Chamber Updates, Member News

& Tips for Business You Can Use

Dear Members,

Maine is a well-connected state and you don’t need to live near Lewiston, Lisbon, or Bowdoin to be affected by this tragedy; but we do, and that makes it all the more impactful on our mindsets and peace of mind, not to mention our aching hearts. This will not go away soon, nor should it, as we will continue to grieve the loss of the 18 Mainers who are no longer with us. Nevertheless, we must move forward one step at a time, and for our chamber that means keeping you informed of the biggest things going on in our area. We will continue to share vital messaging for events, fundraisers, and other important updates as those communities continue to heal and move forward.

Before we do that though, I want to take a moment to applaud Shanna Cox and her staff at the L/A Metro Chamber, and their board of directors, for their continued leadership, kindness, and compassion. In an impossibly difficult situation, they communicated the necessary information and guidance to their communities. When tragedy strikes, community organizations can become the unifiers of need, and often when things are at their worse, true leadership can shine a light on the good. 

A great way to regain some sense of normalcy is to get involved in your community. It still seems a little callous to bring up local events, as we recognize that not everyone is ready to re-engage quite yet, however we can at least lay a path forward for those who are eager for a focal point.

Below is an important message about our largest fundraiser and the ways you can help our chamber and our MTF partners, Spectrum Generations and All Saints Parish. Last Friday, ‘Cory the Elf’ had planned to go door-to-door to do multiple drop-ins on businesses to recruit donations and tree sponsors. With today being Halloween (and a day for costumes) Cory the Elf will be doing just that, as I will drop in on many businesses. 

To be clear: If your business wants to have a tree space or donate anything to the Midcoast Tree Festival, we need to know ASAP. We don’t need the items in hand for a few more weeks, but we do need to know who is participating- please read below as we have had some major changes after speaking with the State of Maine on Monday. 

Before that, we have another housekeeping matter so please check out the first update about Anthony’s project this week. 

Thanks so much for your continued support, and if it is possible, we’d love a little help with what’s below.

-Cory

July Membership Invoices Now Due

We hate to be so bold about membership dues, as we are consistently willing to work with members to accommodate their membership invoices, however we have over 75 members who were billed in July that have yet to respond to their membership invoices. There are a litany of reasons why someone’s membership invoice may still be outstanding over 90 days:

• maybe the invoice didn’t get to the correct contact person
• maybe the invoice went to a bad address or PO Box no longer in use
• maybe you are one of the hundreds of business leaders who have been stretched because you are short-staffed and it simply slipped through the cracks

(My guess that for many of you it’s that last reason. The vast majority of those who have not paid are people that have been members for 5 years or more so we know that many of the non-payments are the result of error). 

Our Bath-Brunswick Regional chamber does not get any additional funding from municipal taxpayers or county taxpayers and as a 501c(6) organization we are not eligible for grants, as we are a not-for-profit instead of a non-profit. We are funded solely by membership dues, program and event sponsorships, and events revenue. When our accounts get low, we are forced to change our programming to focus on income-generation, which means we do less of the non-income generating activities that many of you find so meaningful. A few examples:

• Information on new policies that affect your business (see the ballot initiatives)
• Expanding our free workforce programming
• Lining up free workshop speakers and presenters
• Representing the region on statewide issues
• Connecting with relocators
• Writing introductory e-mails to connect one member to another member they want to do business with
• Spearheading initiatives like WILLPower and our Ambassador teams
• Recruiting members for the 12 @ 12 Networking lunches
• And the dozens of other activities that have no direct income to our chamber

We are not in this for us and our own gains, we do this work because we are helpers and we want our communities to flourish. When we need to focus on our accounts and our expenses, it inherently means we are focusing less on you.

Anthony is exclusively focusing over the next 7-10 days on our A/R to bring in some of the tens of thousands in dues payments. He’ll also work with you as needed. If you need to wait until budgets renew in January- great, let us know. If you’d prefer to pay in installments- no problem, let us know. If you would prefer your annual invoice to hit on a different month of the year, let us know and we can adjust. Whatever you need we can work with, but we need to know. 



If you are curious about your membership status, please reach out to Anthony@midcoastmaine.com

Critical MTF Updates

Deadline Extended & New Rules

Due to the loss of days last week, the State has given an extension on our Midcoast Tree Festival tree lists and license submission. We’re very thankful for their understanding and flexibility.

Donations Accepted Now Through Friday

Our deadline for donations, from which we will make Chamber trees, is now Friday, November 3rd. In lieu of an item, you can write a check to go towards multiple gifts, making you a Friend of the Chamber sponsor- more on that below.  If you would like to donate any item valued at $25 or more, please reach out to Cory directly. Text (207) 649-5282 or email Cory@midcoastmaine.com

TO BE CLEAR, we don’t need the item in hand for another two weeks, but we need to know what it is, and the value of it, today.  You can do that with a 20-second e-mail...!

Tree Sponsors Accepted Now Through Friday

Additionally we have full tree spaces still available until Friday. Get one for your business or partner up with a fellow business and split the tree space. Must have a value of $500- click here for the tree guidelines.

**NEW** for Itemized Prize Lists and Timeline

We must have an itemized list with values on the tree space so people know what they are winning at the event. However, all that is required at time of license submission are:

• The tree numbers/names (meaning who is sponsoring it)
• The total value of the space. 

This means if you haven’t shopped yet but you plan to spend $1100 on the tree, decorations, and gifts (as an example), you can simply provide us with the tree sponsor name (your business name) and the total value and provide the list later...*

*...when we say “provide the list later” the earlier we have the lists the better. We will be promoting trees on social media so if we have your list, we can also promote it.

Sponsor the MTF

Our T-Shirt Sponsorships are closed but all other sponsorships are still available. This is a great way to get your business name out there and to support the event. Check out the sponsor form and contact MidcoastTreeFestival@gmail.com.

Prefer to Give a Check? Tree Squad or Friend of the Chamber is Available

We get it, we’re all busy, and you may want to participate with the MTF but you may not have the time- that’s where the Tree Squad or the Friend of the Chamber options come in. The Tree Squad works one of two ways:

Option 1: You give us the items you want displayed in your tree space and we setup the tree for a modest setup fee donation.

Option 2: You cut us a check and we buy the items for the tree, AND set it up.

If you choose the second option, which is really a great way to contribute, we need a minimum of $500 to cover the value of the space. More is welcome and Cory can talk through options of how to spend it. We welcome ideas for the theme of your tree! Some businesses want to highlight specific clients and ask us to buy gifts or gift cards from specific clients/businesses. Others say, ‘whatever you need’ in which case we pick a unique theme (our camping tree last year is a good example of that).

Friend of the Chamber is for a business that wants to give less than $500, but prefers a check over a donation. We accept checks from $100-$500, and you will be listed as a Friend of the Chamber tree. We pool the FoC donations to create several trees.

Lastly, if you want to hire the Tree Squad to buy a tree and decorations but you want to provide the gifts, we can do that too! For that one, we set up a pick-up time for the gifts and you cut a check for a tree and decorations. 

Cory the Elf on the Street; Get a Pic!

Much of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Cory will be in costume collecting donations for the MTF as well as answering your questions. Please text Cory at (207) 649-5282 if you want...

• Cory to drop by to pick up a donation
• Cory to come by and pick up a check
• the Elf in a picture with your staff
• to ask a question about a donation, tree space or sponsorship

If you'd like an MTF flyer to hang in your business, click here.

If you have a more elaborate question, email Cory - if its urgent and elaborate, we suppose you can call him!

Thank you for your time, patience, and support. We quite literally couldn't do any of this without you.

Look for our regular newsletter on Friday.

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

Our 2023 Cornerstone Banking Member: 

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

Our 2023 Cornerstone Commercial Real Estate Member: 

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

Our 2023 Cornerstone Residential Real Estate Member: 

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

Our 2023 Cornerstone Healthcare Member: 

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

Our 2023 Cornerstone Automotive Sales Member: 

Darling's Brunswick Ford