The essential elements that govern the success of a Board or Chamber are:

A Program Of Work

The importance of having a definite written program of activities and projects which the community needs and wants cannot be stressed enough.  Indeed this may be the key to the success of your chamber.

Tip: Contact the MCC for advice on formulating a program of work.  As well, the CCC has a pamphlet entitled “A Program of Work”.  Copies of this pamphlet are available from the CCC at a minimal cost.

Officers And Council

The number of officers members of Council, as well as their duties will be set out in the by-laws.  Generally they are a President, Vice-President Secretary and  a minimum of eight other directors. 

Tip: It may be advisable to include a Treasurer to relieve the Secretary of the added responsibilities of handling all financial matters.

Committees

The work of a chamber is accomplished almost entirely through committee action.  Committees are of two kinds: Committees of Investigation and Committees of Action.

Tip: A committee should never be created just to look good on paper or to give members an assignment.  On the other hand, there should be as many committees as there are suggestions worthy of investigation, or approved activities to be worked on.

As a guide in the setting up of committees in  a newly organized Board, the following is suggested as a basic list.  Remember, this list is just a guide, the key considerations will be what is practical and needed for your chamber.

• Agricultural;
• Civic;
• Commercial – Retail Merchant;
• Industrial;
• Membership;
• Public Affairs;
• Program;
• Tourism and Publicity; and
• Transportation and Highways.

Committees, carefully selected, should be appointed to do a definite job, either of investigation or accomplishment.  They should report on a periodic basis and when their work is finished the committees should be dismissed with the appreciation of the Executive.

Tip: Keep a list of your member’s individual interests and expertise.  This will assist you in determining appropriate candidates for your committees.  When a committee is dismissed keep a record of who participated and whether they would be willing to participate in another committee.  It may also be useful to have the outgoing committee critique the process (what was good about the system, what was bad) so that the process can be improved.

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that it is through active committees that the power of a chamber is fully utilized.  The collective knowledge and judgment of a group is always greater than that of any individual members.