We have close to 600 chamber members in Greenwood and Leflore County, and a few outside our area as well. For a community our size, that’s pretty remarkable. But there’s always room for more growth.
As chamber professionals, we often get asked questions like, “What does a chamber really do?” and “What am I really getting for my chamber membership?” Those are very reasonable questions, and I hope to answer them here.
First, a chamber membership looks different for every single chamber member.
What one individual or business sees as value in its chamber investment may not be the same for the next one. A business might join to get more exposure or marketing visibility for itself. A business might join because it likes some of the business discounts we offer as a perk of membership that can help its bottom line. Individuals might join because we can connect them to the rest of the community and help them with their volunteer skills, their networking goals or just to meet new people and be a great resource for their community.
Other businesses might join because they want to be included in the many business referrals we give out each day to folks looking to do business here in our city and county. Some also join to give their employees an opportunity for volunteer involvement and to give back to their community.
Others join hoping to have the chamber as a voice for small business on the local and state level and to stay up- to-date on trends and information that will affect their business.
We understand and appreciate that all members expect value from their investment with us. That’s as it should be. We are here to help and offer expertise, assistance and opportunities for business and personal growth.
The “why” of chamber membership looks different for everyone, but there is one thing that every single chamber member has in common, regardless of your size or budget or type of business. Your membership investment supports the work we do in this community. That’s the value that we as a chamber offer to Greenwood and Leflore County as a whole. We work hard every single day on issues such as workforce, education, leadership development, community improvement, business growth and so much more. These things don’t just affect a small portion of our population; they affect us all, regardless of race, age, socioeconomic status or education level.
How do we do this? Here’s a short list of details.
• Our second-to-none youth and adult leadership programs.
• Our partnerships with our area schools on programs such as Mississippi Scholars and workforce development issues. (We’ve got some exciting new programs coming this fall.)
• Our community events, which promote recreation, tourism, increased sales taxes and an economic boost for our entire community.
• Our marketing efforts in promoting our city and county to the state, region and to the entire U.S. to make it a more desirable place in which to live, work and play.
• Our efforts to promote business members through social media, visitors, referrals and more.
• Our continuous partnerships with our city and county on beautification and community improvement projects.
• Our programs, workshops and seminars to help small businesses get the support, training and resources they need to be successful.
This is just a very small list of what we do every single day. We could go on. Your support will allow us to continue and grow what we’re doing now.
It may seem lofty, but our goal is to have every single business in Greenwood and Leflore County as a chamber investor and partner in what we do every day to make this community better. If your business is not a member, consider this: Whether you are a member or not, we are still working hard to improve our community. Our efforts would be so much stronger with your support. If you do business here, we hope you’ll consider becoming a chamber partner today and join our mission of making Greenwood and Leflore County better.
In the process, we’ll be more than happy to customize a membership plan that’s unique just to your business. It’s a win-win for us all.
• Beth Stevens is the executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce. Contact her at chamberevp@bellsouth.net.
