W.A.C.E.’s Strategic Imperatives Driving Increased Member Value

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

​Two years ago, W.A.C.E.’s board made the decision to become a fully independent association with dedicated staff leadership.    At that time, the board created a formal three-year strategic plan with four key imperatives and several programs and activities designed to address industry needs and increase member value.
As W.A.C.E. moves into the final year of that current Strategic Plan, we are proud of the meaningful progress made toward strengthening the Chamber profession and supporting Chamber leaders across the West. Grounded in our mission to “Lead and Promote the Development of Chamber Professionals,” the plan was designed around four strategic imperatives that continue to guide our work and priorities.

​The first imperative focused on providing Chambers with best practices in industry standards through education and resources. Over the past two years, W.A.C.E. has expanded and refined its professional development offerings in significant ways. Academy and Academy-Plus curriculum has been updated while the programs continue to receive extremely high satisfaction ratings, webinar programming expanded to six sessions with more than 240 subscriptions, and the Annual Conference exceeded attendance targets while earning exceptionally strong participant ratings. W.A.C.E. also launched new AI Learning Lab cohorts, began a review and update of the Resource Library, and continued producing benchmarking and operations surveys that provide valuable data to member Chambers.  In the coming year, additional work will focus on increasing participation in completing new and updated toolkits, and improving engagement with member communications.

The second imperative centered on advancing the Chamber leadership pipeline. W.A.C.E. successfully launched a new committee structure creating broadened member engagement and additional volunteer leadership experiences. The Emerging Leaders program has seen grown in participants and has very high engagement. The association updated portions of its recognition and awards programs while continuing progress on ACE credentialing enhancements. Looking ahead, additional focus will be placed on developing new recruitment and succession-planning resources to attract and prepare the next generation of Chamber professionals.

The third imperative emphasized enhancing opportunities to foster peer relationships within the Chamber industry. Intentional networking elements added to the annual conference, along with multiple in-person local convenings generated positive feedback from attendees, reinforcing the importance of peer connection and shared learning. W.A.C.E. also strengthened new member onboarding and continued development of subject matter expert referral resources. In the final year of the plan, the organization will continue working to expand regional programming opportunities and refresh peer group engagement models.

Finally, the fourth imperative challenged W.A.C.E. to innovate its business model and strengthen long-term sustainability. Significant progress has been made through expanded staff support, growth in strategic partner memberships, and the securing of mission-supporting grants. Membership revenue increased, and operational procedures are being formalized to improve efficiency and continuity. Priorities for the coming year include strengthening membership retention, advancing communication and marketing audits, and completing work related to long-term investment and financial policies.
While several initiatives remain in progress, the momentum created through this strategic plan reflects the strength, collaboration, and commitment of W.A.C.E. members and volunteers. Together, we are building an even stronger association that is well-positioned to support Chamber professionals as they navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead.
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Watch for information about how you can can help guide the board’s extension of the plan beyond the first three years.   Over the next couple of months, we will be reaching out to members for honest feedback, great ideas, and insight into the challenges you face that we can help improve.