Editor’s note: Wrangler News asked Anne Gill, president of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, to discuss the details of recent action by the chamber board of directors to modify the method by which companies can initiate chamber membership. The following summarizes what she had to say about the changes.
After 18 months of research and consideration by the Tempe Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, its membership committee and chamber staff, the organization is changing the way members invest.
Like many chambers during the past decade, we are moving to a tiered dues system which provides benefits based on the investment level a member selects.
Instead of calculating your annual membership investment based on each industry and the company’s number of employees, we’re introducing a more member-centric approach that lets the member choose the level of annual membership investment.
Each company’s choice will depend on the chamber services and benefits desired and the investment that the company’s leadership wants to make in strengthening the business community and strengthening the chamber.
Why such a change in the way the chamber does business?
Why adjust the chamber’s price structure and change its revenue stream?
The answer is simple: It guarantees equity and choice
when choosing a membership package that is important to each business and is aligned with the chamber’s mission to serve as the voice of business, a catalyst for economic growth, and a champion for a strong community.
We listened carefully to the benefit requests of our membership and benchmarked similar chamber benefit offerings.
We found that most members valued different benefits for a variety of reasons.
For some, having a voice in advocacy was most important.
For others, the ability to build their network and advertise was paramount. The solution was to develop several
levels of benefits that matched the membership dues investment.
The Tempe Chamber has seven membership levels from which to choose, and each new level of investment offers increasing benefits, services and sponsorships as well as exclusivity at the top tiers.
This member-driven and board- adopted improvement to the chamber’s investment structure provides increased value to chamber membership, and members now have the power to choose the benefits and services that make sense for them.
We recognize adopting the tiered benefits system is a significant change for chamber members.
The transition will be paced and will allow plenty of time for adjustment.
We invite you to join us for an info session on our new investment structure.
Come see us to learn about our changes to offer more value and more choice while strengthening our organization.
