As of April 2012, according to the World Chamber of Commerce Directory and the World Chambers Network, there are roughly 7200 chambers in the United States and 620 in Canada.  This includes chambers of all types. 

See this comprehensive guide from the U.S. Chamber - A Guide to Starting and Growing a Chamber of Commerce.

See this guide to starting an association from Bob Harris of The Nonprofit Center - How to Start an Association.

ACCE's annual salary survey is available to ACCE members only.  This survey is run continuously, so you may participate at any time.  If you have participated in the last 12 months, then you will be able to access the results online for free.  If you do not want to participate, then you may purchase a pdf of the aggregate results (compiled once yearly) for $95.  Click here for more information on the salary survey.

Yes, ACCE University ONLINE offers courses taught by chamber professionals for chamber professionals in an easy-to-use, anytime, anywhere format.  Click here to learn more about ACCE University ONLINE.

ABC Destinations & ACCE Croatia Trip - March 6-13, 2012
ACCE-Citslinc China Trip - March 12-20, 2012

ACCE has a white paper for chambers just starting out with social media.

Below are samples of social media use policies:

• Internal guidelines for social media use - Tulsa, OK
• Guidelines for Blogging and social media - Manatee Chamber of Commerce
• Internal Policy: Blogging Code of Ethics - Salem, OR

Be sure to look at our Chamberpedia page on Social Media as well for more resources and weblinks.

In the ACCE samples library, you will find position descriptions for many of the most common positions at chambers.  Click here to browse the different job titles.  Click on the position title to view or download the position description.

If you are new to chambers of commerce, take a look at this article called Chambers of Commerce: The Basics.

Here is an article from Chamber Executive magazine on Starting Strong.

Here is a comprehensive guide by Bob Harris of The Nonprofit Center - Hit the Ground Running.

Click here for a page where you can download a pdf or Excel file of membership statistics.
Also, we have a Membership Chamberpedia page which will also link you to our Chamberpedia pages on Membership Retention, Sales, and more. 

Visit our 2012 Convention Website!

Imagine what can happen when blue-sky thinking meets grassroots action in the Bluegrass State! Imagine the possibilities when the question of the day is not “what are we going to do?” but “what’s next?” Instead of “why?” you’ll be asking “why not?” when you join your peers in Louisville, aka Possibility City, August 1-4.

ACCE’s Annual Convention is the chamber profession’s premier event, with outstanding education and stimulating networking with the best people in the chamber world. Go to Louisville and you’ll discover limitless possibilities for your chamber, your community and your career.

Check out our Volunteer Management Chamberpedia page for information, resources, and links.

Non-Dues Revenue Champerpedia page

Chamber Executive Magazine Fall 2009: Membership and Non-Dues Revenue

The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) is a national association uniquely serving individuals involved in the management of chambers of all sizes. (What is a Chamber of Commerce?) ACCE's mission is to support and develop chamber professionals to lead businesses and their communities. The organizational vision is that ACCE is the organization of choice for chamber professionals.

ACCE currently has over 7,800 professional members in 1,400 chambers of commerce. These professionals represent local, regional, and state chambers of commerce of all sizes across the United States and Canada.

Our goal is to empower chamber executives with a combination of knowledge, information, networks, connections, and career advancement.

Join one of our many groups on LinkedIn.com and ask your peers!  We have groups for all ACCE members, communications, membership, Young Professionals, and many more!  You can also search these LinkedIn groups by clicking the Search tab when you are on the group’s page.  If this doesn’t answer your question, call or email our virtual reference desk, Ask ACCE.

Here is a link to download ACCE's Hiring Toolkit, a document that will walk you step-by-step through the search, interview, and hiring process for a chamber CEO.

Here is a link to three documents on succession from the ACCE Samples Library.
http://tinyurl.com/ChipSuccession
Once at that page, click on each link to take you to the page where you can download each file. 

Here is a link to Robert Harris' webpage on CEO Performance.  Click on the link for "CEO Transition Plan" to download his perspective on CEO succession.  You might also find the document, "Choosing a Professional CEO" to be useful to your board.  http://www.rchcae.com/ceo-performance-tools-download/ 

ACCE also has a 35-page book on Succession which is available on our website for $20.  Here is the link to the page where you can purchase that book.  You have to login with your member id and password to get the $20 price.
http://tinyurl.com/ACCESuccession

The first link below is an e-book with a description of tiered dues from 5 different communities.  The second is an excellent brochure from Salem, OR with a description of the different dues levels and what benefits come with each level.  The third and fourth links contain different membership application samples.

ACCE e-book on Tiered Dues
Salem (OR) brochure
Oceanside Membership Application with dues schedule
Baltimore-Washington Membership Application with dues and discounts

Let ACCE answer the who, what, when and why questions you have on the job.  This is a free service to ACCE members.  Call 703-998-3524 or email aimhoff@acce.org and expect a reply within 24-48 hours.
You can also click on Ask ACCE and fill out this form to be sure your question goes to the right person at the ACCE office.