I am writing my synopsis and think that looking at a sample synopsis would help get me started. Do you have any examples you could share?
What is the cost to apply for Chamber of the Year?
The application fee for Chamber of the Year is $250.
The chamber's 990 for this year will not be complete for the application deadline. Are we still eligible? What should we submit?
Yes, you are still eligible to apply for Chamber of the Year if your 990 is not yet complete for the year. Send us your last three 990s (ex. 2010, 2011, 2012) and write on your application when you expect to complete your current (ex. 2013) 990. We may ask that you send it later.
What kind of audit are you looking for? Our accountant has said there are many audits to choose from. Which is best for this award?
Are we allowed to provide supplemental information for the essays? Such as pictures, flowcharts, graphs, etc? If so, what is the best way to do this?
Yes, supplemental information can be provided as it relates to the essay question. They should be included as attachments to the essay question. Please clearly title your attachments and refer to them within your text. This will help the judges locate the correct supporting documents.
Just a note…more does not always mean better. We are reviewing a lot of information so keep it relative to the essay.
With the change in eligibility requirements – requiring a chamber to wait three years after winning to apply again – is it three years from the winning year or three years from the year that corresponds with application submission materials?
We want to submit long term initiatives for both synopses, is that acceptable? If so, do the supporting materials need to be only from the current year or can they be from previous years?
What revenue category does my chamber fall into? If we accept government funding for economic development or CVB activities, can we leave that out of our total revenue number?
If government or affiliate funding is used to fund (in part or in full) one of the highlighted program synopses from your application or if primary fiduciary oversight of said government or affiliate funds is the responsibility of your chamber board of directors, then that funding must be included in Annual Total Revenue.