August 30, 2007
The Business Council's Annual Meeting at the Sagamore
Registrations are still being accepted for The Business Council's 2007 Annual Meeting at The Sagamore, September 19 - 21, 2007.
Governor Eliot Spitzer will give the keynote address on Wednesday evening. New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno will also give remarks, Thursday and Friday mornings respectively. Other speakers include:
o Paul
Francis, Director of the NYS Division of the Budget
o Lisa A. Rickard, President of the U.S. Chamber
Institute for Legal Reform
o Bruce Topman, Executive Director of the NYS
Workers’ Compensation Task Force
o Dr. Robert Atkinson, President of the Information
Technology and Innovation Foundation
o Zanny Minton Beddoes, U.S. Economics Editor
of The Economist
More information on the full agenda and registration can be found HERE.
Scholarship winners report back from ACCE Convention and Institute
CANYS was pleased to provide four scholarships this year to help chamber executives grow in their professional development. Below, each winner shares tidbits of wisdom that you might find handy, too. Visit www.canys.org for photos of each scholarship winner at their training.
ACCE Convention: Patti Pepe
Patti Pepe of the Adirondack Regional Chamber won a CANYS scholarship to ACCE's national convention. Here is Patti's report: As a “first-timer” at the ACCE Conference in Sacramento, I found the experience to be a great one for mingling with one’s peers and learning new tips and techniques. One of my favorite tips came from the Membership Division Ideas Exchange. LuAnn Feehan from the Greater Kansas City Chamber provides a list of “hard to get” medium-sized members to their Board of Directors at the start of their Board meeting. The Board members let her know if they have a relationship with anyone at those businesses. She then goes to her office and types their name at the bottom of a form letter, then has that Board member sign it that day and she mails it out along with an application. She has gained 30 new members this way with sales of over $100,000!
The breakout sessions that were presented offered a variety of topics, from increasing sales to understanding economic development. It was hard to choose just one per time slot! Kyle Sexton of the Salem (OR) Chamber offered one of the best for membership managers. He has many great ideas and several websites to borrow ideas from: www.salemchamber.org, www.fastchamber.org and www.chamberthink.com. One of his tips included using testimonials on a regular basis. They help to recruit new members but also serve to remind current members of what they get out of their membership – especially at renewal time.
Overall, I think the annual ACCE Conference is not to be missed. It provides you with a boost of energy from the interaction with people who do exactly what you do on a daily basis. It was a great experience, from which I gained a lot of new ideas that I can put to use in achieving my goals and making our Chamber better than ever! I would like to thank CANYS for providing me with a scholarship to this great event!
ACCE Convention: Peter Aust
Peter Aust of the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County won a CANYS scholarship to ACCE's national convention. Here is Peter's report: All Aboard in Sacramento! Aside from a few travel delays, the journey to Sacramento for the ACCE Convention was exciting, enlightening and educational! As with any event where Chamber professionals gather together, there was networking galore with recent challenges, ideas, successes and hilarious stories being shared and exchanged. Many thanks to CANYS for providing the opportunity to share in the experience. I’d like to share a few highlights with all of you that include key points from some of the best keynote speakers:
Population and demographic changes in our country will have a tremendous impact on our Chambers of the future. Diversity challenges, language issues and the growing majority of women will require us to change our dynamic. Develop programs that address these issues in your communities to be the leading organization on the forefront of change.
Education and Business: Our country is trailing others in this “flat-earth” world in math and science. Chambers must continue to focus on the critical linkages between business/industry and our education systems to insure our future workforce needs are being developed for global leadership. Grassroots, chamber-driven programs in this arena will be the key to our economic success in the next decade.
Finally, our “non-verbal” communication still remains one of the most important influences in our profession as Chamber executives. Reminded of how our facial expressions, body language, position of our head and overall posture conveys confidence, strength, loyalty, and influences critical decisions…without uttering a sound. The old “smile on the phone” adage updated for the dynamics of our new paradigm.
If you haven’t attended or participated in ACCE programs or conventions…put it on the to-do list for next year! Congrats to our NYS award winners and thanks for the opportunity to go WEST!
Institute: Terri Hess
Terri Hess of the Sullivan County Chamber won a CANYS scholarship to the U.S. Chamber's Institute for Organizational Management. Here is Terri's report: It was yet another fabulous year at the Northeast Institute for Organizational Management. Past relationships were revitalized and new alliances were formed with the combination into one class of our two chamber classes from last year. The time passed fast and before we knew it we were saying goodbye just as we were getting to know each other. Here are a few of the highlights from my second year at IOM:
1. Dues & Don’ts: The traditional schedule of charging businesses for their dues investments by number of employees is going to be a thing of the past. Let’s face it, in today’s age of technology any sole proprietor could work out of their basement and make the same amount of money as the manufacturer down the street who employs 200 people. Tiered dues schedules are now replacing the pyramid in chambers and associations throughout the country. A tiered dues schedule is based on the needs of the member and how much they are going to be utilizing the chamber’s services.
2. Every chamber and organization should implement an in-house customer service program. Let your employees play a vital part in developing the strategies for your new customer service plan. Getting them on board in developing the program will give them a sense of accomplishment and they will be more apt to carry it out if they were part of the making of it. Once in place and all the bugs are worked out it will be easy for you to brand your chamber as having superior customer service and should then be part of your marketing scheme.
Finally, since I don’t want to give all the secrets away (after all you should be attending Institute if you don’t know these things)…
3. Well-publicized scandals such as WorldCom, Enron and others have forced the U.S. Congress to pass the Sarbanes-Oxly Act of 2002 requiring corporations to adhere to strict guidelines regarding policies and procedures. While it is not mandatory for nonprofits to adhere to these guidelines, it is strongly advised that they voluntarily comply with the following provisions of the act: 1. Have a form for certification of financial documents, 2. Have a whistle blower’s protection policy, 3. Adopt a code of ethics and, 4. Establish and internal audit committee.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act currently only affects public companies with Securities and Exchange Commission oversight, but most accountants are in agreement that it is only a matter of time before it will affect nonprofit organizations. So…it’s best to be prepared!
My experience at Institute is beyond compare. There is no other place I can spend a week with 215 other chamber and association people from 37 different states to exchange ideas, share information and maybe concur with about what a crazy industry we are trying to make our way in. I couldn’t explain my week at Institute any better than my class motto “Doin’ What We Love & Lovin’ What We Do!”
Institute: Cynthia Oswald
Cynthia Oswald of the Livingston County Chamber won a CANYS scholarship to the U.S. Chamber's Institute for Organizational Management. Here is Cindi's report: I recently got back from my week at Institute at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. I have completed my third year in the four year program. I have not only befitted from the excellent facilitators but also from friendships with my classmates. Our class has a blog and we trade information with each other all year round.
In case you’re not familiar with Institute, it is the industry leader in nonprofit education. It is a four year program, held at five sites each year—four in the summer and one in the winter. Most participants attend the one-week sessions at the same site each year, building valuable relationships with others in the industry and creating a network of idea sharing. Through a combination of required courses and electives, students not only enhance their own organizational management skills but add new fuel to their organizations, making them run more efficiently and effectively.
Graduates of Institute receive the IOM recognition, signifying completion of more than 90 hours of nonprofit study and dedication to the nonprofit profession. In addition, participants can earn points toward the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) or Certified Association Executive (CAE) designations.
A big thanks again to CANYS for the scholarship. $1,000 has a huge impact on my operating budget!!
U.S. Chamber's Eastern Region Government Affairs Conference
The U.S. Chamber's Eastern Region Government Affairs Conference is fast approaching. It will be held this year at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA (www.sonesta.com/boston/) on September 26-28, 2007.
The event will begin with a mid-afternoon bonus session and an evening reception on Wednesday, and conclude at lunchtime on Friday. For more information or to register, you can access the conference website (www.uschamber.com/governmentaffairs) or contact James DeChene or Geoff O'Hara at (401) 831-8885.
Tell us about it
Got a question
you’d like to ask other CANYS members? Job opening in your chamber?
Great idea you’d like to share? Send it to cathy.jimenez@bcnys.org.
CANYS 2007 GOLD SPONSOR:
