Why Join ASCP?

The two biggest reasons to become involved with the Association of State Chamber Professionals are 1) information and 2) involvement. Virtually everything that we do can be traced back to one of these two items.

Information

Because we are not competing against each other from state to state, the members of ASCP are free to share information as needed. This sharing can be as simple as calling up a peer from another state and asking how they handled a situation, to using this web site and all its levels of information, to attending the yearly ASCP conference. At the end of the day, you can walk away with vital feedback and tips that can help you do a better job.

Involvement

It's one thing to bring a body of knowledge into a job, but quite another to take that knowledge and make it grow. By being involved with your peers at ASCP, you have a vehicle with which to expand your abilities and skills. To do this, however, you need to become involved with your peers -- both short term and long term. Being a member of ASCP allows you to gain that national involvement that can mean the difference between doing a good job, and doing a fantastic job! (Say "fantastic" like Zig Ziglar would and you'll know what we're talking about!)

If you would like to become involved in ASCP and take advantage of its many benefits, please complete and submit our online Membership Application form.

The Association of State Chamber Professionals (ASCP) is dedicated to the growth and professional development of our members; membership, marketing, communications, and non-dues professionals from state chambers of commerce and business associations across the country. The association takes great pride in offering continuous networking, benchmarking, and peer support opportunities within our membership.

Nine years ago, I attended my first ASCP (formerly AMME) conference in Big Sky, Montana. I went with a specific goal in mind, to learn how other state chambers were implementing new dues formulas with “investor” or “tiered” levels. I went back to my chamber armed with several compelling examples that convinced our board to proceed, resulting in $200,000+ in dues increases over an 18 month period. Talk about ROI.

Since then, each year I’ve had the opportunity to attend the conference and every year I return to my chamber with great ideas that turn into great programs for our chamber members. I also go home every year knowing that I’ve met professionals from around the country who I can call on for advice and resources throughout the year. This is an incredibly rich network.

Amazingly, it doesn’t matter if it’s a large state chamber with lots of staff or a smaller chamber with less than a dozen; members of ASCP all bring something to the table of value to share at the conferences or through the website’s resources and the group’s social media outlets.

Your membership with ASCP is time and money well spent, easily demonstrating your chamber’s return on investment. The feedback from the 2011 ASCP Fall Conference in Pinehurst, North Carolina was extremely positive. On behalf of the ASCP board, I am honored to declare that we are committed to the continued success and improvement of services and programs to the ASCP membership.

I look forward to working with the board on your behalf and to seeing you at Coeur D’Alene, Idaho from September 15-19 for an amazing 2012 ASCP Fall Conference.

Sincerely,
Joyce LaRoche
Maine State Chamber of Commerce