MOVING FORWARD STRATEGIC PLAN

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1 MOVING FORWARD 2020

2 THE MESSAGE This Strategic Plan is presented on behalf of the President, and the Board of Directors of the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce (QWCC). The content and direction of the plan was developed with contributions by business members, board of directors and QWCC personnel. This document represents the new vision and direction of the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce for the period 2016 to This Strategic Plan renews our commitment to provide an excellent standard of service to our members while providing the programs and targeted information they need for their own operations. We want to ensure our representation of the Quinte West Business Community adds to the vibrancy of all sectors and reaches into all the communities that make up our Municipality. We want to work with our members to strengthen the local business network and plan on evolving our own communications to stay on top of technology & trends accessing the platforms our members want to use. We value your comments and suggestions and encourage feedback from our members. We look forward to working on the implementation of the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce Strategic Plan and need your help and continued support to ensure that it succeeds. Sincerely, Dave Fairfield, President Quinte West Chamber of Commerce THE PROCESS From its inception, the development of the Strategic Plan was designed to incorporate the views and opinions of members, executive officers, directors, chamber staff and community partners. It actually began in May 2015 with the completion of our Survey and with the development of the layout for the new plan. The Board of Directors reviewed and approved the new Vision, Mission and Value Statements and completed a Situation Analysis (SWOT) of our current operations. The development of the Goals and Action Plans (Activities) by staff & committees came next. They were created along with identifying who would be responsible for the implementation and benchmarks to track our success. This Strategic Plan will continue to evolve and change as it moves through its life span. The Plan is not a stand-alone document and is designed to work in conjunction with our business and communication plans. Each objective represents the various steps we need to take if we want to continue to maintain the economic strength and representation we have historically enjoyed as the Voice of Business in Quinte West. 1

3 The Voice of Business in Quinte West OUR MISSION The Quinte West Chamber of Commerce is committed to supporting our members through advocacy and promotion, the provision of services, and to encourage the economic and social development of Quinte West. OUR VISION The Quinte West Chamber of Commerce will be the active voice for the advocacy of the local business community and work within Quinte West to foster a strong and profitable economic environment. We envision building on the strong working relationship between the Chamber, our members, local businesses, all levels of government and community partners to further develop Quinte West into a City where businesses can thrive and residents can be proud. VALUE STATEMENTS Representation To be the Voice of Business by being aware of and proactively addressing issues and opportunities (advocating) through a united voice. Integrity Make objective and responsible decisions displaying accountability to the membership while concurrently maintaining consistency of the Chamber Brand. Networking Providing a variety of opportunities for members to connect and build their professional and social networks. Commitment To support and honour the mission, vision and values of the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce. Approachability To promote the fact that the Chamber is here for everyone; no business too small, all matters are important and all businesses and business-related issues are welcomed by the Chamber. 2

4 STRATEGIC GOALS AND OUTCOMES We Will Grow through Enhanced Representation 98% of our members said they would recommend us to another business so we need to encourage them to do this to help bring about some moderate growth to our organization. With the increase of electronic tools it is imperative that chamber staff and board members use human contact to ensure interpersonal connectivity. It is these relationships that are going to set us apart from all the clutter out there and allow us to have high impact personal conversations to ensure our messaging is understood. It is important that we are seen as representing businesses from all areas of our Municipality to help grow the business community outside of the core in Trenton. In order to do this we need to get out of the office and meet business owners at their own locations and sit down and listen to them so we can find ways we can help their business. We need to encourage and work with business startups so that when they are ready they will want to join the chamber. We need to further explore the regional opportunities to see if our members prefer a more regional representative. With the increase of electronic tools it is imperative that chamber staff and board members use human contact to ensure interpersonal connectivity. 3

5 SITUATION ANALYSIS There is stong support for Local Business We have a 90% retention rate but no new growth in 3 years Inability of staff to get out of the office and visit business Low representation in Frankford and other areas 98% of our members said they would recommend us to another business. Survey May 2015 WORK PLAN - Goal #1 RESPONSIBILITY OBJECTIVE ACTIVITY BENCHMARK STATUS OBJECTIVE 1 OBJECTIVE 2 OBJECTIVE 3 OBJECTIVE 4 OBJECTIVE 5 OBJECTIVE 6 Full Board Create a referral program for members Moderate growth in membership numbers Increased engagement with local businesses Increase our members in Frankford, Sidney & Murray Ensure new business startups are engaged & know what the chamber does. Explore the idea of a regional chamber and identify challenges A pair of movie tickets is given when a member refers a business that becomes a member. Increase net members by 2% per year Schedule out of office days for staff and board members to visit businesses and have high impact personal conversations. Set up some round table discussions to find out the business issues in these areas. Work with business startups on openings & ensure they know the chamber is here for them. Check in once per year to see if they are ready to join the chamber Create a survey to be sent out by the Quinte chambers to find out what members think of this idea and what it should look like. Our members are referring at least 10 new members annually through this program. Have 435 members by 2020 The manager is scheduled out of the office at least one day per month to meet with members and nonmember businesses We are seen as representing all businesses in Quinte West not just Trenton. New businesses want to be part of the chamber and join as soon as their businesses are stable and able. We have a clear sense of how our member businesses feel about this idea and we can make a decision on how to proceed. 4

6 STRATEGIC GOALS AND OUTCOMES We Will Provide Targeted Information to Members Business people are extremely busy and they need access to local data, knowledge and information that is accurate and delivered in a timely manner. Through targeted communications and peer to peer roundtables we can cut down on the information clutter and only engage with those that need certain information. As technology continues to generate more communication tools it will become difficult to communicate in broad, generic messaging without disengaging our membership. We need to ensure we are listening to our members and will need to develop a robust feedback loop within our communications so we can receive real-time responses to help develop our positions on certain issues. In a world where everyone is technologically connected it is necessary for the chamber to filter and analyze information before we send it to our members. To add value we need to take a good look at what we consider important and true so we can differentiate this from all the volumes of information that is readily available before we forward to our members. The business community needs to be more aware of our advocacy efforts at the local level so we need to identify who really benefits from this information and find better ways to share it with them. We will need to increase the speed of decision making and more rapidly implement programming & policy decisions to ensure we stay nimble in a changing landscape. We need to work with our economic development partners to create surveys that give us a good snap shot of what is going on in our community. We need to formulate a common view of our community and its future with our partners so it is important we share our data with those that need it. 5

7 SITUATION ANALYSIS Package & filter knowledge for delivery to members Need to better promote local advocacy efforts Peer to Peer events needed for individual reps to grow their knowledge Target different sectors within membership WORK PLAN - Goal#2 RESPONSIBILITY OBJECTIVE ACTIVITY BENCHMARK STATUS OBJECTIVE 1 s OBJECTIVE 2 Govt Affairs OBJECTIVE 3 Networking OBJECTIVE 4 OBJECTIVE 5 s Ensure ease of access to local business and community information Better promote local advocacy efforts Create opportunities for targeted delivery of knowledge & networking. Delivery of sector specific communications to ensure we are not disengaging members with broad, generic messaging that has no value to them. Work with Partners to develop questions for member surveys. Package & filter local knowledge and information to our members in a timely manner in order to remain a trusted resource. Produce a template communication piece that we can share with members on a regular basis Hold peer to peer roundtable discussions for specific sectors to deliver individualized information and develop a robust feedback loop. Create sector groups within Chamber Master to help target & filter information on an individualized basis. Work with other Economic Development stakeholders to ensure we optimize the surveys we send to members. Send out updates to our members once per year giving clear overview of what is happening in Quinte West. Advocacy Report is released quarterly. Sector specific events once per quarter for 10 people ie. Women in business, young people, green topics Every member in our data base is in at least one sector group and receiving targeted updates at least once per year. Advance notice is given to our partners when we are doing a survey to see if we can include a question from them. 6

8 STRATEGIC GOALS AND OUTCOMES We Will Further Develop the Quinte West Business Community As business people adapt to the environments in which they operate it is imperative that the chamber is seen as a leader within the Quinte West business community. If we want them to continue to belong and allow their employees to become engaged with us we have to connect members through shared ideas and leadership. One of the biggest factors for our success will be the ability to attract, empower and excite leaders within our own organization and the community at large. We should be the expert on our own local business community and have access to good data, which we can filter and share as needed. It is important that we showcase the vibrant business community we have here and how vital this is to the future growth of Quinte West. Through our networking events we need to offer ways for our members to gather and interact in the context of a meaningful activity. We will develop events for smaller groups so business leaders can interact with the people they view as peers. We will enhance the member to member discount program by filling gaps in the current offerings and use the program to encourage businesses to work with and support other local businesses. We will look to technology to find ways to improve the card and how members and their employees access the program and apply the discounts. We will work with our partners to identify projects that we can help bring to fruition through funding and cooperation. 95% of our members said networking events were important to them Survey May % of members said the main reason they joined the Chamber is to be part of the business community Survey May

9 SITUATION ANALYSIS We are active & engaged in the community We deliver excellent internal communications to our members We are an Accredited Chamber with Distinction and strive to be better & innovative The Chamber needs to contribute more to community projects WORK PLAN - Goal #3 RESPONSIBILITY OBJECTIVE ACTIVITY BENCHMARK STATUS OBJECTIVE 1 OBJECTIVE 2 OBJECTIVE 3 Networking OBJECTIVE 4 OBJECTIVE 5 Board & Be the expert/leader on the local business community Show the importance of a vibrant business community Encourage members to gather with their peers Further develop the member to member discount program. Contribute to community projects financially and through partnerships Research to find good data sources and answer inquiries in a timely and effective manner with good data that is easy to use. Better promote the work we do along with our members to support the economic & social development of Quinte West. Offer networking events to allow members to interact with those they view as peers and grow their contacts through introductions and identification. Identify gaps in our current offerings & go after new discounts or enhance existing ones. Look at improvements to the card itself. Work with partners to identify needed projects that fit with our priorities and apply for funding grants. We have up to date reports & data ready to go at all times. Regular articles are distributed through social and local media showcasing member and chamber activities within the community. Minimum of 6 per year Name tags are available & used. Activities that promote interaction are a regular part of our networking events. Our program is well used by card holders and the offerings by member businesses are varied and offer great discounts. The Chamber is able to receive one grant every 24 months to contribute to community projects 8

10 STRATEGIC GOALS AND OUTCOMES We Will Expand Our Online Services & s It is imperative that our members can access information at all times of the day when it is convenient for them and the public can view the information about our members. The website needs to be updated to give clear and easy access to all our programs, discounts and savings for our members. Given our online directory has now replaced phone referrals it is important we share these stats with members so they know potential customers are finding them through our website. In 2014 there were 29, 259 directory searches and by August of 2015 we are already at 21, 429 searches. The e-news has been identified as a key source of information for our members and it needs to constantly evolve to remain relevant and to allow easy printing & sharing of specific articles. Access to our e-learning program needs to be better promoted as members want free, good quality training and these courses can provide this desired service while fitting into their own schedules. We need to ramp up our social media to maximize our reach to members that are active in this area. This is especially important as many of our members say their busy schedules precludes them from attending our events. It is important that members who don t attend our events can see what we are doing through the photos and information we share and can be kept in the loop on what other members are accomplishing. Being active in social media creates a personality for our chamber that people can relate to and will give the impression that we are more involved in general. A plan should be developed so all staff post regularly in a variety of areas that will be of interest to our members. We will encourage board members and other volunteers to engage in our social media efforts to maximize results. It s more about creating a personality for your organization that people can relate to Chamber Industry Annual Report 9

11 SITUATION ANALYSIS Members are not aware of the programs we offer Members not able to print posters from the e-news Online referrals through website are not shared with members Savings and discounts unclear or hard to find online WORK PLAN - Goal #4 RESPONSIBILITY OBJECTIVE ACTIVITY BENCHMARK STATUS OBJECTIVE 1 All discounts & savings are clearly identified on our website Develop web page and links to all of our programs, discounts and savings. Webpage is configured to allow for quick updates of logos, descriptions and links to all chamber benefits OBJECTIVE 2 Make sure members are aware of the referrals done through our website search engine. Share business stats with members at the end of the year so they know how many times they were searched through our directories Report is generated and sent out at the end of each year to members showing the activity for their category searches and profile selections OBJECTIVE 3 OBJECTIVE 4 OBJECTIVE 5 Ensure the e-news evolves and meets the needs of members to have access to local information Better promote the e-learning program Ramp up Social Media to remain relevant to members, especially those not attending events Work with polodesign to develop a template offering more flexibility and the ability to print articles. Showcase a course of the week through our e-news that will link directly to the website Create a plan to manage all staff to be more active on Linked In and Twitter and to post to Facebook once per day. Recruit volunteers to help with this. A new template is in place that allows for printing of posters and other enhanced capabilities that will help our members use the information provided. At least 40 members (10%) are registered and using the program annually At least one post per week in our Linked In Group. Post to Twitter when at events. Set aside a regular time every day for Facebook 10