chamber Committees
The Chamber has several committees. Their work supports and complements the work of the Board & Staff.
There are two types of committees – Governance Committees (led by the Board of Directors) or Operational Committees (led by staff).
Committee Work is Targeted and Outcome-Driven
Volunteering on a committee is a great way to become more involved with the Chamber, without committing to a full Board of Director position. If you have expertise in a specific area that you can offer to support the Chamber, business community and broader Cranbrook, committee work could be a good fit for you. It’s also a learning opportunity if you have aspirations that might require experience with governance, policy, logistics, or communication. The possibilities are endless.
One of the superpowers of the Chamber is the depth and spectrum of the knowledge base of our members. A Chamber with active committees is a Chamber that is tapping the membership as a critical resource for success.
The Governance Committee is led by a Board Director. Their focus is on maintaining a strong framework for our organization, ensuring that our Bylaws & Constitution, and our Board Policies stay current, up to date, and in compliance with the Federal Boards of Trades Act (BOTA). The Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce is registered under Part I of the act.
Although this might not sound like the most interesting work, don’t be fooled! Chambers must stay up-to-date with the changing times and constantly address items like electronic voting and social media policies.
A strong framework and foundation is key to the success of the Chamber. You can learn more about the Governance Committee here.
The Board Development Committee has a very important mandate; to ensure that the Chamber’s Governance leadership is diverse, informed, committed and trained.
Recruiting a strong Board of Directors is a year-round exercise. This committee reviews and updates the recruitment package materials. They also provide recommendations to the Board of Directors for prospective recruits, and lead the charge to approach candidates.
The Chamber’s current Strategic Plan is for 2023-2026 – this committee will support the process of securing a consultant for a new plan to be developed, which will clearly define the organization’s priorities that will inform the operational deliverables for the next leg of the journey.
All work from the Board Development Committee is brought forward to the Board of Directors for approval and advancement.
Advocacy is one of the Chamber’s key functions.
We are self-funded, which means we rely on our membership fees, sponsorships and event ticket sales to fund our operations. This also means that we have an autonomous voice; we do not need to navigate multiple layers of red tape or bureaucracy to formulate our own positions, strategies and approaches on issues that affect the conditions of doing business for our members. This creates an environment in which the Chamber can be nimble on items in real-time.
The Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce is a member of the BC Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Memberships to our Chamber help to fund these memberships, to ensure we have a seat at the provincial & federal table.
We are a non-partisan organization, and we work with all levels of government to bring forward our requests, concerns, ideas and solutions to move the dial on what matters to business.
The City Budget Subcommittee works under the guidance of the Chamber’s Advocacy Committee. Many of the Chamber’s priorities are items directly impacted by the City’s Annual Budget.
The Chamber’s message to the City of Cranbrook:
Our members want to support the City by offering insight and a real-world snapshot of what businesses are navigating.
We also want to provide a pathway for our members to share their ideas and solutions with the City. Cranbrook is full of visionaries, innovators and leaders.
This subcommittee will focus on building out an annual recurring consultation model to bridge the gap between Chamber members and the City of Cranbrook. Not only will we focus on bringing member feedback forward, we will also engage with the City to learn what information from our members would be most useful to help inform the Annual City Budget.
We’re looking after hundreds of members, special projects, grants and funding agreements. The Chamber also owns the building that houses operations, along with commercial tenants.
The Finance Committee will oversee and provide recommendations for long-term financial planning, asset management and financial policy.
This committee will also steward the Cranbrook Chamber Education Grant through the Community Foundation of Kootenay Rockies.
The Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce has been established since 1910. All assets and funds of the Chamber belong to the members. It is imperative that strong planning, process and procedure are in place for all financial matters.
Our superpower is our members – they’re some of the most innovative and well-connected people in Cranbrook.
We are putting them to work! Since the Chamber is completely self-funded, we are always looking for ways to freshen things up, and provide relevant programming that can also help us with our bottom line.
We rely on membership fees, event ticket sales and sponsorships to fund our operations. This volunteer committee works with Chamber staff to make sure that we’re continually delivering the right events that align with what our members are asking for.
Connectivity in the business community is one of the highest priorities in the Chamber network across Canada. In 2025, we brought over 800 members together at our events.
