Moraga Chamber of Commerce

 

Date	Place	Time	Type of Meeting
Friday January 29	Hacienda	7:30 AM to 9:00 AM	General Meeting
Monday February 22	Terzetto's	6:00 PM to 8:00 PM	Mixer
Friday, March 26	Hacienda	7:30 AM to 9:00 AM	General Meeting
Monday, April 19	Moraga Country Club	6:00 PM to 8:00 PM	Mixer
Friday May 21	Hacienda	7:30 AM to 9:00 AM	General Meeting
Monday June 28	Terzetto's	6:00 PM to 8:00 PM	Business Person of the Year Dinner
Tuesday July 27	Saint Mary's College	6:00 PM to 8:00 PM	Mixer
Tuesday August 31	Moraga Commons	6:00 PM to 8:00 PM	BBQ
Friday September 24	Hacienda	7:30 AM to 9:00 AM	General Meeting
Tuesday October 26		6:00 PM to 8:00 PM	Mixer
Friday November 19	Hacienda	7:30 AM to 9:00 AM	General Meeting
Tuesday December 7	Moraga Royale	7:00 PM to 9:00 PM	Holiday Party

The Chamber meets on Tuesday evenings one month and on Friday mornings the next month whenever we do not have a conflict. We often have speakers whose expertise relates to the issues we are addressing at our monthly meetings. The Chamber would like to invite you to join us. Your membership would greatly enhance our organization.

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CONDENSED FROM CHAMBER GOALS MEETING JANUARY 2010

INTRODUCTION

The purpose here is to begin to establish goals and priorities for the Chamber to tackle for the balance of 2010 and into 2011.

This list has been prepared from notes submitted by Chamber members at the January Chamber meeting. Although we’ve tried to include all ideas, some were either unintelligible or seemed not to make sense and thus may not be found in these lists. If your idea is missing here, feel free to speak up so that it can be added.

Some of the ideas need some fleshing out. This is where individuals must take some responsibility for volunteering to handle this.

Your board of directors stands ready to guide the endeavors of the membership.

IDEAS THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IMMEDIATELY

1) Business informational speakers (our need here is to determine what subjects are of interest)

2) Challenge each member to sponsor a new member(s); invite guests to come and observe at our Chamber meetings.

3) Better link our two websites. This has been accomplished but should be reviewed by the membership.         www.shopmoragafirst.com     www.moragachamber.org 

4) Publicize the websites in the LaMorinda Weekly (This program has been implemented)

WEBSITES

1) Integration of the two sites as indicated above.

2) Need for a dedicated person or other means to keep the sites current.

3) Content:

- Invite high schools, middle schools, St. Mary’s students have a means for adding to the websites. (Please note, there is an extensive series of links to the St. Mary’s College events).

- Highlight one or two businesses per month.

- Include a facebook button to become a fan.

- Produce a newsletter with reciprocal links.

4) Publicity for the websites

- Create bookmarks for library/schools/sponsors

- Sponsor a bookmark contest to create these bookmarks

- Write a series of articles for the local papers discussing our websites

- Constant Contact (Our regular Chamber is news currently published and distributed on Constant Contact. Links to the websites are included.

- Partner with or advertise in high schools' newsletter.

- Create stickers and/or bumper stickers promoting shopmoragafirst.

- Use town signing to promote the websites

- Issue rubber stamps to be used to stamp sales receipts with www.shopmoragafirst.com.

- Use in store and/or in window posters to promote the sites.

5) Form committee to sell ad space on the shopmoragafirst site.

6) Download coupons from the Chamber site? or the shopmoragafirst site? Promote availability in papers such as the LaMorinda Weekly.

MEMBERSHIP GROWTH

1) Informational speakers. (As stated above the need is to determine what subjects are of interest. Should speakers be solely informational or should training be included?)

2) Challenge each member to sponsor a new member(s) and/or to bring guests to the meeting.

3) Directory: Place a page of benefits of belonging to the Chamber in the general directory.

4) Recruit individual business owners as point where prospective members may go for information.

5) Recruit “outside the area” members. (Currently we have a number of such members).

6) Create a special effort to contact medical doctors, eye doctors, dentists, vets and similar.

7) Group email to friends.

MISCELLANEOUS

1) Post volunteer opportunities on Chamber sites and school websites. The intermediate school, for example, requires service hours for each student.

2) Consider an informational booth at the Lafayette Wine and Art Festival.

3) Facilitate B to B partnerships between members.

4) Outreach to local churches. 

5) Set up SCORE classes in town.

6) Evening mixers every other month.

7) Form Business Development Council. (Sounds more like participation on a Town Council Committee).

8) Purchase Rheem Center.

9) Purchase Rheem Theater.

10) Promote other uses for the Rheem Center such as a St. Mary’s sponsored nursing and/or law school along with dorm space.

11) Develop a closer relationship between the two shopping centers.

 

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