ONEIDA, N.Y. — The Greater Oneida Chamber of Commerce has recently closed its small office in Oneida and moved to a virtual model to serve members. “The concept of a virtual model for the chamber came to fruition via a sequence of events,” Kim M. Caro president of the Greater Oneida Chamber of Commerce board […]
ONEIDA, N.Y. — The Greater Oneida Chamber of Commerce has recently closed its small office in Oneida and moved to a virtual model to serve members.
“The concept of a virtual model for the chamber came to fruition via a sequence of events,” Kim M. Caro president of the Greater Oneida Chamber of Commerce board of directors, tells CNYBJ in an email interview. “We, as the board, had discussions at pre-COVID meetings regarding possible options as an alternative to a brick-and-mortar location.”
As COVID-19 restrictions in the spring caused businesses to either close or function remotely, the chamber opted for remote. At the time, the organization had a part-time executive director, its sole employee, who was able to work from home, doing membership outreach.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Greater Oneida Chamber was forced to cancel its fundraising events, which are its major sources of revenue, says Caro — who owns an insurance agency in Oneida, called Caro-Northrup Agency, which is associated with Allstate. “Unfortunately, 501 (c)(6) organizations like chambers of commerce do not qualify for the grants/loans offered by the government to assist,” she adds.
In July, the chamber’s executive director left the organization and from that point on, the executive committee of the board has taken on many of the duties. “This was the catalyst needed to spur our new vision into action,” says Caro.
The Greater Oneida Chamber of Commerce (www.oneidachamberny.org) hired Happy to Assist, a local company that handles administrative duties for businesses, she says. And, at the end of September, the chamber vacated its approximately 400-square-foot office at 136 Lenox Ave. in Oneida and moved to the virtual model.
“We are the Greater Oneida Chamber and our membership force includes a large geographical area. By being virtual, it allows us the freedom to not be held captive by a physical address,” says Caro. “We have all had first-hand experiences as to changing consumer mindset, technology advancements, communication options, and the role of social media in every aspect of our lives. As a supporter of local commerce, we the chamber, feel it is important to embrace and help facilitate these changes.”
Although New York’s gathering restrictions still inhibit the chamber from having its traditional fundraisers, it has been developing and implementing new ways to support its membership force.
“This year we have chosen to host our annual dinner awards through a virtual forum. We are engaging members to be more interactive by posting and sharing on social media. We are encouraging members to promote their businesses on the newsletter, [and] our marketing committee is diligently working on campaigns to help foster additional value to our members as well,” Caro says.