Loading...“A Good Investment,” Business Leaders Telling Campaign Volunteers
Early returns from the Team Georgia Chamber ’08 membership and total resources campaign are encouraging. Just six weeks into the drive, volunteers are pleased with the reception they are getting from business leaders across the state. One business owner in south Georgia, who kept up with the accomplishments of the state chamber in the legislature, told a volunteer that membership gave him what he needed, a solid return on his investment.
Achieving goals during the critical first phase of the campaign can often predict the outcome and those preliminary goals are being met. While the campaign’s strong start is clearly good news, its early success is not a mystery to the hundreds of volunteers marshaled for the statewide effort. Repeatedly, campaign workers are hearing prospective members praise the state chamber for its vigilance in supporting pro-business legislation during the recent term of the Georgia Legislature.
An early producer summed it up this way: “People like to be associated with a winner and right now, the Georgia Chamber is viewed as a winner.” But, the real winners coming out of the two-year legislative term were the citizens of Georgia, who will benefit from a series of new laws that will make the state a better place to live and work. “We tackled some mighty big issues over the past two years, a few of which were looming as major threats both to our economy and the welfare of our citizens. What we quickly learned was that, if the Georgia Chamber had not been part of the process, not much would have happened,” said George Israel, Georgia Chamber President & CEO, “We were successful in the General Assembly,” he added, “because we had a strong and committed membership of more than 4,000 businesses behind us, from virtually every county in the state. We spoke for them, but they deserve the credit for our success.”
With this comment, Israel underscored the importance of not only maintaining a strong membership, but also growing it. And, that is the mission of the Team Georgia Chamber campaign.
This year’s drive marks the 12th consecutive year that the state chamber has waged an aggressive campaign to add dollars and members. All previous campaigns have hit their goals, resulting in a nearly 150 percent increase in membership, just since 1997. The funds raised have been used to enhance the organization’s lobbying efforts, from additional research capabilities to new staff members.
The goal for this year’s campaign is $1.8 million and 800 new members. Big challenges are nothing new for Georgia Chamber campaign volunteers. In last year’s drive, they raised $1.76 million and recruited 819 members, setting a new record for the eleventh year in a row.
The campaign will involve more than 500 volunteers, organized into 40 separate teams and runs for 21 weeks. It will end with a Victory Celebration in November. For more information on Team Georgia Chamber ‘08, call the membership department at 404/223-2264.
