board Govern?
• Whose Responsibility Is It?
• Board Effectiveness
• Board Orientation
• The Chamber Board
• Board Policy is Good Policy
• To Steer the Ship, a Board Needs DirectionFrom the Chair: An Effective Board Begins With Clarity
• Educating Rita, Mark, Thomas and Eduardo…
• Planning a Productive and Efficient Board Retreat

Samples – Board Management:

• Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce Ethics Policies
• Characteristics and Attributes of an Ideal Board Member
• Governance: Board Appraisal (VA)
• Governance: Conflict of Interest Statement (ACCE)
• Governance Policy (Lubbock, TX)
• See all Board Management Samples

Other Resources:

Outside of ACCE, other valuable resources for working with boards are avaialble through BoardSource.org. They offer publications through their Learning Center. Some of their resources are free and some have a cost.

Please note - for ACCE's online resources, members will need to Log in with your username and password. (Forgot your password? Click here.) Have questions, need research assistance, or want to suggest a new link or contribute to our Samples? Please email us at HERO@acce.org.

Tags: Working with Boards, Board Management, Chamberpedia, HERO, Samples Library

Be sure to read ACCE's Education Attainment Division's latest blog post on "Business-Friendly Tools Chambers Can Use to Support a College & Career-Ready Agenda" (12/13/2013).  This post highlights updated resources and tools you can use for education attainment, workforce readiness, and Common Core Standards for chambers and your members. If your chamber is doing any work in Education & Workforce Development, be sure to get connected to ACCE's Education Attainment Division in our Divisions & Groups. HERO content relies on your contributions. Have a Sample document, link, or resource to share with us? Email HERO@acce.org to contribute resources or ask us a question.

Tags: common core, education, Education Attainment, HERO, Workforce Development

In our Business Books and Recommended Speakers QuickPoll, we had 76 respondents who replied to the following 4 questions:

• What are your favorite business reading topics?
• In what format do you read your business books?
• What three business books would you recommend?
• Who is the best speaker you have heard in the last two years? 

QuickPoll results include:

• 63% of respondents have read recently published business books in the past year.
• Leadership, Management, Communication and Entrepreneurship were among the top reading topics.
• 87% of respondents read traditional/printed books, 51% read ebooks, and 22% use audiobooks.

The fill-in portion of the poll to list the 'top 3 business books to recommend' generated over 100 titles and many of them are linked to our ACCE Store where you can purchase directly through Amazon. 

The other fill-in portion of the poll for listing 'best speaker heard in the last two years' generated over 60 names of presenters. These are results you can use to help plan your chamber's programs and events.

Does this QuickPoll include your favorite or highly preferred business book or speaker? If not, please leave a comment and tell us what titles and speakers you recommend. All feedback welcome!

Have questions? Need help? Email HERO@acce.org for assistance.

Tags: Business Books, HERO, QuickPoll, Recommended Speakers