Volunteer power

guest commentary by Whitney Yoder, vice president of program development, Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce

A little more than 12 months ago, the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce underwent significant organizational changes all for the sake of involvement.

We’re a membership-based organization and yet we weren’t allowing opportunities for our members to get involved and have ownership. This is something that our new (at that time) President and CEO Paul Harvel noticed immediately and recommended the board create five divisions to foster involvement: Economic Development, Education & Quality of Place, Governmental Affairs, Health Care, and Membership, Marketing & Services.

Paul saw not only the need for more programs but also the hunger from the volunteers to contribute and belong. Creating the five new divisions allowed us to expand the executive committee and open the door to endless ideas and possibilities, and thus the power of volunteers.

Starting in 2009, the Chamber had 3 committees with which members could get involved. At the beginning of 2010, we had more 30. Just since January, the Chamber has held more than 70 committee meetings with more than 700 members attending. Now, these members aren’t merely attending meetings, they’re working to make things happen in the organization and community.

Take for example, the Christmas Honor’s project; a group of volunteers led by Philip Merry gathered in late October to beginning planning for the projects and programs they wanted the Education and Quality of Place division to accomplish in 2010. They were so excited and ready to act that they said “why wait” and decided to raise $60,000 and place a wreath on each of the 12,000 headstones at the National Cemetery in just under six weeks.

Philip Merry and crew did it and it was a beautiful thing that brought the whole community together … the power of volunteers.

In April, Rob Ratley brought together representatives from communities within a 50-mile radius of Fort Smith and formalized the Fort Smith Regional Economic Development Alliance. This is a concept and idea that has failed in the past, but because of the power of volunteers, the newly formed alliance has hit the ground running.

I’d be remiss if I failed to mention our recent Total Resource Campaign and the huge impact that volunteers had on that. In May the Chamber launched its first ever Total Resource Campaign: “Fistful of Dollars.”

A total resource campaign is just that; revenue is generated for Chamber programs by selling sponsorship opportunities, recruiting new members, re-evaluating existing accounts, and raising economic development funds.

We had a goal of $300,000 and just more than 3 weeks to do it. Jeff Smith led the charge and inspired more than 100 other volunteers to donate their time and energy to ensure our goal was met. When all was said and done, we had raised $261,000 and an additional $79,500 in-kind. What once seemed impossible was now reality all because (say it with me), “the power of volunteers.”

I’ve just shared a few of the ways volunteers have taken our organization to the next level. This past year has been an eye-opening experience for me just seeing what can be accomplished when you give people permission to dream and say go make it happen.

If you want to see the power of volunteers, join the Chamber at the Mid-Year Meeting presented by Mitsubishi at 11:30 a.m., July 15 at the Holiday Inn City Center. We will celebrate our great volunteers and their accomplishments over the past six months and look forward to the remainder of the year and what’s still to come.

Don’t underestimate the power of volunteers.