May 1, 2024 Breakfast Meeting Notes
Beth was out sick so Alicia ran the meeting.
Guests: Phil LaMoreaux, Erica LaBella, Steve DeMaris from Milford Rotary Club.
Tony presented his famous NH trivia, “How did these NH Institutions get their names?” edition.
Denise won the 50/50 and donated it to Tom.
Our speaker Matty Leighton won the chance to draw for the ace of spades in the card game. Unfortunately she drew the 3 of diamonds so the game continues.
Steve DeMaris mentioned that they do a 50/50 with their golf tournament (they play 100 holes of golf, starting at 6 am) and split the proceeds with another Rotary club. Another club has signed up to be the partner for this year but if we want to get on the list to be considered for this next year, we should sign up. Last year’s event netted the partner club $15,000.
Upcoming events:
Tomorrow will be Rotary After Hours at the Dam Brew House at 5 pm followed by dinner at the Sunset Grill at 6:30. Invite your friends to show them what Rotary is all about!
Greg will be doing trail maintenance and cleanup this Saturday at the Rainbow Falls trailhead at the corner of Cummings Hill where the road turns to go up to Texas Hill Road.Bring loppers, chain saws etc.
Circle Camp cleanup will be the weekend of May 18-19. Beth will pass out a signup sheet next week.
May 18th will also be the day for the Plymouth Historical Society's 50th Anniversary celebration. We will be providing food for this. Alex will do a repeat of the chill buster on the Common; we will need people to flip burgers and otherwise help out. They will need help from 11-2 pm.
Steve Rand offered thanks to Steve DeMaris and the Milford Rotary for their generous donation to Common Man for Ukraine.
Ken spoke about Paul Harris fellowships. If anyone else has spoken to him and wants to become one, be sure to send any additional checks that you promised to Ken by the end of this week as he wants to make the donation to Rotary.
Mike and Braden had birthdays in April. Sharon has been a rotarian for 15 years. Lots of members had joined in April.
Our speaker today was Matty Leighton, director of the Central NH Chamber of Commerce. The Central NH chamber was formed in 2016. Today it serves 23 towns in 5 regions of Central NH. We have 152 fiscal year 2024 members, including individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations. They serve as the channel for business and community connections. The role of the Chamber of Commerce has changed in the last few decades, as many of the historic functions of passing out printed flyers are now obsolete.
The Chamber connects, advocates for, educates promotes and empowers members and non-members in the area. It creates opportunities for members and others to connect through events. They promote businesses via their social media channels, and give people the chance to advertise at their in-person events. This year they received a joint promo grant to create a collaborative advertising campaign. This allowed them to place information at the traveler’s information rest stops covering central NH and also list chamber events. They also have an ad in the White Mountain Guide. They partner with business and industry associations to be sure that their members’ voices are heard. They work with partners to provide free educational opportunities on building a budget, using Excel, increasing profitability, and other useful skills.
Membership has increased by over 27% in the last year and they have increased their retention rate from 68% to 97%. They have increased the number and quality of business after-hours gatherings, provided ribbon cutting ceremonies, and revised their annual travel and tourism event.
This summer they are going to start morning “coffee and conversation” sessions at local businesses. They are also trying to partner with other area chambers. They have featured local businesses and sponsored events prior to Small Business Saturday. They have offered collaborative advertising opportunities and are promoting central NH as a travel destination
Under Matty’s tenure, they have also increased the financial stability of the organization (revenue was up by over $16,000 in the past year).
Projects on the drawing board include redesigning the website to make it more functional; creating a “visit central NH" website, gear ed towards travel and tourists; developing a lead generation group, increasing recruiting for new board affiliate program. Affiliates are volunteers who want to help without becoming a full board member; they visit members, provide information about the chamber, and invite members to events. The Chamber is also trying to identify new revenue streams to reduce reliance on membership dues (which will allow them to develop reserves, which can be used for emergencies and also to develop new projects).
They plan a big push for membership in the next year, reaching out to 74 former members to see if they will rejoin, and also reach out to people who have not been members before.
If you are interested in membership, Matty brought business cards and fliers.. You can also email or call Matty at 603-726-3804, director@centralnh.org
Matty also invited us to two upcoming events, open to the public. If you are competitive and like puzzles and games, attend the Heart of NH Scavenger Hunt on May 18, sponsored by Meredith Village Savings Bank. This is a fun event; it starts with a lap of the track at Wentworth’s Legion Speedway and ends at Tenney Mountain. The event involves visiting member businesses, following clues, and water and possibly snacks. Will be provided. They also have adult beverages for purchase at lunch. Cost is $50/person. There are also still 2 sponsorships available, one for $250 and another for $750. More info on the event can be found at centralnh.org.
The second event is their 2024 annual meeting at the Sunset Pavilion at Owl’s Nest. This is a beautiful venue and they created a special menu just for the Chamber. Tickets are on sale at an early-bird discount.
Steve asked if the chamber could collaborate on a Livermore Falls project. They are a 501(c)6 which doesn’t qualify for tax-deductible donations. Ken Evans is in charge of the project there.
Erica reminded us that there will be a Cinco de Mayo event on May 5 at the Common Mann Inn from 4:30-6:30 to benefit Honduras Hope. The organization is also looking for volunteers.
Happy dollars were shared by Mike, Denise, Erica, Sharon, and Tony.
Respectfully submitted,
Lora Miller, secretary