Best of Chamber Management - Carnival 1

Here's the inaugural edition of Best of Chamber Management, a round-up of articles from top-notch Chamber and Association bloggers. This first issue features articles from seven chamber/association professionals on topics ranging from the use of social media to rethinking the importance of perfection. Enjoy - and, be sure to subscribe to each of these excellent blogs to read more from the authors.


Board Management
Jamie Notter reminds chambers and associations that everyone within an organization has the capacity to lead, and that leadership must be system-wide. In his post, Great Ideas: Leadership Lessons, he notes: "Leadership is simply about being able to shape the future. Making things happen."


Membership Development
Tony Rossell postulates that an organization's membership value proposition doesn't have to be perfect to be marketable, noting, "Sometimes the perfect is the enemy of the good." Keep the Membership Recruitment and Retention Engine Running offers advice for getting out there even if your member program is still a work in progress.

Communications
Integrating social media into Chamber communications is quickly becoming a must. Curt Moss of Weblink International presents Social Media Marketing for Chambers, offering examples of Chambers doing it well and compelling stats on why it's a necessity now.

Now that you're planning how to use social media in your communications mix, don't forget: it takes a certain kind of person to represent the organization's brand online. David Gammel offers thoughts on this with Customer Service as Performance Art.


Member Value
Technology can automate routine tasks, freeing your time. But, are you using the additional time to connect with members? Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE offers the video, Jeffrey Cufaude on High Touch v. High Tech, along with thought-provoking commentary, posted at Thanks For Playing.

Jeff De Cagna offers food for thought with Social technologies and The Benjamin Button Paradox posted at Principled Innovation Blog, saying, "We’ll never give (members) a reason to see things differently until we give them something worth seeing...."


Member Interest
Bill Sheridan looks at one state that's working collaboratively to solve problems that defy solutions, with his post Businesses battle 'wicked problems' with 'we' solutions posted at CPA Success.


That concludes this edition of Best of Chamber Management. The next edition comes out March 31, with a submission deadline of Noon on Friday, March 27. Visit the Carnival Submission Page to submit your latest, best blogpost for Chamber professionals!