As we head into 2026, I thought I would tackle one of the most basic questions that my staff and I receive as we engage with the business community: What is a chamber of commerce, and how does the chamber benefit my community?
Since you are reading this in the palm of your hand (or viewing it on your digital screen), it would be easy to assume that you already know the answer to this question — but that would be foolish on my part as experience tells me that most college students, young professionals, and general community members don’t have any idea what we are or what value we bring. So here goes some Chamber 101!
In our industry, we have a saying … “if you’ve seen one chamber, you’ve seen one chamber!” And while that is true to a degree, as each chamber morphs to meet the unique needs of its community, there are some commonalities.
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First, the basics — chambers are nonprofit membership organizations. We are not a 501 (c) (3) charity, but we are a nonprofit organization…..
