Governance
The GWA Chamber of Commerce's governance is defined by the organization's by-laws in conjunction with a set of defined policies, practices and mechanisms by which the organization is directed, controlled and financially managed. Organization leadership represents the membership in its entirety, treating all members in a fair and inclusive manner, consistently acting in the best interests of the overall organization and ensuring transparent and responsible decision-making procedures.
The Chamber utilizes a strategic framework for organizational planning with a defined vision, mission statement, core values, a three-year strategic plan and annual operations plans. The Annual Report includes descriptions of the organization's progress items during the past year and plans for the upcoming year.
Annual Meeting Presentation
Below is a copy of the presentation shared with GWA Chamber of Commerce members at the Annual Meeting of the members. This presentation information summarized content from the GWA Chamber's 2023 Annual Report.
Vision
A vision is a long term, enduring, aspirational view of a community, business or other type of organization. A vision should also be believable and relevant, building a tangible image in people's minds, providing inspiration, purpose and direction. A vision is where the organization wants to be in the future. The following statement vision applies to the GWA Chamber of Commerce:
“The GWA Chamber of Commerce is the preeminent place for supporting the common interests of all businesses and professionals in the Towns of Wheatland, Caledonia and surrounding areas, while also helping to inspire community engagement. The businesses and communities served by the Chamber receive recognizable value provided by the organization, stimulating the desire for active participation and positive contribution. The region served by the Chamber views the organization as a cornerstone asset for the community, providing leadership that serves as a catalyst for achievable and sustainable business and economic improvement along with helping to promote civic vitality”.
Mission Statement
A mission statement is used to help define the enduring purpose of an organization, providing information and standards regarding how the organization operates and how it will go about helping realize the established vision. The GWA Chamber of Commerce mission statement is defined below:
“The GWA Chamber of Commerce, as a New York State nonprofit corporation, is dedicated to serving the Towns of Wheatland, Caledonia and surrounding areas by helping to facilitate a prosperous business climate through common business interests and a suitable quality of life for the region served. The Chamber engages in activities directed at general business and economic improvement across the region.”
Core Values
Core values are defined as the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization that shape behavior and action. The GWA Chamber of Commerce is committed to the following core values to ensure successful achievement of its stated mission:
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Outstanding Stakeholder Relations: Operate with the highest integrity and ethics at all times, consistently treating all Chamber stakeholders fairly, with courtesy and respect. Chamber stakeholders include: members, area residents, area non-member businesses, out-of-area suppliers, visitors, local municipal Governments and other relevant organizations.
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Safety: Promote a safe and productive community environment by instituting and enforcing essential safety related practices for all Chamber sponsored programs, events and activities.
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Sense of Community: Encourage business and individual community engagement and service by actively promoting a spirit of volunteerism for charitable, educational or other worthwhile activities in the region served by the Chamber.
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Collaboration: Cooperate effectively with all stakeholders, working together as true partners towards the common best interest of Chamber Members and the communities in the region served by the Chamber.
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Fiscal Responsibility: Be responsible and accountable for the financial well-being of the Chamber today and into the future, transparently aligning member needs with provided services, consistently delivering high quality at a reasonable cost.
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Preservation: Promotion and careful stewardship of the region’s distinctive heritage, natural environment and prominent amenities.
Strategic Plan
Provides high level directions covering a three-year planning horizon, including:
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Goals - Provide broad statements of strategic direction intended to steer the development of subsequent elements of the planning process, including objectives, strategies and action plans.
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Objectives -Decomposes a broadly defined goal into specific constituent components of “what” needs to be accomplished in order to satisfy the associated goal.
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Strategies - Systematic plans and methods that broadly define “how” to approach and achieve objectives, that are much less specific than actions defined in associated Annual Operations plans.
Annual Operations Plan
Provides detailed plans on an annual basis defines as a set of one or more specific steps that collectively implement a strategy in a tangible and measurable manner, including the following as applicable:
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Actions – Prioritized, incremental and measurable actions (the detailed “what”)
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Approach - Description of methodology for completing individual actions (the detailed “how”)
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Resources - Allocation of resources (“who” is responsible for completing actions)
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Timeframe – Period of performance including identified time of completion (the “when”)