What does a chamber of commerce do?
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network. It is a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. The Richmond Hill Bryan County Chamber of Commerce provides networking opportunities, educational opportunities, a referral network and works with the local governmental agencies as a representative on behalf of the local businesses' interest.
Can anyone attend chamber events?
The RHBC Chamber of Commerce tries to provide as many events, educational seminars and programs free to our members as part of their member benefits. Occasionally, there is a charge for an event, but that will be outlined on all invitations.
We encourage future members of the RHBC Chamber of Commerce to come visit a Business After Hours event as our guest, free of charge. Any program or seminar that is open to future members and guests may have a small fee, such as lunch and learns are free to members and $15 for future members.
What is the difference between a chamber of commerce and the Better Business Bureau?
A chamber of commerce represents the interests of businesses, while the BBB represents the interests of the general public. RHBC Chamber of Commerce does not mediate any consumer complaints regarding its members. The local BBB's website is: http://savannah.bbb.org/consumers/.
What does it cost to join the chamber?
There are a few factors regarding the membership dues to join the RHBC Chamber of Commerce. The first is whether membership is a business, a professional (licensed individual) or a nonprofit (must have IRS tax exemption determination letter). If a business joins, the annual dues are based on the number of full time employees.
Does the chamber distribute mailing lists or email lists?
The chamber provides mailing labels twice a year for members, as well as bulk permit usage as many times as needed throughout the year. All member contact information is provided in the membership directory, there are no special email or mailing lists that we can provide.
What are the rules for using the RHBC Chamber logo and website?
We encourage members to proudly display their membership in the RHBC Chamber of Commerce. If you would like to use our logo on any print material, please request our high quality image and we will be glad to email it to you. Usage of our image on business websites must be approved in writing by a chamber staff and logos must be linked to our official website at www.rhbcchamber.org.
What does the chamber do for new businesses?
Members that are having a grand opening, reopening or having a ribbon cutting are encouraged to let us help! We have a large invitation list, we will get the event listed on our website and our weekly newsletter, we will work with the Mayor and city officials to schedule their appearance, we contact the newspapers (we cannot guarantee they will come, but we will request coverage), and we will provide the ribbon and giant scissors. Get the most for your membership buck and let us help.
Can we send information to the chamber to send out to the membership?
We use the weekly newsletter to get information out to our membership. Any events, marketing or news needs to be submitted by Friday at 12 noon to go into the weekly newsletter. We cannot do individual emails for everyone; however, we encourage you to get connected to Constant Contact with your chamber membership discount and do your own email marketing (for more info, contact your chamber staff). Guidelines for e-Newsletter