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Your annual membership investment in the Chamber is tax-deductible as a necessary business expense. But what you get goes FAR BEYOND a deductible line item. We'd prefer you think of it as what it really is -- one of your best investments in your marketing, advertising and training budgets!
What's In It For Me?
Develop New Markets and Business Contacts
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The Greater Ukiah Chamber of Commerce can put you in touch with hundreds of contacts who could become new clients and customers. Here's how:
Representation and Government Advocacy: The Chamber tracks local and state issues that affect members. Our job is to advocate the business viewpoint to all levels of government so that public policy decisions lead to a healthy business climate and better quality of life. In addition to tracking and acting on local issues that may affect businesses and the community, our Chamber's membership and active participation with the U.S. and California Chambers of Commerce buys you the information and lobbying strength of both these powerful organizations. Through Chamber publications and special candidate and issue forums, we keep you abreast of the information you need to know.
Business After Hours Mixers: A Chamber member will host an open house at their business, inviting attendees to a first-hand view of their facilities and products or services. The events are perfect "business-to-business" networking opportunities to establish new relationships and business contacts.
Business Showcases: Two times each year a local hotel or restaurant banquet facility is the location for these events that promote participating exhibitors, their products and services in a table top, trade-show environment.
Special Events: Events held throughout the year, such as the Local Issues Forum, Business Issues and Legislative Updates Breakfast, and the annual Installation Dinner event bring members together for both business and pleasure.
Committees and Task Force Meetings: Participation in committee activities and working with others on major projects offers members additional opportunities to meet business and professional people sharing similar interests - and who are looking for new contacts too.
Exposure and Publicity for Your Business
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There is no more effective way to get your firm's name before the public and business community than through Chamber membership. Here's how:
Membership Directory Listings: All members receive two free listings in the Membership Directory, alphabetical and categorical.
Newsletter Publicity: The Chamber's Chamber Network newsletter keeps members and key communicators in the Ukiah area informed about Chamber activities and programs, legislation impacting business, new benefits for members, community happenings and YOUR news. The newsletter immediately lists your firm upon joining, then offers free publicity to members announcing new products, services, promotions and advancements in the Business Briefs and Member News sections.
Referrals: The Chamber receives thousands of requests each year for recommendations on goods or services to be purchased in the Ukiah area. We refer only our Chamber members to these newcomers, visitors and area residents by using our membership database and our Membership Directory.
Sponsorship Opportunities: High visibility and advertising
value is offered to members who sponsor various Chamber events,
such as our monthly mixers, Redwood Empire Business Expo, Holiday
Trolley, and the web site.
Your presence on the World Wide Web: The Chamber's web site on the Internet includes a listing of our entire membership, so individual's "surfing the net" will find your firm's name on our pages with lots of other interesting and helpful information. If you have a web site, we will provide a direct link to your site from ours and for those who don't, or even if you do, you can have your own web page dedicated to your business through our online Business Showcase. Other enhancements are also available with our Online Marketing Packages.
Direct Mail Promotion: The Chamber's mailing labels, available for purchase, can give you direct access to a prime audience of business prospects.
Advertising Opportunities: Send your message out to the
entire business community through the Chamber Network, the Membership
Directory and Community Guide, the Ukiah and Mendocino County
Maps, the Hot Sheet inserts or by displaying your brochures
and business cards in our public display racks.
Special Events Assistance: Members enjoy free advice and assistance from our Ambassadors, Membership Committee and Staff in staging Grand Openings, Ribbon Cuttings, Groundbreakings and other events.
Credibility: What's the easiest thing you can do to establish credibility with a customer? Customers like to do business with firms that have a stake in the community that supports them. Your Chamber of Commerce membership plaque on your wall tells everyone you mean business and you care.
Personal and Professional Development
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Member Orientations: Quarterly the Chamber presents a
Member Orientation open to both new and longtime members. Attendees
meet the Chamber President and CEO, staff and other key volunteer
leaders. They leave with a much deeper understanding of the
organization, the benefits membership provides, and how they
can increase the value of their membership through active participation.
Seminars and Workshops: During the year the Chamber of Commerce presents or co-sponsors seminars and workshops on a wide variety of topics of interest to business people in the Ukiah area, many offered at little or no cost. Watch the Chamber's monthly newsletter or check back regularly to the website for dates and specific information.
Leadership Development: "Leadership Mendocino," (link to LM website at www.leadershipmendocino.com) a one-day-a-month course of study held over a ten-month period. Through the Chamber's 501 (c) 3 Foundation, Leadership Mendocino addresses the education, development and enrichment of future leaders for our community. A limited number of applicants are selected for each year's course of study.
Guidance and Counseling: At the Chamber, you've got a friend. If a particular problem has you stumped, or if you need someone to point you in the right direction, each member on staff is here to help. Additionally, the Chamber has a number of helpful books available from our Business Resource Center and a number of business publications and resources available for purchase.
Information Center: The Chamber maintains demographic
information, community information, local publications, maps,
etc. for tourists, new residents and business visitors. We answer
thousands of mail and telephone inquiries annually.
Money Savers from Fellow Members
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Get exclusive Member-to-Member Discounts with the Chamber's special Member to Member Discount Program Card distributed to all members and their employees. For a list of the current offerings by members see the Exclusive Discount page in the Members Section of our website.
Eligibility for Corporate membership rates from the Redwood Health Club for all members, their employees and their families.
Eligibility for membership in the Mendo Lake Credit Union and the Redwood Credit Union for all members.
Bonuses for New Members from Current Members.
Recognizing the challenges in facing business when just starting out, a number of our members have come together to offer our new members some excellent opportunities for advertising and exposure at a substantial reduction or even for FREE!
Print Offers:
- The Ukiah Daily Journal offers new Chamber members a free 6" by 3-colmun width ad welcoming you to the Chamber and introducing your business to the community, (a $208 value). 707-468-3500
- The Hometown Shopper offers a free advertisement to new Chamber members (a $100 value)
- The Redwood Empire Telephone Directory offers new Chamber members a $200 discount on display advertising in their Inland Mendocino County directory.
- The Greater Ukiah Chamber of Commerce offers a $45 discount on a new members first Hot Sheet Flyer insert into the Chamber Network.
Radio Offers:
- K-WINE offers new Chamber members a "two for the
price of one" flight of advertising spots (a $400 value)
- KUKI AM/FM Purchase 2 Commercials and get the 3rd
one FREE
- KNTI FM offers new Chamber members a "two for the
price of one" flight of advertising spots (a $500 value)
- KZYX and KZYZ offers one free package of underwriting
announcements (an $182 value)
- Q106 FM offers new Chamber members a "two for the
price of one" flight of advertising spots (a $500 value)
- The Coast KOZT-FM 95.3/95.9 will air
commercials for your new business equal to the amount of
your annual Chamber dues (up to a maximum of $500) within
3 months of joining. (Subject to inventory availability).
For more information about these offers, contact the Chamber of Commerce at info@ukiahchamber.com or view the member-to-member discounts and offerings page.
The Chamber Board of Directors and Staff are involved with numerous organizations and associations within the community, the region and the state; following are just some of those that the chamber works with in a regular, consistent basis:
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Greater Ukiah Chamber of Commerce Investment Schedule
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• Apply for Membership Online
For federal income tax purposes, your investment in the Greater Ukiah
Chamber of Commerce is deductible as a necessary business expense (IRS
§162); however, it is not deductible as a charitable contribution
(IRS §10701).
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