Rogue Chambers of Commerce are out there. Know one, by chance?

I was called last week by a Chamber located in Arizona. They have an estimated 2,800 members, so a large Chamber. I love working with Chambers of Commerce!

Except...

When they have gone completely off the rails.

I was talking with the President & CEO of the organization. A dedicated man who has spent over 20 years at the same Chamber -- a rarity these days it seems.

His email to me was about doing a Bylaw and Policy review. I dig doing that.

That is NOT what his phone call was about! I tried to not act shocked. Don't think I did a very good job at that.

See, he has this new Board of Directors who want to throw the baby and the bath water out completely. Said they don't need Bylaws. Certainly do not need any legal policies. And wants to cut their staff by 4 -- they have a staff of 8 currently -- and according to the President & CEO, those 8 people are taxed every day. That many members can tax anyone.

I listened to him for about 20 minutes, taking copious notes, waiting for him to tell me why he called me! He was in staccato talk -- unable to complete a full sentence. He was angry and confused. Don't blame him.

I did remind him that the other staff members were HIS employees, not the Boards. He knew that.

I did remind him that a yearly review of their governing documents is warranted to make sure they are up with compliance. He knew that.

I questioned him a bit more about how they use their legal policies, and he had great answers. He knows his stuff.

It's like he wanted to tell me, but didn't want to tell me.

I broke it down a bit to ask him questions to try to get to the bottom of all of this.

Question: Is your Chamber financially secure?

Answer: Yes

Question: Are you comfortable with your current staff?

Answer: Yes

Question: Can you email me your current Bylaws and any policies you have on file?

Answer: Yes

The Bylaws and Policies were emailed to me. Much to my surprise, they were really good. I was expecting a disaster. Not the case at all. They need a few updates to their policies, but overall, they are in great standing. The President & CEO has Chamber credentials and is an active member of his State Chamber.

I called him back after my review and asked him about the new Chair of the Board. He said she is a successful real estate broker and a long-standing Chamber member. Never had any issues with her before she got on the Board. Until now.

See, Mrs. Real Estate Broker thinks she knows more than their leader, can fix the Chamber (it's not broken, by the way), and said 'Bylaws and legal policies are unnecessary pieces of paper'. AND...there it is.

We set-up a Zoom Board meeting where I could see for myself what is going on. The new Chair is loud and abusive to the other Board members -- who cower and cater to her. Made my stomach turn.

So, I focused my discussion with the other 16 Board members (WAY TOO BIG OF A DAMN BOARD). I could see the Board members perking up as I talked. I completely ignored the Chair. She knew I was completely ignoring her which made me smile! She did try to bully me at the beginning, but that didn't go as she planned. I was clear and precise in my language to them.

This is an ongoing struggle for them. I will report back once I get them organized and moving forward. There are too many issues like this in our nonprofits. It is senseless and exhausting.

Thanks for reading,

Sally

MISSION STATEMENT

The Mission of the Crawford County Leadership Alliance is to cultivate dynamic community leaders through collaboration, networking, professional training, and exposure to local organizations.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

The purpose of the Organization is to inspire, educate, and empower diverse leaders to address community challenges for a resilient future in Crawford County, Illinois.

Founders Darby and Kyle Dishong created this new nonprofit in Crawford County, Illinois. They understand raising people up providing leadership guidance to become successful.

The Leadership Class had three projects, each with big community impacts.

~ Digital Equity

~ Community Emergency Notification System Update

~Leadership Crawford County Ambassadors.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Darby Dishong, First Robinson Savings Bank, N.A.Nikki Westdorp, Robinson Title/Real Estate BrokerBrandon Gurley, Casey State BankKyle Dishong, Prairie Rivers InvestmentsRhonda Manship, First Robinson Savings Bank, N.A.Harlei Payne, First Robinson Savings Bank, N.A.Koert Mehler, First Robinson Savings Bank, N.A.Daniel Dix, Marathon Petroleum CorporationChad Tuttle, Marathon Petroleum CorporationResa Shaner, Crawford County Development AssociationSharmila Kacak, IECC Business & IndustryRachel Hernandez, First National Bank at Olney