3. Outcomes
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Klondike Business Community values DCCC.
Gold Show is crown jewel of DCCC assets.
Members expect news, events, networking, etc.
Be at the table.
LOCAL BUY and DAWSON DOLLARS
YET…
• Feel disconnected
• Don’t know what’s going on
• Renewals at 40% retention
• Why do we keep Strategic Planning?
• Think DCCC is important but waning
• Note apathy by members to reinvest and to help LEAD
4. Specifically
• Stop the cycle – Stabilize the organization with consistent
HR, an engaged full complement at the Board table and
effective yet basic operational policies
• Have a SMART Strategic plan that addresses strengths and
weaknesses
• Keep doing what is working, evaluate and adjust what’s
important but needs improvement, lose what’s not ‘valuable’
7. Introductions
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23 years in Yukon – originally of NS
6 years running WCC
6 years running TIA Yukon
2006 National Valedictorian – CAE
5 years Management Consulting
Strategy, Management, Feasibility, Research, Training for
NGO’s, Tourism, Cultural and Resource industries, community
relations
• 2013 EQAT™ with the Canadian Tourism Commission
• Aspire to slow down…
8. Chamber Proposal
• Recommended by YCC in Spring 2013
• Met Board members in April
• Asked to assess and propose help for low Board numbers, apathy of
members, no staff, important and historically significant business org
for the Klondike and Chair running on empty
• Proposal submitted to YG Ec Dev and DCCC Board
• Approved early July
• Got started a few times but staff turn-over impacted momentum
• Working with Diego Martin and local community
navigator, contractor and colleague Vera Holmes
9. Approach
• Need to learn from members what’s going on – through
interviews and online surveys
• Need to look at the past activity to today including most recent
strategic plan of ‘07, implementation plan of ‘08, state of
Bylaws, operational and governance policies, financials, Board
composition, etc.
• Need to understand if Klondike Region values a Chamber of
Commerce and to define that value
• Need to reach out to other community and industry
associations to gauge their role and perceptions of
values, challenges and opportunities
10. Starting point…
• DCCC 100 yrs +
• Founded during Gold Rush – only Trade Org representing interests of
Gold Rush era entrepreneurs – and likely some law enforcement
org’s
• An important facilitator for business
• Today – very different operating environment
• Environment, Tourism, Culture, Arts, Mining, Agriculture, Transporta
tion, Technology, Governments – all new landscape
• Evolution of ‘facilitator for business’ – BIG CHANGES
11. SCAN
• Yukon has many Trade or Business Organizations
(DCCC, KVA, KDO, YCC, TIAY, KPMA, DCOF, YCM, YITI
S, YWIM, etc.)
• Economy in Yukon is projected for marginal growth.
• Natural Gas exploration and search for energy continues in the
Yukon and with LNG.
• KR business overall – slowing down
• KR community spirit high yet volunteers suffer burn-out
• Youth voice in business has small representation
12. SCAN…cont’d
• Mining has been strong for past 3-5 and slows down for 2014
• Tourism is up 10% in Yukon but indicators range greatly by
community
• DC now has HAL connected by Air
• SOVA, KIAC and Yukon College add great quality of life to
community
• DC rich with
innovators, manufacturers, exporters, artists, entrepreneurs and
more
• DC is only community with a Destination Marketing Org for
Tourism
• Labour and Housing are consistent challenges to DC as they
are to YT
13. SWOT
• Strengths – 2nd largest Chamber in Territory, historically
significant to Yukon and Region, members loved the lunches
with speakers, has history of great networking, great Gold
Show event, good information sharing, Dawson Dollars
program, now have ¾ time motivated Office Manager
• Weaknesses – high turn-over and apathy from membership to
join Board or renew membership, perception in biz community
that 90% of start-ups fail, don’t know what Chamber does and
thinks Chamber runs independent of membership
accountability, membership is shrinking and operating funding
is vulnerable, Board has had no structure, little role clarity that
may have fed ‘confusion’ or ‘relationship stress’ between
Board, staff and/ or members
14. SWOT …cont’d
• Opportunities – stablize, bring back the energy that DCCC
once boasted, get a full Board complement again, reinvent the
Dawson Dollars program, have great GR Strategy, build great
partnerships in business and community organization
network, lead promotion of DC as amazing place to live, work
and do business
• Threats – perception is reality - members need to feel engaged
and reality is that this Board-driven organization is running on
low fumes, other NGO’s have great traction and are leading
economic and business development stories
15. THEMES – preliminary buckets
A. Government Relations – DCCC needs to have relationships and
contacts with key players in Government at all levels – making DCCC
top of mind and a voice for its members – staff retention and
recruitment, DC voice at YG and Fed levels, zoning bylaws, costs of
doing business, etc.
B. Gold Show – a major Chamber asset – has had some great experiences
to learn from – reach out to community, find out what’s great and
what’s not and build event as consistent and stable revenue generator
C. Promote Doing Business in DC – Dawson Dollars, promote local, help
bolster local wealth staying locally
D. Organization Stability and Development – Bylaws from Jan. 2012, Job
Description of Board and Staff, clarity of how to implement Strat
Plan, roles and PKI’s, basic Operational and Governance policies
16. ‘Sleeves Up’ Time – 5 minutes
• Four themes – one per color
• Your priorities not in four themes – make a new Theme and
title the page…
• Pick your top two
• Print clearly
Answer the following questions:
1. Why is it important – impact to business, Chamber or
community
2. What does success look like
3. What needs to improve
4. Volunteer interest…?
18. Next Steps
• Elect a full Board complement – they can determine officers
• Board will work with PBMC to review AGM input and other
data
• Board will finalize plan with Office Manager and PBMC
• Announce it out to the Membership before Christmas
• Get to work!
19. Thank you for helping your
Chamber of Commerce!
Patti Balsillie, CAE, EQAT
Management Consulting
E – pattib@northwestel.net
C - (867)334-2522
W - pattibalsillie.com
