From Relevant to Essential (ePub)

The world wide pandemic, economic upheaval and social unrest that 2020 debuted will linger with us in many forms for years to come. As international as these issues have been, the management of the crisis and disruption it has caused in the United States has fallen most often to state and local leadership. In every local community, Chambers of Commerce have been part of that critical response and recovery team, aiding citizens and businesses alike. But just like the business they serve, they too have faced significant disruptions and challenges to their normal operations. These challenges have exposed the cracks in their operating model that have been there and growing for decades. Our COVID-19 environment has now made the cracks too wide to ignore. It has also provided the perfect opportunity for chambers to rethink their mission and model in a way they may not have had the time or permission to do before. It is forcing chambers to re-imagine what they will need to be moving forward. To help in that reimagining, 'From Relevant to Essential' identifies five key insights that all Chambers can use to ensure their organization is not just relevant to the members of their organization, but is truly essential to the larger community that they serve.