Graphic: Responses for “What motivated you to join the Chamber initially?”
We recently completed a membership-wide survey, and were thrilled by our members’ participation and feedback about their Chamber experience. 120 representatives from member organizations completed the survey; which is a sizeable snapshot of the over 800 businesses that are a part of our organization.
In this survey, the Chamber received a 4.6 out of 5 average rating on member satisfaction. This high score means so much to our board, staff, and volunteers who invest in making membership a positive, worthwhile, and impactful experience. Over 78% of members said they would recommend Chamber membership to other businesses in the area.
It’s no surprise that our members highly value networking opportunities. We know the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce shines when it comes to our Business After Hours and other networking events, but this clear confirmation was exciting to see, especially since our last membership-wide survey occurred before the pandemic. Our events and activities are still thriving, and our members highly value in-person networking opportunities. Over 65% of survey respondents said that the Chamber is “very effective” in helping them connect with other professionals in the area. “We’ve made many connections through the Chamber–whether it was referrals from our listing or through networking at Chamber events,” said one member.
Although networking opportunities were the top reason for joining the Chamber, our members selected “supporting economic growth and quality of life” as their second favorite reason for becoming a member. This is significant, because it shows our members are passionate about making a positive impact on the community. We’re proud to have cultivated an engaged membership that prioritizes these efforts and understands their value on the local economy.
Overall, this survey shone a very positive light on our programs and initiatives, but we are eager to take a closer look at some areas in which we can improve. We want our members to know that our team reads every comment, and takes all feedback seriously. After further analysis of the survey data, we’ve identified several areas for growth, including, but not limited to, building awareness of some of our strongest but lesser known programs and initiatives. Members who were aware of our advocacy efforts rated them highly, but a significant number of respondents indicated that they were unaware of this work. Similarly, our Capital Area Student Leadership Program (CASL) showed high marks for individuals who were aware of it—but it is also our least-known program.
Supporting our younger members at a higher level is also an area where we can improve as a Chamber. We’ve learned that member satisfaction correlates directly with our respondents’ ages—older members have a much higher rate of satisfaction than younger members. The good news is that we offer an outstanding program for younger members—Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN). For respondents under the age of 40 who are familiar CYPN, over 76% said it was very valuable to them. The bad news is that over 30% of survey respondents are not aware of it. We’re excited to shine a brighter light on this important program and improve our efforts to welcome a new generation of Chamber members to our thriving community.