ACCE Strategic Plan

Our profession has undergone a renaissance due to the efforts of chambers during the global pandemic and economic recovery. Additionally, ACCE has experienced continued, strong financial positioning and healthy member satisfaction ratings. We want to build on our success and provide the highest level of service and support for chambers by focusing on the future needs of our profession. Our aim is to make chamber executives more successful, creating chambers that are innovative and sustainable, resulting in our towns and regions being stronger.

ACCE will work to elevate the capabilities and brand of chambers of commerce, so they can best promote, serve, and improve their communities.

This is a representation of the ACCE 2023-2026 strategic plan showcasing the key highlights of the plan.

 

Lenses Applied to All Aspects of Our Work

These lenses will be applied to every aspect of ACCE’s work and are critical to our success.

Economic Mobility and Opportunity

Every aspect of our efforts both internally and externally should focus on economic mobility and opportunity.

We are intentional when considering individual attributes such as age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, accessibility, veteran status, background and skill sets; also organizational attributes like size, geographic location and chamber’s scope of work.

Strategic Partnerships

We accomplish more with strategic partnerships that amplify our voices and reach broader, more diverse audiences.

Explore partnerships with organizations both within and outside the chamber community to increase reach and effectiveness.

 

Key Strategies for 2023-2026

1. The Thought Leader for the Chamber Industry
Serve as the go-to source of cutting-edge data and research for chambers of commerce.

  1. Launch a thought leadership and research center to house the latest research and data both from within and outside the chamber of commerce industry
  2. Increase original thought leadership in the form of research, speeches, writing, surveys, polls and benchmarking
  3. Provide counsel on issues management via resources on prioritizing and engagement on political and social issues, fact-based issue briefing information, or related supports
  4. Modernize the Horizon Initiative, including practical applications and usage
  5. Conduct a public opinion poll to support the brand and reputation of chambers

2. Elevate and Amplify the Chamber Brand
Serve as a global platform and megaphone for the chamber brand.

  1. Develop a campaign to elevate the chamber brand, leveraging grassroots engagement
  2. Ensure the brand narrative reflects courageous leadership and chambers’ critical role in the economic and political ecosystems
  3. Augment storytelling opportunities and storytelling resources for the profession
  4. Deepen ACCE’s reach in underserved markets
  5. Continue to elevate the profile of the CCE certification
  6. Strengthen communication strategies to increase traffic to ACCE content that’s easily sharable, digestible and available on multiple platforms 

3. Future-Focused, Customized Service
Provide information and services that anticipate trends and shifting dynamics, while catering to the varied needs of our diverse membership.

  1. Research and launch a membership model revamp that allows for scalable engagement and differentiates who we serve and how
  2. Produce resources for chamber boards to influence decision making at the highest levels
  3. Intentional action to develop the future pipeline of next-gen chamber leadership
  4. Foster an industry culture of innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset
  5. Grow customized consulting and research offerings
  6. Simplify member access to resources
  7. Improve and augment peer engagement opportunities
  8. Ensure training matches current and future needs, including on-demand training as well as expanding in-person programming to improve reach
  9. Pursue funding to directly support chambers with their community impact work

4. World-Class Association
Build a best-in-class association that amplifies our community and supports its team.

  1. Regionalize the association leveraging partnerships and geographically dispersed staff
  2. Analyze and revamp the holistic revenue and resourcing strategies to align with this plan
  3. Leverage data analytics for data-driven decision making
  4. Implement a financial investment strategy that both protects the association’s future and allows for organizational investments
  5. Expand usage of automation and technology to streamline internal process and support the member experience
  6. Increase engagement of board members in strategic industry efforts
  7. Grow the portfolios and impacts of ACCE Foundation and Fringe Benefits, Inc.
  8. Foster a culture of inclusivity, collaboration and innovation