Chamber Outlook 2026: Key Insights from the W.A.C.E. Benchmarking Survey and Year-Over-Year Comparison

Glenn Morris, President & CEO, W.A.C.E

​The 2026 W.A.C.E. Benchmarking Survey shows a chamber industry that remains broadly stable and optimistic about its own future, even as respondents are more cautious about the broader economy. Overall, the most noteworthy year-over-year changes are: stronger expectations for new member sales; a notable increase in chambers expecting to raise dues next year; increased use of tiered membership-only dues models; improved market-share awareness; and continued confidence in chambers despite caution about state and national economic conditions.

Membership Retention and Sales
Membership retention remains strong. The average 2026 membership retention rate was approximately 84.6%, with a median of 85%, compared with the 2025 reported average of 85%. This suggests no meaningful erosion in retention performance.

Expectations for retention are also similar year over year. In 2026, about 42% expected retention to increase, about 4% expected it to decrease, and about 54% expected it to stay about the same. In 2025, 37.6% expected an increase, 8.0% expected a decrease, and 54.4% expected no change. The positive change is that fewer chambers expect retention to decline.

New member sales expectations improved. In 2026, roughly two-thirds of respondents expected new member sales to improve, about 4% expected them to worsen, and about 30% expected them to stay the same. In 2025, 60.8% expected improvement, 8.0% expected worsening, and 31.2% expected no change. This indicates a modestly stronger sales outlook in 2026.

Membership Dues and Market Share
In 2026, fewer chambers reported raising dues in the prior year than in 2025. About 42% of 2026 respondents reported increasing dues, compared with 45.6% in 2025. Among those who increased dues in 2026, the average increase was about 6.4%, with a median of 5%. This is lower than the 2025 reported average of 10%.

Looking ahead, however, more chambers expect to raise dues next year. In 2026, 53.54% anticipated a dues increase for the next year, compared with 40.0% in 2025. Among 2026 respondents planning an increase, the average expected increase was about 5.4%, with a median of 5%, similar to the 2025 reported average of 5%.

Market-share awareness improved. In 2026, approximately 47.5% of respondents reported knowing their chamber’s market share, compared with 36.8% in 2025. Among those who provided a market-share figure, the 2026 average was about 22.6%, compared with 29% in 2025. The improved awareness is positive, but the lower average may suggest that more chambers with modest market share are now tracking and reporting the metric.

Dues Model
The dues model mix changed noticeably. In 2026, about 64% of respondents reported using a tiered membership-only model, compared with 42% in 2025. Fair-share models declined from 26% in 2025 to roughly 18% in 2026, while total investment or combined membership-sponsorship models declined from 20.0% to roughly 10%. About 8% of respondents reported using some type of a hybrid or transitional models.

This is one of the clearest year-over-year trends: the industry appears to be continuing to move toward tiered, membership-only dues models with sponsorships handled separately or selectively.

Participation Trends
Event and activity participation remained generally healthy, especially for events. The 2026 survey shows many chambers reporting increasing or stable participation in ribbon cuttings, mixers, chamber-sponsored events, marketing co-ops, and committees. The pattern is broadly consistent with 2025, when chamber-sponsored events and mixers were the strongest categories for increasing participation.

The main takeaway is that in-person engagement appears stable to improving, with chamber-sponsored events and mixers remaining strong participation channels. Committee participation and ribbon cuttings appear more mixed, with many respondents reporting stability rather than growth.

Staffing and Volunteers
The average 2026 chamber reported approximately 6 full-time employees, 1 part-time employee, and 1 other worker or contractor. This is similar to 2025, when the averages were 5.6 full-time, 1.2 part-time, and 1.0 other.

Staffing expectations remain mostly stable. Most 2026 respondents expected staffing to stay the same, with a strong minority hoping or planning to hire and very few expecting to downsize. This is directionally similar to 2025, when 56.19% expected staffing to stay the same, 31.43% were hoping to hire, 10.48% said they were hiring, and only 1.90% expected to downsize.

Volunteer expectations also appear steady. In both years, a little more than half of respondents expected volunteer participation to grow, roughly 35% expected it to stay the same, while a small, but notable group expected a decline in the number of volunteers engaged at their Chamber.

Partnerships and Revenue
Chambers continue to maintain a wide range of formal relationships with tourism organizations, visitor centers, economic development organizations, business improvement districts, foundations, coworking facilities, and PACs. As in 2025, foundations, visitor centers, tourism, and economic development relationships appear especially relevant.

The 2026 revenue-source data indicates that Membership dues remain the top source of income at 39% overall. Events come in next at 26%, with contracts for services/management fees coming in close behind at 21%. Looking ahead, respondents indicated they anticipate continued growth in membership dues, sponsorships, and event income, with stability in the other revenue streams.

In 2025, membership dues were reported by 100% of respondents and averaged 38% of total income. Events were reported by 96% and averaged 27% of total income. General sponsors/investors were reported by 69% and averaged 19%. Contracts for services were reported by 51% and averaged 23%.

Advocacy, Political Action, and Government Relations
The 2026 survey includes a more detailed review of Chambers’ involvement in political action and advocacy. Most chambers appear not to be directly involved in many forms of political action, particularly candidate endorsements, contributions, independent expenditure campaigns, and scorecards. Candidate forums, voter information, and ballot initiative or referendum activity appear to be more common than direct candidate-focused activity.

On advocacy and government relations, chambers are more broadly engaged. Common activities include participating in coalitions, signing coalition letters, educating members about legislative proposals, hosting elected officials, and providing issue briefings. This suggests that advocacy remains a core chamber function, but many chambers approach it through education, coalition activity, and relationship-building rather than direct electoral activity.

Economic and Chamber Outlook
The 2026 economic outlook is mixed. Respondents were most optimistic about their local economies: 49% responded that they were positive or very positive, 37% were neutral, and 15% were negative.
The outlook becomes more cautious at the state and national levels. For the state economy, 25% were positive or very positive, 34% were neutral, and 41% were negative or very negative. For the national economy, 21% were positive or very positive, 36% were neutral, and 43% were negative or very negative.

This is a more nuanced view than the 2025 report, which focused on local economic optimism and showed 46.08% positive or very positive, 26.47% neutral, and 27.45% negative or very negative. The 2026 data suggests respondents remain relatively confident locally but are more concerned about macroeconomic conditions.

Despite broader economic caution, respondents remain optimistic about their own chambers. In 2026, about 85% of respondents were positive or very positive about their chamber over the next one to three years. This is broadly consistent with 2025, when 83.33% were positive or very positive about their chamber.

W.A.C.E. Support Needs and Net Promoter Score
Open-ended 2026 responses indicate strong interest in practical support from W.A.C.E. Common themes included AI training and tools, revenue generation, sponsorships, grant opportunities, workforce development, economic development partnerships, foundations, board development, advocacy, strategic planning, onboarding, and resource-library improvements.

W.A.C.E.’s Net Promoter Score improved in 2026. The 2026 NPS was 66, with 70% promoters, 27% passives, and 4% detractors. In 2025, the NPS was 57, with 63% promoters, 30% passives, and 6% detractors. This is a strong positive change and suggests improved member satisfaction and likelihood to recommend W.A.C.E.

Access the Full Report
To dive deeper into these shifting trends, explore detailed operational breakdowns, and access the comparative metrics that will help guide your chamber's strategic planning for the year ahead, we invite you to view the complete document. Head over to our Resource Library now to download the full W.A.C.E. 2026 Benchmarking Survey Report.