A membership with a Chamber is a lot like a gym membership. You get back what you put into it!
A chamber of commerce is an organization of businesses seeking to further their collective interests, while advancing their community, region, state or nation. Business owners in towns, cities and other territories voluntarily form these local societies/networks to advocate on behalf of the community at large, economic prosperity and business interests. Chambers have existed in the US for more than two centuries, with many having been established before the jurisdictions they represent. A business-led civic and economic advancement entity operating in a specific space may call itself any number of things – board of trade, business council, etc. – but for the purposes of this primer, they are all chambers of commerce. Read More…
No. Chambers of Commerces are “Authortive Entities” but not Government ones. Chambers of Commerce are run and mostly funded by local businesses.
“Local businesses are voluntary paying members of a chamber (non-profits, quasi-public and even public sector employers also sometimes pay dues to belong). The membership, acting collectively, elects a board of directors and/or executive council to set policy for, and guide the workings of, the chamber. The board or executive committee then hires a chief executive (various titles), plus an appropriate and affordable number of staff to run the organization.” – ACCE
Take a look at our Staff & Board Page
The chambers in the US and Canada are not bound together under contracts or government regulations. There is no chapter or franchise arrangement between or among them. There can be very strong relationships between neighboring organizations, but those relationships are voluntary and informal rather than required or written. Chambers interact with each other across the nation and the globe – many even maintain formal memberships in other chambers – but the network is informal. In the chamber world, nobody is “in charge” of anybody; a local chamber does not answer to a state or national chamber.
Local chambers are often, but not always, paying members of their state and national chambers of commerce. This connection is one of voluntary membership and does not extend to control or governance. A significant number of chamber executives also choose to join professional associations of their peers, such as the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Western Association of Chamber Executives, State Chamber Executive Associations, or the World Chambers Federation. These memberships are for professional development purposes similar to those of any trade association and, once again, the relationships do not involve the abdication of self-determination.
Our Chamber hosts a couple of large events each year to bring the community and local business closer together. Annually we host a Wine, Food and Brew Showcase, Concerts in the Park, an Annual Luncheon, and an Annual Dinner. Our Chamber also participates in events held by other organizations.
Depending on funding each year, our Chamber may also host other small events such as Holiday Decorating & Photography contests.
There are a lot of them! You can check out our Benefits Page Here or see the graph below;
Even if you don’t need or use our benefits, being a member is helping the community. We try to make sure that the communities knows about our local businesses and remind them to shop local, keeping income local too. The Massena Chamber also works in part as a tourism facility, answering calls daily, mailing out tourism packets, and providing local literature in our office.
By being a member, you are allowing us to continue helping our community and the local businesses within.
Many of our benefits act as services, which means members have to reach out to us. For example: we hold member’s business cards, brochures, and pamphlets in the office. However, it is up to the member to bring in that literature to be handed out! For ribbon cuttings, events, and other advertising there are easy to fill out forms right on our website.
The more a Member reaches out to us the more they can benefit!
Yes! If you are a business owner or representative of a large corporation, and there is an opening on our board then you are welcome to apply HERE. To find out more information or see about become a part of the board you can email info@massenachamber.com or nlashomb@massenchamber.com.
Duties as a Board Member would include but are not limited to;
– Volunteering for Events
– Attending Monthly Meetings
– Acting as an Advocate/Representative of the Massena Chamber
– Helping with Agenda Tasks for the Chamber
– Sharing and spreading word about Events and Members
There are many ways to help the Massena Chamber!
1.) Become a Member – Join Us!
– This is one of the best ways to help the Massena Chamber. When you become a member you are making us just a little bit bigger, which allows us to keep growing ourselves and our community. Plus, you get great benefits that can help you promote your own business and keep up with the digital times. Check out the Benefits!
2.) Volunteer for Events – Become a Volunteer
– We put on a few events a year to give the community some different activities to enjoy while promoting our members that help make it happen. However, we only have 3 paid employees which means sometimes we need more help. By volunteering for an event, you are really helping make it happen. Without volunteers we would be unable to run fun events for the community such as Harvest Festival!
3.) Participate in a Fundraiser – All Fundraisers
– The Massena Chamber is always looking for new ways to grow and offer more to our membership. To help us grow we set goals and run fundraisers that will allow us to provide new benefits and opportunities. Check out our Business Incubator Fundraiser!
4.) Donate/Tip the Chamber – Donate
– Any and all donations are always appreciated! Every bit counts and helps all of our current projects.
There are an abundence of ways to find out what’s going on with the Massena Chamber!
Besides visiting our website (which you’re on right now!) One of these best ways to stay up to date daily is to follow our Facebook Page. If you don’t have a facebook page, no worries just check out our News & Updates page with links directly to it!
Some other cool sites to check out are our YouTube Channel, Twitter, & Instagram. You can also sign Up for our E-Newsletters! We send out at least one email blast a month with information on members and upcoming events.
The Greater Massena Chamber is located on 16 Church St. Massena NY 13662.
Our Hours are Monday-Friday 9am-6pm
You can reach us by phone at 315-769-3525 or email us at:
Digital Media Manager: day@mymassena.com (Website & Social Media information and support)
Executive Director: nlashomb@massenachamber.com (Relations & Business information)
General: info@massenachamber.com
No. We do not share spreadsheets or physical lists of our members and their contact information. Our online directory is the only one we will share and all the information found on the listings are open to the public.
Head over to our Guide to Starting a Business in Massena!