Thank you to Chamber Volunteers
It is just over a week since the opening of the Aurora
Chamber Home Show. It was a great event because of our sponsors, the dedication
and support of the exhibitors, volunteers who worked in the ticket booth and
assisted in the Feature Areas, The Optimists who ran the Chamber Pub and Grill
and the unstoppable enthusiasm and energy from staff and committee members. The
committee members include: Robin Taylor-Smith of The Partnership Network,
Diane Buchanan of The Auroran, Janice Clements of Clements Interiors, George
Hughes of Lifestyle Windows Inc., Bob Ince of The Auroran, Brian North of Ellis
Studios and Jack Roeleveld of Jack’s Landscaping.
The Home Show and many other chamber events would never
happen without people who give freely of their time and expertise. I mean this
sincerely – we couldn’t do what we do without volunteers. Thank you for all you
do for the Chamber and many other organizations in Aurora.
People volunteer for many reasons – to give back, feel needed,
initiate change, be challenged, build a resume and on and on. Most of my
volunteer work is giving back in terms of knowledge and experience by serving
on non-profit and charitable boards of directors and committees. Earlier in my
life, I volunteered with children and the youth at my church, schools, theatres
and sports activities, places where my son hung out. I always saw the time I
spent as an exchange – I was new to Ontario and wanted to get involved and they
needed support to continue with their programming. I continued until my son moved
on to other things (cars and girls).
Recognizing volunteers for their contribution to the Chamber
has been on my priority list for a couple of years. It should be are an
integral part of the Chamber as it shows how important their contributions are
to the organization’s success. I have put it off citing time and lack of staff
resources, but it is so important. I have often found that lack of recognition
is the single most stated reason why people leave volunteer and, often, paid positions.
We need volunteers and have to make sure we do a better job at recognizing them
so we can retain them and attract new ones. Watch for further information.
Calling Volunteers .
. .
The Chamber always needs volunteers to help out on an event-only
basis, on committees such as the Advocacy and Government Relations and
Membership and Marketing Committees and the Board of Directors.
The Chamber has a new challenge and we need you help! For
those with great ideas and planning skills - we have to find, develop and
execute a new big event, likely to be
held annually in the fall each year. Interested? We want your ideas and
participation. Please call me at 905-727-7262 or j.marshall@aurorachamber.on.ca
In case you have missed it . . .
On April 21, 2015, Google will change the way searches
on their site are done. From that date forward, websites that are “mobile
friendly” or “responsive” will be given a much higher priority in searches made
from mobile devices such as tablets and phones. Websites that are already mobile or “friendly”,
claim that they have experienced an improvement of 40 percent or more in
searches. Those that are not can anticipate a reduction of 45 percent or more
in search results after that date.
As many as 90 percent of all Small and Medium-sized
Businesses (SMB's) do not have mobile "friendly" websites. In one US
Study, it was found that SMB's there believe they are losing approximately
$60,000 per year in revenue/sales while in the UK, SMB's believe they are
losing $40,000 US$. This is before
the change that Google will make in a weeks’ time. Very little data exists for
the Canadian marketplace.
The Chamber has had some discussion with the Guild for
Intelligence-based Commerce (GIBC) to find out additional information about how
this pending change will affect Canadian SMB's in the GTA. Contact your web master if you have questions.
As we learn more, we will keep you up to date.
Training in Human Resources Coming Soon...
In response to requests from a number of members,
the Chamber is scheduling a series on Human Resources. At this time, we are
reviewing nine modules, each 1.5 hours in length that could be presented from
May 2015 to March 2016 (nothing scheduled for July and August). The proposed
topics include:
The Basics of HR Law Compliance:
What you really need to know
Attracting Talent
Recruiting and Selecting Top
Talent
Onboarding Employees to your
Organization
Engaging your Employee Base to Drive
Results
Managing Performance
Developing your Talent
Strategies for Retaining your
Best and Brightest
Managing Terminations and
Resignations
Let us know if you are interested. You don’t have
to attend all the sessions; just those that are relevant to your business. We
are working on the details such as price and location and would really like to
find out if there still is an interest.
For
further information . . .
A number of members have been asking me about the
Ontario Government’s proposal to introduce a cap and trade system. I have tried
to explain it but . . . for more
information go to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Rapid Policy Update: How Cap and Trade Works.
