Is Chamber Membership Right for My Business?
Just google "Why Join A Chamber of Commerce?" and a staggering amount of links and articles will be at your fingertips. From studies to blogs, there are all sorts of reasons to join your local chamber. And, with so many findings on why to join, we thought we could assist you in making your decision by defining the purpose of the Yarmouth Chamber.
The Yarmouth Chamber is not a government entity and if you have volunteered with us, you will know that it is not a country club either. We are a membership organization that advocates on behalf of our local businesses and for our community. We are overseen by a board of local business members and are here to be a resource, a networking provider and a support.
Over the last couple of years, we have been working hard to be a Chamber of Commerce that just happens to put on one of the largest summer festivals in Maine. Our members and our mission as a Chamber are why we are here. The Clam Festival allows us an amazing opportunity to contribute to our community by providing a unique fundraising resource to over 30 different local non-profits and booster groups. The Clam Festival also helps us meet our own fundraising goals with income through our merchandise sales.
Get out what you are able to put in.
Chambers that are in smaller communities tend to be staffed by only one employee. With the Yarmouth Clam Festival, we are fortunate to have two full time staff in the office, but it takes the involvement of our members and our community to make things happen.
Help shape the future of education in Yarmouth by working with the leaders in business, government and education. New in 2019, we have introduced an
Active Student Membership
level where we hope to connect high school and college aged students with participating business members.
We also welcome our service providing members to lead a session in their area of expertise to better position themselves as an industry expert. This is a great opportunity to put businesses in contact with the types of people who need your business or service.
Advise the chamber of the needs of your industry. We can guess, but we would much rather hear from you what you need to be successful! We are always happy to meet you at your place of business, out for a coffee or at the Chamber to talk shop!
There's No Party like a Chamber Party!
Put your networking hat on and join us for a business after hours, take a swing at our golf tournament or bid on that must have item. By being a part of a like-minded group, you not only help your business grow, but you show that you are in to helping your business community partners succeed as well. Yarmouth is an amazing collection or large, medium and small businesses and we are all each other's consumer.
Feel free to host a meeting at our Chamber office. This is a good benefit for new businesses and entrepreneurs who work from their homes but need an office or meeting space. We have temp work stations, WiFi - heck, we will even throw in the water!
Opening a new location or going through an expansion? Have us help with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Golden scissors, invites, public announcements and red ribbons!
Get in the Know!
We want to help support our local business community by providing the kind of inside scoop you need - let us know what you would like to hear on. Check out our weekly newsletter on Fridays and feel free to send us your upcoming events and offers to share!
We host a legislative breakfast annually with local and state representatives at the beginning of the year, and prior to June elections you can hear from local candidates for Town Council.
Is there an issue facing your business that we can help bring in a local, state or federal contact for more discussion? Please let us know. As part of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce we have additional resources. We want to help keep you informed about issues that could affect you and your business.
Other business development topics are always on our mind, so join us for quarterly workshops and speaker series that can help keep you informed about changing trends in marketing, social media, tax planning, health insurance needs and much more.
Members are also eligible for:
- Chamber directory listings (Online & Print)
- Member-to-member discounts
- Chamber Advertising
- Access to online resources
- Receive referrals (you’d be surprised how many people contact us for opinions on local businesses).
We could go on, but better yet, give us a call or send an email and let's set a time to meet up! We are truly looking forward to an amazing year!
So welcome back members - or hello new partners!
Best regards,
Adrienne
Adrienne Nardi
(207) 846-3984
Yarmouth Chamber - 162 Main Street, Yarmouth
Mon-Thu 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Fri 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
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