Five ways you can support your local Chamber of Commerce

I stumbled across a good article the other day that gave 5 ways you can support your local Chamber of Commerce. I wanted to share those ways with you today and give some commentary on them.

1) Support other Chamber Members - As we get close to wrapping up our Membership Drive for 2019, I would encourage you to support Chamber businesses in the community. These businesses deserve our support. They give back to the community in many different ways, not just through Chamber memberships. In all your shopping, whether it be home repairs to picking up a gallon of milk, think about shopping Walnut first. Our member directory at walnutillinois.com will be updated in the coming weeks.

2) Volunteer - There are many opportunities to volunteer in 2019. Whether it’s coming to a Chamber meeting on the second Tuesday of each month to helping with our different events throughout the year (Walnut Days, Fall Fest on Main, Christmas Open House, etc.) we appreciate any help you can provide. Another opportunity is to host an event at your business, let us know about it, and we will do everything we can to promote it.

3) Encourage Other Businesses to Join - There are many benefits of joining a local Chamber. The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives conducted a national study that says 2/3 of consumers believe that chamber of commerce members are more likely to use good business practices, care about their customers and are involved in the community.

4) Follow Walnut, Illinois on Social Media - We try to promote everything happening in Walnut as much as we can on Facebook. Sometimes different events/promotions are missed, so please let us know how we can help. We are here to help promote Walnut businesses, please don’t get upset if we miss something you are offering or would like shared. Simply let us know and we will get the word out. For individuals, make sure you like or follow our Facebook page so you can stay up-to-date on what’s happening around town.

5) Communicate! - We exist to try and bolster the economic climate in Walnut. Like it was mentioned above, let us know how we can help promote what you are doing. If you have an idea or suggestion reach out to me or Chamber Board Members. We welcome ideas! Our current Chamber Board consists of Chris Von Holten (President), Julie Von Holten, Brian Smith, Tracey Schoff, Kirsten Johnston, Jan McDonald and Sandy Green. We have a great board that loves Walnut and want to help in any way they can.

I hope you have a great week. A reminder our Chamber Banquet is coming up on April 1st. RSVP today if you plan on going.