Board of Directors Meeting

April 26, 2017 Little Rock, Arkansas

ACCE Board of Directors April 26, 2017 | 8:00 a.m. Central

Capital Hotel 111 W. Markham Street, Little Rock, AR

I. Welcome & Introductions

II. Review & Approve Minutes from January 2017 Conference Call

III. Guest – Greg Snyder, Capital One, Corporate Sponsor

IV. 11-month Financial Report – through 2/28/17

V. Budget Approval & Revenue Projections • All Entities

VI. Transition/Succession • Search Committee Report • Member/Leader – Opinion Research Specialists • Discussion & Input

VII. Board Development & Nominations Report

VIII. The Ninth Influence – The Limitations of Government

• Magazine Opinion Piece • Metro Council Policy Engagement Strategy

IX. Conventions

• 2017 Nashville & WCF in Sydney • 2018 Des Moines • 2019-20 Speculation & Input

X. Guest – Dave Kilby, Western Association of Chamber Execs

XI. Subsidiaries • EAD • Fringe Benefits, Inc.

XII. Subgroup Reports – MDD, ED, GR & D&I

XIII. Committee & Task Force Reports • HERO • Urgent Response

Board of Directors Briefing Book

April, 2017

Contents

• President’s Report • Minutes from the January 17th Board Conference Call • Financial Reports • Revenue Report • Deep Dive to Guide Search/Transition Process • Information and Instruction Report • Education Attainment Division Report • Fringe Benefits, Inc. Report • Networks Report • HERO Report • Urgent Response Team Report • Diversity and Inclusion Working Group Report

President’s Report Executive Summary

April 2017 The first third of the year has been eventful – lots and lots of things going on at ACCE – all good things, but few are easy. Theme for this quarter’s Report??? Hmmmm . . . I don’t think it will take long for you to figure it out! Here we go: Huge The 2017 Convention in Nashville is looking incredible. Given the drive-ability and schedule of frequent flights, as well as a powerful program and major destination, we are optimistic that early registration trends will continue, making this among the largest ACCE conventions ever. You don’t know where you heard it but there is a leak on the street: Hilton is sold out and Omni is getting there. Win Just one week after the final reporting on our multi-year Lumina Grant, we received a $500,00 grant commitment from the Council of State Governments Justice Center. CGEF (our 501c3) still hopes to line up a new grant from Lumina, but meanwhile, our newest grantor joins a strong list of foundations that have figured out that their work has more impact when it connects to business leaders in communities and regions. As you’ll see, our budget calls for several million dollars to flow to and through CGEF this year. We continue to work on finding funders interested in a broad range of issues faced by chambers. Politically Incorrect After receiving the same feedback almost everywhere Ian and I presented on the Horizon Initiative, we decided to introduce the “Ninth Influence” to our members this month. Actually, you all introduced it to us over the last 24. What is number nine? The Limitations of Government. We actually use the word “inadequacies” in the upcoming magazine story, but we softened the title. Also on the policy front, we’re hearing consistent calls for ACCE to play a role in bringing together a leader or two from the Trump administration and a few select chambers. More to come on that. Also, we are exploring the possibility of expanding the annual fall gathering of awesome government relations professionals. Great As usual, CFO Jacqui Cook and Treasurer Chip Cherry have been tough and smart crafting a budget for 2017-18. The Finance and Executive Committees signed off on the $6+ million consolidated spending plan, which predicts a very modest positive bottom line (includes our two subsidiaries (FBI and CGEF). In Little Rock, the full ACCE Board will be asked to approve the budget. A positive bottom line for the recently closed fiscal year made it possible to absorb some search-related expenses in 2016-17. Loser I am still in demand for speaking gigs around the country, with dates as far out as December, but internally, I’m beginning to feel like a zero. The team is running at high speed, barely looking over a shoulder at the guy sitting in the corner office. Will Burns has come into his own much more quickly than I could have hoped, which ensures that nobody else on the team must wait for him to build personal capacity. In short, he and all our tremendous VPs have things under control.

Disaster The organization’s newest Board-level Task Force is the Urgent Response Team. Thanks to Adam Legge and Chris Mead, the URT has made real progress building the tools, expertise and support system to help chambers when crises and catastrophes hit their regions. In addition to a handful of board members, the Team also includes heroic chamber leaders who have helped their communities plan, respond and recover from these not funny realities. Worries plague those who expect the Federal government to respond appropriately. FEMA has yet to name a chief administrator. Stupid Actually, the line-up of officers and slate for the Board of Directors’ 2017-18 ballot are terrific, but the gyrations required to get us there are overwhelming. The stupidity part relates to my inability to transfer to others the processes I go through with the nominators to build a viable and bylaws compliant slate. Of course, we certainly don’t have a basket of deplorables from which to choose. There are two highly complicated steps in the nominations process map: 1) Examine current board for continued eligibility and 2): Mick mashes up competing goals for diversity, balance, geography, continuity, fresh faces, eagerness and investment levels to narrow the field. In practice, those two steps are not what we could call really great. I am hoping to repair before I hit the wall at the end of my tenure. Lightweight Speaking of the CEO transition, I’m not helping in any way, except for eavesdropping on Karen’s conversations with search committee members and listening to member gossip about prospects. When it comes to the recruitment, I’m a big fat waste, but it doesn’t matter because Roy Williams and his committee, as well as Korn Ferry, have it under control. First round of interviews still planned for May. We and They Membership continues to be a solid and growing stage on which to run this show. For the first time, we’ve crossed the 1,500 member threshold. Dues revenue has risen above budget and confidence in the organization is high. Sometimes, when I look at Dana Ketterling’s outstanding sales reports, I just want to lock her up so she doesn’t seek other opportunities. Having good numbers in hand, I felt more comfortable embracing Tamara’s plan to hire a consultant to examine ACCE’s relationship with its members. The board gave staff a push to do so during the meeting in Annapolis, and Tamara jumped at the opportunity. Research firm will give an amazing presentation in Little Rock. Fake News Sometimes as I wander the continent (1 state left!), I tolerate or fend off chamber execs and their members decrying the death of chambers, the economy, responsible elected officials, the media, education, motivated workers, elections, neighborhoods and role model athletes. Kind of odd to hear these things from members of a profession known for cheery optimism. Reality: many of the lamentations aren’t real, or at least not universal. I’ve looked at the numbers! Using alternative facts can make one look . . . small handed (sorry – I couldn’t resist). We’re Going To . . . This year is going to be wonderfully challenging. We’re up for it. ACCE is in shape to carry our momentum through this season of transition. Fear of change is overrated.

ONWARD!

ACCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS January 17, 2017 / Conference Call

MINUTES

Present: Matt Ballard, Candace Boothby, John Brewer, Heather Briccetti, Jay Byers, Chip Cherry, Jay Chesshir, Kit Cramer, Richard Dayoub, Greg Durocher, Kelly Fanelli, Shannon Full, Christy Gillenwater, Randy Gordon, Charles Grayson, Oz Griebel, Chip Hallock, Chad Hamman, Theresa Harvey, RaDonna Hessel, Michael Huber, Waymond Jackson, Nancy Keefer, Katie Kirkpatrick, Cynthia Larsen, Kelle Marsalis, Adam Marshall, Lori Mattson, Leonardo McClarty, Matt McCormick, Troy McLellan, Kristin McMillan, Sherry Menor-McNamara, Theresa Mintle, Ryan Mooney, Pat MulQueeny, Aaron Nelson, Maria Nieves, Wendy Northcross, Carlos Phillips, Joe Reagan, Pamela Ridler, Edward Rodriguez, Joe Roman, Courtney Ross, Christine Ross, David Rumbarger, Bill Sisson, Janet Steele, Tom Torti, Tony Vedda, Heidi Walker Excused: Rick Baker, Miles Burdine, Rob Engstrom, Tim Giuliani, Wendy Gramza, Kelly Hall, Robert Harvey, Jeff Hunt, Kris Johnson, Adam Legge, Doug Minter, Anthony Parkes, Todd Sanders, Dale Steenbergen, Robert Wonderling Staff: Mick Fleming, Ian Scott, Stacey Breslin, Chris Mead, Tamara Philbin, Will Burns, Karen Haggerty, Jacqui Cook (via telephone)

Meeting called to order by Chair Jay Chesshir. Chairman’s Welcome Chairman Chesshir welcomed the group by noting that the past few months have been an amazing time

in U.S. history as the new and drastically different President-elect takes office. Guest speaker

Jay introduced guest Chris Benner, Ph.D. from UC Santa Cruz, co-author of ACCE’s report on the “Chamber Business Case for Diversity and Inclusion” which will be featured in the winter issue of Chamber Executive magazine. Chris offered an overview and insights on his findings. Jay recognized Rick Baker and Doug Minter for their leadership of EAD Division and the Working Group.

Minutes

Chesshir called for a vote to approve the minutes from October, 2016 Board meeting in Annapolis. Moved by Troy McLellan. Seconded by Matt McCormick. Approved.

Financial Report Pat MulQueeny provided a membership update, and stated we are 5% ahead of budget on new members, with Dana Ketterling continuing to meet the new member goals every month. Treasurer Chip Cherry recapped high points from the financial report. Eight months into the year, we are in a strong cash position with membership revenue tracking 14% above projection. Administrative and personnel expenses are below budget. Sponsorship revenue is lower than projected, but may recover before March 31 fiscal year close. ACCE is $87,000 ahead of budget plan, YTD. Motion to accept by Chip Cherry. Seconded by Oz Griebel. Approved.

Foundation report Oz Griebel announced new partners: the Bechtel Foundation, and the Alliance for Safety and Justice. Also, the Hewlett Foundation increased their investment through CGEF. Proposals are currently out to Kellogg Foundation and The Council of State Governments. The Los Angeles Chamber is focusing on a follow-on grant from Lumina Foundation as well as others. Jacqui Cook added that CGEF is much stronger financially, raising money beyond the funds spent on grant deliverables. Jay acknowledged Alysia Bell and LA Chamber for outstanding fundraising and execution with ACCE/CGEF.

New Board Members Chesshir announced the nomination of two new Board members as replacements to fill mid-year

vacancies. Shannon Full, of the TwinWest Chamber, is recommended by Chairman and staff to replace Sara Stephens, who resigned in November. Kelly Fanelli, of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, is nominated to fill the Membership Development Division seat vacated by Ruth Littlefield. Motion to accept nominations by Kit Cramer. Seconded by Chip Cherry. Approved.

2017 Work Plan

Chairman Chesshir referred members to a new 2017 Work Plan, included in the Board briefing materials, and noted that ACCE senior staff drafted the plan to address the need for a short-term strategy to have in place during the CEO transition. He noted most of the work outlined in the ACCE Strategic Plan 2014-17 has been completed. The 2017 Work Plan is subject to the budget for 2017-18, which will be adopted at the end of March. Chesshir called on CEO Mick Fleming to provide details and answer questions. Motion to accept by Tom Torti. Seconded by RaDonna Hessel. Approved.

Personnel Changes Mick Fleming reported recent personnel changes, most notably the upcoming departure of Ian Scott, who has

accepted a position at the Charleston Chamber. He and Chairman Chesshir expounded on Ian’s leadership, expertise and guidance in so many of ACCE’s divisions and departments, and extended their gratitude for his limitless service to ACCE for the past nine years. Fleming noted that Will Burns, who has served as Director of Community Advancement under Ian for the last year, has been promoted to Vice President and Michelle Vegliante has been promoted to Senior Manager. Three junior positions remain unfilled.

Horizon Expansion – “The Ninth Influence” Chesshir reminded the Board that a possible “Ninth Influence” arose from a discussion at the October Board

meeting, and centered on government inadequacies and the challenges chambers face in dealing with local and all governments. Fleming stated that feedback from the chamber world centers around a responsibility to make ourselves heard. Scott added that a creative approach to magazine coverage would be the first opportunity to advance this concern. Richard Dayoub, Tony Vedda, Sherry Menor-McNamara and Kit Cramer offered to provide support on this project.

Staff, Subgroup and Committee Reports:

Transition Committee - Chesshir reported on behalf of Search Committee Chair Roy Williams, stating that we are on target for our timeline. RFPs from executive search firms have been received. At the Board’s request, there will be a series of input opportunities for members to provide the Committee, search firm and new CEO with feedback and information. EAD - Richard Dayoub pointed out that smaller chambers could use more support in the education and workforce development area and we plan to devote more resources to this need.

Committee Reports (continued):

Urgent Response Task Force - Michael Huber delivered the URT report, stressing the significance of connecting chamber executives in disaster-stricken communities with peers who have experienced natural disasters. Information & Instruction - Aaron Nelson provided an update on HERO noting increasing usage and library development. He again urged members to enter their 2016 chamber data for DCB. Convention 2017 - Christine Ross reported that registration opens March 6 and we expect to exceed projected numbers. Staff received a record 113 entries for topic proposals from potential speakers.

Adjourn, followed by continued open discussion about politics and policy.

ACCE Finance Report

February 28, 2017 Financial Statements (11 months into the FY)

Balance Sheet

Cash – Our cash position is strong with over $2.3 million. Due from related entities – This is the amount owed to ACCE from FBI and CGEF for ordinary operational expenses and consulting. Please note that these amounts have been reduced since the February statements due to quarterly payments between entities. Deferred Other – Included in this line item are the amounts related to the CGEF grants from Lumina, Kresge Foundation, Alliance for Safety and Justice, Hewlett and Pew. We can’t include these amount as revenue on the Consolidated Statement of Activity until certain portions of the work have been completed. As of February 28, 2017, ACCE’s consolidated net asset balance is going strong at $4.7 million.

Consolidated Statement of Activity

Annual Convention - Savannah convention registration revenue was $559,476 versus $443,569 in Montreal. This year’s budget was largely based on the actual registration performance for 2013 in Oklahoma City, which the Savannah meeting also surpassed. Other factors contributing to total revenue increase were the sold-out exhibit hall and the rebate clauses built into several of the hotel contracts. The expenses held well and we saved money in speaker’s fees/travel. This year’s impressive revenue performance enabled us to subsidize and fund non-traditional expenses such as governance, subcommittee meeting expenses and scholarships. We also enhanced food and beverage, entertainment and audio visuals. Actual attendance (not including exhibitors) was only 150 people fewer than Cincinnati! Attendees had a great time and took full advantage of the Savannah and the surrounding communities such as Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach. We anticipate the same performance in Nashville and look forward to seeing you there. Economic Development – This line item is higher than budget due to revenue received from an unbudgeted sponsorship from Convergent. Membership Revenue – Eleven months into the fiscal year, we are recognizing dues revenue 4% above the optimistic budget projection. We attribute the growth to increased compliance with the schedule, 90+% retention and three good sales years, with the help of the Membership

Development Committee of the Board. Renewals of Horizon Investor Program (HIP) memberships have been strong. There continues to be some drop-off among our smallest members because of the elimination of the lowest dues category (still playing through the system). Miscellaneous Income - Included in this item is a $10k sponsorship of ACCE’s November board meeting from Bloomberg Government. National Sponsorship – Revenue from National Corporate Sponsors was only $190k as of February 2017, or 47 percent below budget. But expenses were 82 percent below budget, at just $97k. Staff time and other resources were allocated to bringing in money in other ways, such as Major Cities, Emerging Cities Council, Hometown Council, and Economic Development Division sponsorships and building record exhibit hall participation.

Expenses

Convention – Convention expenses rose by 3% over budget to $745k, a $23k increase. That was a great performance given that convention revenue rose by $80k over budget to $860k, a 9% increase. Membership – Expenses rose by a hefty 9 percent, more than revenue, which rose at 4 percent. Still, membership will generate a net profit of about $1 million this year. Increased expenses were due in part to member fascination with the Horizon: 2025 project. Many gallons of jet fuel were burned and many hotel rooms made ready so that Mick, Ian, and others could explain to chamber staff and boards what the Horizon initiative means. Staff in Alexandria and Olathe also dedicated much time to membership sales and retention.

Net Income

Eleven months into the year the ACCE net is better than budget. FBI and CGEF are also running ahead of budget and we anticipate ending the year with a positive bottom line. Indeed, the consolidated bottom line as of the end of February is so high -- $463k – that we caution against expectations that it will stay that robust for the rest of the 2016-17 fiscal year or repeat that kind of performance in 2017-18. All we can say is that we’re going to do our best at all times -- in the AM (avec Mick) and PM (post-Mick).

04/07/1701:03 PM Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives

ACCE FBI CGEF CONS

Consolidated Balance Sheet

ASSETS Cash $1,179,652.01 $568,104.75 $615,393.35 $2,363,150.11 Investments 364,418.82 $364,418.82Invesments - 457B 133,710.06 $133,710.06 Investment in Subsidiary 483,916.32 $483,916.32 Accounts Receivable - General (net) 225,610.56 122,544.35 $348,154.91 Accounts Receivable - Trust 183,011.16 $183,011.16 Grant Receivable 11,388.69 $11,388.69 Due from Related Entities 478,451.09 $478,451.09 Prepaid Expenses 43,649.63 4,451.35 $48,100.98 Prepaid Expenses - Convention 123,216.79 $123,216.79Deposits 14,980.00 975.00 $15,955.00 Fixed Assets, Net 134,096.38 17,499.10 $151,595.48

---------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- TOTAL ASSETS $3,181,701.66 $896,585.71 $626,782.04 $4,705,069.41

========================== ================== ================ ================

LIABILITIES Accounts Payable & Accrued Expenses 55,713.28 22,000.00 $77,713.28 Accounts Payable - Trust 8,031.98 25,722.78 $33,754.76457B Liability 133,710.06 $133,710.06 Due to Related Entities 276,932.98 201,518.11 $478,451.09 Deferred Dues 775,833.27 $775,833.27 Deferred Other 35,113.00 7,785.83 333,755.55 $376,654.38 Deferred Rent 165,715.86 $165,715.86 Deferred Convention 118,606.50 $118,606.50Capital Lease Obligations 60,008.00 $60,008.00

---------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------------------- -----------------------------TOTAL LIABILITIES $1,352,731.95 $310,441.59 $557,273.66 $2,220,447.20

NET ASSETS Net Assets - Unrestricted 1,689,858.62 483,915.60 (28,310.77) $2,145,463.45 Net Assets - Temporarily Restricted 20,449.00 17,409.00 $37,858.00 YTD Change in Net Assets 118,662.09 102,228.52 80,410.15 $301,300.76

---------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------------------- -----------------------------TOTAL NET ASSETS $1,828,969.71 $586,144.12 $69,508.38 $2,484,622.21

---------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------------------- -----------------------------TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS $3,181,701.66 $896,585.71 $626,782.04 $4,705,069.41

========================== ================== ================ ================

February 28, 2017

Page 1 Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives

Consolidated Statement of Activity For the Year to Date Period Ending February 28, 2017

February 17 February 17 2016-17Actual vs. Budget

YTDActual vs.

Budget YTDYTD ACTUAL YTD Budget Annual Budget $$ Variance % Variance

FBI Total FBI Revenue 1,043,641.54 1,031,704.67 1,125,496.00 11,936.87 1% Total FBI Expense 941,413.02 1,029,918.08 1,123,547.00 (88,505.06) (9%)

------------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------------- ------------------------------- ---------------------- FBI Net Income 102,228.52 1,786.58 1,949.00 100,441.94 11%

=============== =============== ================ ================== =============CGEF/ARS Total CGEF/ARS Revenue 1,569,428.24 1,740,575.83 1,898,810.00 (171,147.59) (11%) Total CGEF/ARS Expense 1,489,018.09 1,696,968.17 1,851,238.00 (207,950.08) (14%)

------------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------------- ------------------------------- ---------------------- CGEF/ARS Net Income 80,410.15 43,607.67 47,572.00 36,802.48 46%

=============== =============== ================ ================== =============ACCERevenueAnnual Convention 860,884.00 780,496.00 780,496.00 80,388.00 9%Awards/COY Revenue 29,815.00 31,250.00 31,250.00 (1,435.00) (5%)Certification 18,550.00 17,200.00 17,200.00 1,350.00 7%Chamber Education 29,879.00 25,740.00 56,555.00 4,139.00 14%Chamber Executive Magazine Rev 79,960.00 76,905.00 102,540.00 3,055.00 4%Economic Development 20,625.00 10,885.42 11,875.00 9,739.58 47%Executive Search 13,338.65 16,500.00 18,000.00 (3,161.35) (24%)Membership Revenue 1,535,449.82 1,466,666.67 1,600,000.00 68,783.15 4%Metro Cities Revenue 64,758.00 56,600.00 56,600.00 8,158.00 13%Misc Income 11,998.66 916.67 1,000.00 11,081.99 92%National Corporate Sponsors Revenue 190,443.60 280,280.00 322,620.00 (89,836.40) (47%)Publications & Research Revenue 3,257.00 3,666.67 4,000.00 (409.67) (13%)

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------------- Total ACCE Revenue from Operations 2,858,958.73 2,767,106.42 3,002,136.00 91,852.31 3%

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------------------------- --------------------------------- -----------------------ExpenseAdmin (Operations, Occupancy, Governance) 490,095.05 479,152.67 522,712.00 10,942.38 2%Admin Personnel Costs 310,738.23 368,627.57 442,353.08 (57,889.34) (19%)Annual Convention 745,929.04 722,921.87 722,921.87 23,007.17 3%Awards/COY Expense 10,791.15 13,703.25 27,406.49 (2,912.10) (27%)Certifications Expense 22,881.63 25,025.87 27,300.95 (2,144.24) (9%)Chamber Education Expense 67,238.68 61,887.75 67,513.91 5,350.93 8%Chamber Executive Magazine Expense 86,825.46 94,002.52 125,336.69 (7,177.06) (8%)Divisions Expense 12,481.22 8,725.18 9,518.38 3,756.04 30%Economic Development 44,752.48 32,641.56 32,641.56 12,110.92 27%Hero 88,590.76 74,891.74 81,700.08 13,699.02 15%Membership Expense 568,130.11 519,807.26 567,062.46 48,322.86 9%Metro Cities Expense 75,275.80 56,304.37 61,422.95 18,971.43 25%National Corporate Sponsors Expense 104,475.79 177,512.07 193,649.53 (73,036.28) (70%)Public Policy 9,514.24 10,190.22 11,116.60 (675.98) (7%)Publications & Research Expense 38,922.27 36,335.39 39,638.61 2,586.88 7%Web Expense 27,654.73 27,423.10 29,916.11 231.63 1%

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------------- Total ACCE Expense from Operations 2,704,296.64 2,709,152.37 2,962,211.27 (4,855.73) (0%)

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------------------------- --------------------------------- ---------------------- ACCE Net Income * 154,662.09 57,954.04 39,924.73 96,708.05 63%

=============== =============== ================ ================== =============Total ACCE & Affiliates Revenue 5,472,028.51 5,539,386.92 6,026,442.00 (67,358.41) (1%)Total ACCE & Affiliates Expenses 5,134,727.75 5,436,038.62 5,936,996.27 (301,310.87) (6%)

------------------------- ------------------------- --------------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------- Total ACCE & Affiliates Net Income 337,300.76 103,348.29 89,445.73 233,952.47 69%

=============== =============== ================ ================== =============

April 10, 2017

TO: ACCE Board of Directors

FROM: Jacqui Cook, CFO

RE: 2017-18 Budget

First, we are pleased that the growth of the organization continues to provide us with opportunities to serve members in exciting ways in 2017-18. The staff has been exceptionally helpful in crafting this revenue-expense plan over the last two months.

Realizing that most financial reports are read from back-to-front, you’ll notice first that ACCE is projecting a positive bottom line for 2017-18. The outlook for FBI is also for very little revenue over expense. CGEF’s budget is, as always, very hard to project with confidence and just as hard to read, but the grants are still going strong this year and expected to stay strong in the future.

Please note that we have varying degrees of confidence in these projections because March programming and extensive staff travel are not yet fully counted. Even with these end of year variances, we expect to finish in the black.

Let’s look at a few specifics for 2017-18:

Revenue:

Membership – we are not projecting growth in this line, primarily because of the phenomenal growth over the last three years. Actual dues are up 5 percent over 2016-17 budget, which is great considering the increase in CEO turnover over the past year, which could have created a retention challenge and fewer Horizon Investor level memberships.

Convention revenue and expense are both higher – reflecting projection of increased attendance in Nashville, and strong pre-sale of exhibits. The registration portion of the 2017 convention is based conservatively on the number of actual attendees from the 2016 convention. However the budget for exhibitor revenue has been increased by 40 percent based on 1) the record number of actual exhibitors in Savannah and 2) the even greater expected number for Nashville, where 92 booth spaces (eight of them, to be sure, held by ACCE and ACCE Benefits Trust) are projected to be fully occupied. The number of small and medium-sized companies with an interest in ACCE is at an all-time high.

Convention expenses are predicted to grow dramatically, given at least the need to service the extra booths and feed the extra exhibitors, not to mention costs in Nashville that could exceed those in Savannah. Still, we’ve been conservative on revenue (primarily be not projecting an increase in attendance) and liberal on expected expenses, and so the convention is more likely to boost rather than to hold down ACCE’s bottom line when the final results are in.

We have had some difficulty with the National Corporate Sponsors revenue over the past couple of years. Some have departed because they couldn’t bring enough chambers on board; others because they had too many and did not need more. (When Google dropped out, it had 750 chambers on board!) The $30,000 fee for a national sponsor is something that needs to be constantly evaluated by the sponsor and serviced by ACCE.

Moreover, some smaller sponsor payments come in via other budget lines. Examples include Resource Development Group ($8,000 for convention and $7,000 for Metro Cities); other capital campaign companies with their respective Community Peer Group or division sponsorships; and WebLink’s $5,000 for Chamber of the Year.

Still, the 2017-18 budget figure for National Corporate Sponsors is aggressive in line of recent actuals. We believe we have a good chance to meet it, particularly if a new Capital One credit card has the kind of success we anticipate. And we are in a position where just one or two new sponsors per year will cover any potential drops.

Expenses:

Compensation – As you know, most of the salaries are assigned to program areas. In light of more-or-less flat cost of living trends, this budget allocates only three percent pay increases for most staff. The budget also includes a modest amount for select performance increases and job responsibility changes.

Administrative – Committee members have been advised for some time that an array of items, ranging from health insurance, to holidays, to accounting have impacts on the budget. Included the 2016-2017 projected actuals is a $70,000 expense for the search firm for a new CEO. Without this expense included, the 2017-18 budget would be substantially higher than the year-end projection. However, it is only modestly higher than what was budgeted for the current fiscal year. We can’t identify any one thing that is rising faster than others, but they’re all going up – rent, premiums, 401(k) matches, and larger vacation accrual for employees with longer tenure, etc.

HERO – The increase in the budget for this line item is primarily attributed to salaries and benefits for Sarah Melby going from part-time to full-time. The 2016-17 budget included two part-time employees and the 2017-2018 budget includes one full-time and one part-time employee. In addition, salaries and benefits related to publication and research has been included in this line item because these items are produced by the HERO team.

The projected National Corporate Sponsor expense for 2017-18 is going down as salaries and tasks are being allocated to other areas, from convention to grants to membership.

Opportunity Fund Expenses – Included in this line item are expenses related to the hiring of a new CEO and the estimated five-month salary and benefit overlap between ACCE’s current CEO and the new CEO. We have estimated an August 1st hire date for the CEO and the current CEO’s contract will not end until the end of 2017.

CGEF revenue increase is significant, but keep in mind that the foundation grant expenses track with the revenue. Both are expected to rise, which means that if the grants don’t come in as projected, we will also reduce related grant fulfillment expenses.

Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives2017 - 2018 Budget

2016-17 Feb 2016-17 Mar 2016-17 2017-18

FY16-17 Projected Mar

actuals vs. FY16-17 Budget

FY16-17 Projected Mar

actuals vs. FY16-17 Budget

YTD ACTUAL YTD Projected Annual Budget Annual Budget $$ Variance % Variance

FBI Total FBI Revenue 1,043,641.54 1,130,611.67 1,125,496.00 1,146,593.00 5,115.67 0% Total FBI Expense 941,413.02 1,104,864.11 1,123,547.00 1,144,163.83 (18,682.90) (2%)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------- ------------------------- FBI Net Income 102,228.52 25,747.56 1,949.00 2,429.17 (23,318.40) (1,196%)

==================================================================== ================ ===============CGEF/ARS Total CGEF/ARS Revenue 1,569,428.24 1,811,954.85 1,898,810.00 2,164,429.41 (86,855.15) (5%) Total CGEF/ARS Expense 1,489,018.09 1,717,538.46 1,851,238.00 2,147,482.59 (133,699.54) (7%)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------- ------------------------- CGEF/ARS Net Income 80,410.15 94,416.39 47,572.00 16,946.82 (77,469.58) (163%)

==================================================================== ================ ===============ACCERevenueAnnual Convention 860,884.00 860,884.00 780,496.00 966,736.00 80,388.00 10%Awards/COY Revenue 29,815.00 29,815.00 31,250.00 26,250.00 (1,435.00) (5%)Certification 18,550.00 18,550.00 17,200.00 13,400.00 1,350.00 8%Chamber Education 29,879.00 59,879.00 55,680.00 54,890.00 4,199.00 8%Chamber Executive Magazine Rev 79,960.00 79,960.00 102,540.00 91,800.00 (22,580.00) (22%)Economic Development 20,625.00 20,625.00 11,875.00 19,375.00 8,750.00 74%Online University Reg 0.00 0.00 875.00 1,500.00 (875.00) (100%)Executive Search 13,338.65 13,338.65 18,000.00 18,000.00 (4,661.35) (26%)Membership Revenue 1,535,449.82 1,674,963.84 1,600,000.00 1,695,000.00 74,963.84 5%Metro Cities Revenue 64,758.00 64,758.00 56,600.00 61,350.00 8,158.00 14%Misc Income 11,998.66 11,998.66 1,000.00 1,000.00 10,998.66 1,100%National Corporate Sponsors Revenue 190,443.60 219,944.00 322,620.00 218,700.00 (102,676.00) (32%)Publications & Research Revenue 3,257.00 3,257.00 4,000.00 2,500.00 (743.00) (19%)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------- ------------------------- Total ACCE Revenue from Operations 2,858,958.73 3,057,973.15 3,002,136.00 3,170,501.00 55,837.15 2%

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------- -------------------------ExpenseAdmin (Operations, Occupancy, Governance) 454,095.05 539,095.05 522,712.00 525,940.00 16,383.05 3%Admin Personnel Costs 346,738.23 377,008.23 442,353.08 458,819.97 (65,344.85) (15%)Annual Convention 745,929.04 745,929.04 722,921.87 919,932.82 23,007.17 3%Awards/COY Expense 10,791.15 11,063.15 27,406.49 29,617.49 (16,343.34) (60%)Certifications Expense 22,881.63 23,346.63 27,300.95 21,022.25 (3,954.32) (14%)Chamber Education Expense 67,238.68 101,734.68 67,513.91 75,063.87 34,220.77 51%Chamber Executive Magazine Expense 86,825.46 89,325.46 125,336.69 127,876.89 (36,011.23) (29%)Divisions Expense 12,481.22 13,355.22 9,518.38 8,896.28 3,836.84 40%Economic Development 44,752.48 44,842.48 32,641.56 25,945.48 12,200.92 37%Hero 88,590.76 93,675.76 81,700.08 113,334.33 11,975.68 15%Membership Expense 568,130.11 608,923.13 567,062.46 550,558.32 41,860.67 7%Metro Cities Expense 75,275.80 78,655.80 61,422.95 51,521.70 17,232.85 28%National Corporate Sponsors Expense 97,475.79 102,291.79 193,649.53 148,500.39 (91,357.74) (47%)Public Policy 16,514.24 17,400.24 11,116.60 15,751.79 6,283.64 57%Publications & Research Expense 38,922.27 41,587.27 39,638.61 18,000.00 1,948.66 5%Web Expense 27,654.73 30,122.73 29,916.11 30,431.72 206.62 1%

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------- ------------------------- Total ACCE Expense from Operations 2,704,296.64 2,918,356.66 2,962,211.27 3,121,213.31 (43,854.61) (1%)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------- ------------------------- ACCE Net Income 154,662.09 139,616.49 39,924.73 49,287.69 (99,691.76) (250%)

==================================================================== ================ ===============Opportunity Fund Expenses 36,000.00 59,000.00 50,000.00 203,475.00 50,000.00

==================================================================== ================ ===============Total ACCE & Affiliates Revenue 5,472,028.51 6,000,539.67 6,026,442.00 6,481,523.41 (25,902.33) (0%)Total ACCE & Affiliates Expenses 5,134,727.75 5,740,759.22 5,936,996.27 6,412,859.73 (196,237.05) (3%)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------- ------------------------ Total ACCE & Affiliates Net Income 337,300.76 259,780.45 89,445.73 68,663.68 170,334.72 190%

==================================================================== ================ ===============

Summary 2016-17 Feb 2016-17 Mar 2016-17 2017-18

FY16-17 Mar Projected

Actual vs. FY16-17 Budget

FY16-17 Mar Projected Actual vs. FY16-17 Budget

YTD ACTUAL YTD Projected Annual Budget Annual Budget $$ Variance % Variance

Annual Convention Revenue 860,884.00 860,884.00 780,496.00 966,736.00 80,388.00 10%

Expenses 745,929.04 745,929.04 722,921.87 919,932.82 23,007.17 3%Surplus/(Loss) 114,954.96 114,954.96 57,574.13 46,803.18 57,380.83 100%

Chamber Education Revenue 29,879.00 59,879.00 55,680.00 54,890.00 4,199.00 8%

Expenses 67,238.68 101,734.68 67,513.91 75,063.87 34,220.77 51%Surplus/(Loss) (37,359.68) (41,855.68) (11,833.91) (20,173.87) (30,021.77) 254%

Chamber Executive Magazine Rev Revenue 79,960.00 79,960.00 102,540.00 91,800.00 (22,580.00) -22%

Expenses 86,825.46 89,325.46 125,336.69 127,876.89 (36,011.23) -29%Surplus/(Loss) (6,865.46) (9,365.46) (22,796.69) (36,076.89) 13,431.23 -59%

Membership Revenue Revenue 1,535,449.82 1,674,963.84 1,600,000.00 1,695,000.00 74,963.84 5%

Expenses 568,130.11 608,923.13 567,062.46 550,558.32 41,860.67 7%Surplus/(Loss) 967,319.71 1,066,040.71 1,032,937.54 1,144,441.68 33,103.17 3%

Metro Cities Revenue Revenue 64,758.00 64,758.00 56,600.00 61,350.00 8,158.00 14%

Expenses 75,275.80 78,655.80 61,422.95 51,521.70 17,232.85 28%Surplus/(Loss) (10,517.80) (13,897.80) (4,822.95) 9,828.30 (9,074.85) 188%

National Corporate Sponsors Revenue Revenue 190,443.60 219,944.00 322,620.00 218,700.00 (102,676.00) -32%

Expenses 97,475.79 102,291.79 193,649.53 148,500.39 (91,357.74) -47%Surplus/(Loss) 92,967.81 117,652.21 128,970.47 70,199.61 (11,318.26) -9%

ACCE Revenue Programs Chris Mead, Senior Vice President Membership: We Broke 1,500

Membership Statistics for ACCE

Fiscal Year April 1 Start

Mar 31st End

Total Members 1,450 1504 Chamber Members 1,183 1233

New Members 157 New Member Value $89,398

Canceled Members 103

Cancel $ Loss $61,169 ACCE’s total membership has passed the 1,500 milestone. This membership includes not only chambers but CVBs, economic development groups, and companies. Still, it’s a big number for us and we intend to keep it moving upward. It’s a bit early to give a final renewal rate, but it appears that it will be in our usual range of about 90 percent. We’ll take it! But there is always room to improve. Note that chamber membership grew by 50 to 1,233 during the year. In fact, had we included the results from April 1 or 2, we’d have another eight chamber members – from a group of Caribbean chambers that joined en masse. St. Maarten’s, Aruba, Martinique, and others are in the fold now. Of course, someone should visit them all to welcome them. Any volunteers? Speaking of volunteers, ACCE’s Membership Committee under Pat MulQueeny has continued to perform yeoman’s work. And Wil Pineau, CCE, of the Cayman Islands Chamber, a long-time ACCE member, pulled in those eight pieces of paradise for us. Meanwhile, a living testament to the proposition that offsite workers can be highly productive, ACCE’s Dana Ketterling, based in Olathe, Kansas, continues to carry the membership ball over the goal line, time and again. Tamara and Chris do our best to keep up with her on retention efforts while she (with the help of referrals from you) is the shining star of the newbies – many of which continue to turn to her for information and help, years after they’ve joined ACCE. ACCE’s total membership revenue (unaudited) for the first 11 months of the year was $1,535,450. At that rate we will end the year at $1,675,000 in membership revenue. This comes to a 4 percent increase over the budgeted $1.6 million.

Convention Activity As we approach the three-month mark before the Nashville convention (July 16-19), we are working hard to fill up the largest exhibit hall ACCE has ever had. Indeed, in terms of the number of booths, this may be the largest exhibit hall any chamber executives’ convention has ever had – 92. Last year we had 80 booth spaces and sold out. So far, 84 booths have been taken. We expect to sell the remainder. Members such as Jim Fram (Hot Springs, AR), Theresa Pinto (Rocky Mount, NC), and Rob Miller (Rochester, MN) have helped us with excellent referrals. Tenja Young and other ACCE staff members have helped Dana and me load up the information and payments for the exhibit hall as quickly as we can. Remember that you can send our prospectus link to anyone you think should be exhibiting in Nashville: http://www.acce.org/prospectus2017/ The budget for combined sponsorship and exhibits is $320,000, up $20,000 from last year. We are already at $303,000 in commitments. Breaking the $320,000 goal is a possibility by as early as mid-May. It’s worth repeating that this convention revenue does not include funds from our official corporate sponsors, which are accounted for separately. If we added in $100,000 to account roughly for the value provided to those official corporate sponsors, we would value the convention sponsorship and exhibit funds at something north of $420,000. The convention sponsor/exhibitor funds make it possible for ACCE to have a first-class event, which in turn is a useful flagship to show foundations, corporations, and others that ACCE is a strong association. More than once we’ve had the “Addams Family” experience: someone comes to visit our convention “house” and is blown away, so to speak. (We mean impressed in a nice way, of course, not frightened by Lurch or Cousin It.) A strong chamber convention strengthens the entire chamber movement.

Deep Dive to Guide Search/Transition Process

At the Annapolis Board meeting in October, directors provided outstanding ideas about how ACCE could secure reliable and meaningful input from the membership about the organization, including its leadership, connection to members and best future course to pursue under a new CEO. Several directors, including Tim Giuliani, Leonardo McLarty and Tom Torti suggested that Fleming had created a launch point for the chamber movement, but taking the next giant leap could be even more challenging. “We need to get this right,” was a refrain heard around the Board table. Mick Fleming expressed skepticism about the accuracy and utility of survey instruments, suggesting that the transition team choose a vehicle or consultant that could ensure a deeper understanding of the present and the path forward.

With those thoughts in mind, Tamara Philbin approached Opinion Research Specialists (see below) a firm recommended by Ryan Mooney and Jim Anderson of Springfield, MO, which proved in preliminary conversations to understand the context, stakeholders and stakes at this juncture in the organization’s history. Their unique, high-touch model was appealing and affordable.

To assist in the selection of a new ACCE President, ORS employed a human-centered approach to obtain input from current ACCE members throughout the country. A series of one-on-one interviews were conducted with carefully selected subjects who represented a cross-section of ACCE – from active Board members to small, disengaged chambers. This approach was designed to garner input based on experiences related to members’ work and interaction with ACCE.

Presenting in Little Rock:

Presenters: Marc Maness, M.A., Research Associate at Opinion Research Specialists. Marc is responsible for strategic plan development, voice of customer data, service/product improvement, human-centered design processes, and the development of formal research instruments.

Michael Maness, Co-Founder of Subculture LLC. Michael became the first ever Innovator-in-Residence at the Harvard Business School. The position was created as part of the Digital Initiative at HBS, an effort that brings together leading scholars and practitioners to explore the re-invention of business in a digital, networked, and media-rich environment.

Michael’s exploration and research investigates why innovation fails or thrives in business cultures. Prior to his current role, Michael was the Vice-President of Journalism and Media Innovation at the Knight Foundation. This $2.5 billion private foundation is dedicated to creating informed and engaged communities and is the largest funder of non-profit journalism in the United States.

Opinion Research Specialists have conducted more than 400 research projects with clients including federal and state agencies, city and county governments, utility companies, school districts, community colleges, public libraries, financial institutions, hospitals and clinics, private companies, and nonprofit organizations.

Information & Instruction Report Crystal Moore, Vice President – Professional Development & Convention

Convention 2017: Nashville, TN, July 16-19, 2017 Event registration and hotel reservations are both above last year at this time. Granted, this year’s convention is a month earlier, but in terms of weeks out, we are ahead of schedule.

Hotels – The Hilton is sold out. The headquarter hotel, the Omni, still has plenty of rooms, however, Saturday night is sold out at the Omni as well. We have an overflow hotel that we have not posted yet that can accommodate some Saturday nights. Please contact Yodit Gebreyes, (703) 998-3527, if you would like that information.

Call for Presenters – We received more than 100 entries for presentations. Many proposals kept to the Horizon Initiative theme and you will see an uptick in chamber industry presentations.

Convention 2019 & 2020 Site Selection Our consultant, Experient, has started the process of site selection for future years. We have 12 interested cities from across the U.S. and Canada. We do not expect to sign an agreement until December.

ACCE University Online

• The winter-spring 2017 professional development quarter is underway, with two to three webinars offered per month. Our winter-spring schedule has included webinars on membership sales and engagement, leadership development, economic development, community branding initiatives, government relations, and workforce development. Our Chamber of the Year Award winner series has featured innovative and successful chamber programs from our 2016 chamber of the year competition. Our next ACCE eTour webinar will be presented in May. All webinars have been recorded and posted on our ACCE webinar page, along with presentation slides and other available resources.

• We are currently planning our fall (September-December) webinar quarter. Please contact us if you have suggestions for webinar topics and speakers.

• We are working towards a fall launch of our CCE examination preparation eCourse, which will include discussion and analysis of sample exam questions and exam preparation methods.

• We are planning to record selected sessions of our 2017 Convention, and will offer these sessions and related resources on our ACCE University pages in early fall.

Regional Training Conferences

• Our national sales training conference took place on March 9-10 in St. Louis, Mo. Approximately 90 sales professionals attended. The conference included a focus on non-traditional membership services, including workforce development initiatives, with a general session presentation by Andrew Hoan, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber. General sessions by Kyle Sexton and Doug Holman, a panel discussion on “Selling Your Chamber’s Mission,” and a variety of workshops on sales mechanics and membership engagement and retention were also offered. Sarah Melby, ACCE Director of Information and Research, presented a lunch and learn session on ACCE membership resources and met individually with conference participants.

Optional small group sessions for managers and new sales representatives and ample social and networking opportunities for all participants rounded out the conference program.

• We are tentatively planning our third annual Chamber Events Training Conference for October 26-27 in Atlanta, GA. We are finalizing arrangements with the convention hotel and the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and will announce a “save the date” for the event shortly.

CCE program

• Our 2017 CCE class has completed the application, essay, and interview/presentation stages of the CCE process. For the first time, CCE applications were submitted and shared electronically, resulting in reduced copying, postage, and staff time for ACCE and CCE candidate chambers.

• CCE examinations will be taken between May 8 and June 9, 2017. Applicants who pass the examination will be awarded their CCE designations at the 2017 convention awards ceremony.

• Our spring 2017 CCE Commission meeting took place at the ACCE offices in Alexandria on March 23. The commission discussed nominations for open Commission positions and a possible revision to CCE policies and procedures to revise and clarify eligibility requirements. ACCE staff will prepare draft revisions to be discussed further at the August CCE meeting, and will continue to work with CCE Commission leadership on filling open positions.

• The 2017 Leadership Diversity class will complete its scholarship period this summer. The eight members of the class have been awarded free access to ACCE educational resources during the three-year period of their scholarship (beginning in summer 2014, and ending with the 2017 convention). We will be sponsoring a luncheon for class members at the convention, in which we will discuss final preparations for the 2018 CCE process. One class member, CeCe Hipps, received her CCE with the class of 2016, and remaining class members are anticipated to apply for the CCE in January 2018.

• Other planned CCE Convention activities include our annual CCE application workshop and our traditional CCE breakfast.

• Marketing and communications to recruit our 2018 class will also include Convention outreach, a fall webinar, Chamber Executive ads, eBlasts, and personal outreach by CCE commissioners.

Education Attainment Division (EAD) April 2017

Fellowship Cohort 3 Graduates: The 20-member third cohort of EAD fellows held its third and final meeting at Lumina Foundation’s headquarters in Indianapolis earlier this month. Session content focused on employability skills, working with community colleges, higher education attainment for opportunity populations including traditional students, returning adults, and adults with no recognized postsecondary credentials. The fellows also finalized their regional action plans, the end product of their participation in this year-long program. Immigration Convening: Sixteen chambers participated in a March 23 meeting focused on immigration. Held in partnership with our supporters at New American Economy, the meeting was hosted by the St. Louis Regional Chamber (thank you Joe Reagan). Participants shared best practices for attracting international talent, welcoming new Americans, supporting immigration reform, and promoting the economic impact of immigrants in their regions. Special thanks to the volunteer leaders that helped make the event a success: Valerie Patton (St. Louis), Mary Bontrager (Des Moines), Mary Stagaman (Cincinnati), and Jason Mathis (Salt Lake City). Upcoming Meetings: The EAD Advisory Board advised staff on Q2 and Q3 division events during its January call. Upcoming convenings include the second EAD Annual Meeting in Charleston June 13-14 and EAD sessions/networking opportunities at ACCE’s Annual Convention in Nashville July 16-19. Division Growth: During the first quarter of 2017, the division added 39 ACCE member organizations to the EAD community bringing the total number of chambers engaged in the division to 490. Awardees Making Progress: The third group of six $40,000 Award for Education Attainment recipients submitted satisfactory interim reports detailing progress made in the first half of their award year. New Partners / Supporters Kellogg Foundation (diversity and inclusion) and Council of State Governments (smart justice) have joined the established list of EAD partners. Total multiyear EAD support to date is approximately $6 million. Development: With the multi-year Lumina Foundation grant closing at the end of last month; EAD staff are working closely with the program officer to create a proposal for a continued partnership. Additional development outreach continues. Team Updates: Molly Blankenship joined the team in March as the new Community Advancement Coordinator. Welcome Molly!

Lacey Toledano, IOM Chairman Fringe Benefits, Inc. April 25, 2017 Member participation in the insurance programs are stable to slightly up. This is mostly because none of the plans saw a rate increase moving into 2017. The benefits team wrapped up all the 401k retirement reviews and compliance testing by the March 15th deadline. And is currently prepping for the MEP audit which begins in May. We are pleased to report that the two changes to the 401k plan (freezing of self-directed brokerage investment and the re-enrollment for all at zero deferral rate) have been a non-issue. Stacey had anticipated some negative commentary, but was pleased that only a handful of participants were disappointed by these decisions that the Trustees made last November. The April enforcement of the new DOL fiduciary regulation that went into effect in July 2016 has been postponed by the current administration. Ironically, most the financial industry is already in compliance and have no intentions on reversing course. However, the uncertainty of the situation will continue to postpone any final determination of how this might affect FBI and Stacey’s SEC license. Stacey continues to follow closely and will provide updates as they become available.

Networks Report April 2017

Headlines: • 8 Site Consultants Confirmed for Economic Development Programming at Convention • Metros Talk Trump, Majors Visit the Border • Education Attainment Division Secures New Funding, Graduates 3rd Fellowship Cohort

Division Updates:

Communications & Marketing Division: The division has been relaunched under the leadership of Scott Crockatt (Calgary) and Tiffany Tauscheck (Des Moines). After an organizational call earlier this year, the group help its first peer-to-peer best practice sharing call in March. Additional roundtable call will be announced soon, and in-person meeting is being planned for convention.

Diversity & Inclusion Division: Division leadership continue to work toward development of a self-assessment tool to help chambers decide next steps on their inclusion journey. Alongside that effort is a plan to audit and enhance content available on the D&I Chamberpedia pages and develop a toolkit to help chambers advance D&I work within their organization. Several breakout sessions on diversity and inclusion topics have been developed for Convention, and we are also in the concept stages of developing a convening or fellowship program for D&I practitioners. Recent division roundtable calls have focused on measuring the community impact of D&I programing.

Economic and Community Development Division: Division activity has been focused on the planning of the 10th Annual Connecting with Site Consultants program. Volunteers have confirmed the participation of eight site consultants, and a couple more are pending. Working with the Nashville Chamber as co-host, our goal is to bring 10 top site consultants to Nashville for the program. The division will also host an economic development tour of Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood as well as several economic and community development sessions.

Education Attainment Division (EAD): Lots of activity within EAD: Third Fellows cohort graduated, St. Louis Regional Chamber hosted an immigration convening, and a new smart justice partner was acquired. See separate EAD Report for details.

Government Affairs Division: The division continues to enjoy active participation on monthly calls, discussing policy issues including marijuana legalization, transportation funding, and bathroom bills, as well as process-related topics such as government relations events. Planning is underway for the 2017 Metro Cities Government Relations meeting this fall and a division leadership transition at convention.

Community Peer Group Updates:

Hometown Chambers Council: The council resumed quarterly calls in January. Guest presenter RaDonna Hessel, CCE, IOM, President/CEO of the Grapevine (Texas) Chamber shared insights with the group on the secrets to board success. The April call focused on advocacy best practices for small chambers. Quarterly calls will continue throughout the year, and the group is planning an in-person meeting at the Convention in

July. The council has welcomed three news members this year and will continue to expand as eligible members express interest.

Emerging Cities Council: The council continue its monthly peer sharing calls in 2017, discussing chamber benchmarking in January, government affairs in February, and non-traditional revenue streams in March. A group meeting and dinner are being planned during convention.

Destination Cities Council: The recently revived group has been meeting quarterly since Convention 2016. The February call drew 11 participants, who shared successful events, tourism partnerships, and membership and revenue strategies. The group also discussed challenges related to CVB funding, marketing, policy and regulation, and workforce development. Michelle Vegliante is the new staff liaison for this group and the next roundtable conference call is scheduled for May 17 at 2 p.m. EST. The group is planning a networking meeting at Convention 2017.

University Communities Council: Interest in this group has grown during the two years since its launch. We are planning a stand-alone, in-person meeting for later this year in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Metro Cities Council: We held two successful Metro Cities meetings this year in Los Angeles (January) and Charlotte (April). In January, our 21 attendees focused on workforce development, using the Los Angeles Area Chamber as a case study. In April, our 19 attendees discussed the Urban/Rural divide and explored how the Charlotte Chamber is working with community partners to expand access to opportunity for underserved populations. During both meetings, we devoted time to discuss the new administration and the threats and opportunities in the new political climate. We also discussed how metro city chambers can outreach to administration stakeholders and congressional leaders to create a dialogue about metro issues and showcase the impact their policy decisions have on regional economies.

Major Cities Council: The February Major Cities meeting in Tucson, Ariz., was highlighted by a trip to the southern border at the Nogales-Mariposa Port of Entry, the fourth busiest land port of entry in the United States and the busiest port for produce. Our 16 participants toured the pedestrian, vehicle, and cargo crossing areas and received presentations from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and FDA Agriculture Import Specialists. Thanks to Mike Varney from the Tucson Chamber for his help organizing the visit.

Intercity Visit Organizers: This group continues to connect periodically by conference call to exchange best practices, share ideas, and discuss upcoming city visits. During the group’s January call, participants discussed the use of technology and mobile applications in planning and executing intercity visits. Nashville and Richmond’s trips will be featured in the Spring Chamber Executive magazine.

Information Office/HERO (Help, Expertise, Resources, Online) April 2017

The Information Office opened access to the FY 2016 survey reports and comparisons in Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking (Operations and Salary surveys) on March 27. Survey participants can download Key Performance Indicators, membership statistics, trends in revenue and expenses, view governance data, see chamber merger stats for the year, and access HR, salary, and compensation benefits. (Only CEOs or their delegates have access to the Salary Survey section.)

We are producing the annual FY 2016 Chamber Operations Report publication for the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management spring training. Survey participants will be listed by chamber name in this publication. The annual Operations Report pub will also be available for free to Horizon and AllACCEss Pass members; and available for purchase in the bookstore to the rest of our members.

Sarah Melby presented an April 19 webinar on Benchmarking Membership Statistics. She is also coordinating a webinar panel discussion and how-to on Creating Effective Dashboard Reports on April 27 with Tony Felker at the Frisco (TX) Chamber and Jodie Perry at the Richland (OH) Chamber.

On May 23, we will host our popular ACCE E-Tour, spring session with Sarah, Dana Ketterling, and Susan McGuire. Our last one was held Feb. 15 and the recording is available along with ACCE’s Fast Facts Guide.

Results from two new QuickPolls are available: Capital Campaigns and Developing the Character of our Future Workforce.

Additional highlights from January 1 to April 5:

The HERO landing page had 6,172 page counts (6,217 previous quarter; 4,822 before that).

Samples:

• Added 284 Samples to the library this quarter; but removed 500 older Samples (2010 and older), so Samples Library now contains more than 3,875 documents. 2. 3,112 Samples Library page views on the landing page

• Individual Samples records have been accessed more than 5,248 times in this time range. • The most popular category is still Position Descriptions, which have been searched about 520

times; followed by ACE Awards views (over 150 views). The HERO Team finished adding the 2016 award-winning pieces from Chamber of the Year winners and ACE winners.

Chamberpedia:

• Reviewed and updated about 60 resource pages. • Chamberpedia had more than 22,376 page views. The top 5 popular pages:

o Networking Icebreakers o Membership Retention o Grants and Contracts o Membership Management o Ambassador Programs

Ask ACCE:

We continue to receive between 5-10 questions from members per day, up to 50 questions per week.

Chamber Executive Magazine Search Tip:

View the current issue here, access past issues online here, or do an article archive search by topic or keyword – try on a blast from the past!

HERO staffing:

In March, librarian Holly South took a position in Denver with the National Conference of State Legislatures. We will miss Holly! A search is underway to hire a new part-time Resource Coordinator. The HERO Team also relies on part-time contract support from another librarian, Jamie Barbaccia who keeps the flow of Samples cataloging going strong.

Let HERO Help You! Need chamber examples like position descriptions, salary comparisons, organization charts, budgets, MOUs, dashboard reports or benchmarking help? Contact Sarah Melby on the HERO Team at HERO@acce.org or (703) 998-3524.

Urgent Response Team (URT)

Task Force Update April, 2017

Since its inception in August, the Urgent Response Team, composed of Board members and a few others, has made good strides to ensure that ACCE is has the capacity to assist chambers whose communities have suffered natural or man-made disasters or crises. URT Chair Adam Legge has worked with four members of the staff to build out more online resources, but also with peers who have, like his city, learned through hard lessons the best way to prepare for, and recover from disasters.

The group is also developing protocols for determining when and how ACCE should respond. In many cases, the most important step is to reach out to chamber leadership as soon as possible after a storm or crisis. The reality checks and offers of comfort and empathy of these calls enable ACCE to provide a measured response. Walking someone through the steps others have taken is important. The business and economic recovery stage is the most difficult for chambers – it’s their job and there are few partners offering to help.

URT has determined that the only time ACCE should consider an offer of financial support is when a chamber office or staff is affected directly, making it impossible for them to address the needs of the business community in a time of heightened need. A contribution from our foundation, CGEF, no matter how small, can mean a great deal to a chamber in such circumstances. ACCE will never be in a position to offer financial assistance to the recovery of economic activity, chambers’ members, or citizen losses.

Emergency planning for chambers is also seen as a priority for ACCE. The “Tool Kit,” developed some years ago, is routinely updated and used by scores of chambers to build their plans and address immediate needs.

We are investing time to build our internal expertise, HERO resources and the network of urgent response peers in chambers. In addition to Adam, this network now includes Board members Ed Rodriguez, Michael Huber, Heidi Walker and David Rumbarger. Non-directors include Gina Spagnola of Galveston, Rob O’Brien from Joplin, and Tish Williams from Jackson County (MS). Chris Mead, Tania Kohut, Sarah Melby and Mick Fleming are working it from the staff side.

Diversity & Inclusion Working Group

Elsewhere in the briefing material, you can reference the good work of the D&I Division, a subgroup of members who are focused on working for increased inclusion in their communities and regions. Running parallel to the Division is the D&I Working Group – a joint initiative involving both Board and D&I Division members -- launched two years ago to increase diversity and inclusion in the association itself, as well as across the profession. We’ve made progress.

The Working Group has made advances in the last two years, including the careful crafting of an organizational commitment statement. In January, a major research paper (magazine cover story) was completed, which presented the compelling business case for chambers to tackle D&I.

Since the last meeting of the Board, Community Growth and Educational Foundation (ACCE’s 501c-3) secured a grant from the Hewlett Foundation, with funding from another foundation pending. Both are intended to increase ACCE’s and chambers’ capacity to make progress on D&I imperatives.

In order to address and deliver on the goals of the Working Group, the Division and the Foundation, ACCE has contracted with Crystal German, an economic development and diversity specialist with extensive chamber experience in major markets.

To measure ACCE’s progress to-date, we completed the ASAE self-assessment tool in January -- the second consecutive year. We scored higher across the board, but obviously still have areas to improve, especially in our ability to empower and equip the members. (NOTE: Due to flaws in the questionnaire, we are unlikely to use this evaluation vehicle going forward.) Meanwhile, some of our members are asking us to develop a self-assessment for chambers and communities to measure their progress.

The Working Group is also urging ACCE to further integrate D&I criteria into the “recognition” side of our work – CCE, Chamber of the Year, Regional Advancement Awards, Division leadership, etc. We are working with the respective advisory boards on possible options. Members of the Working Group may also approach the US Chamber about adding D&I measurements and content for accreditation and IOM.

Watch for powerful convention content focused on diversity and inclusion topics. A joint meeting of the Working Group and Division leadership, open to any and all Board members, will convene an extended session to identify our next areas of concentration and the challenges arising in 2018.