Alliance For Dade Goal Is To Reach 100 Investors
Alliance for Dade Chair George Williams (left) speaks with Gary Kennedy, owner of Glass Farm Nursery, in a recent Alliance Live video. Businesses have the opportunity to be highlighted in an Alliance Live video, one of the benefits of becoming an investor.
By REBECCA HAZEN
News Editor
The Alliance for Dade has an early New Year’s goal for 2022 to reach 100 investors, or members. This milestone amount will help the Alliance continue to operate and put on beneficial programs.
“Programs include the Lunch and Learn events, job fairs, and the EXPO, too. Also, getting people excited about Light Up Trenton, which really gained ground from the first year to year two,” Alliance for Dade Chair George Williams said.
Investors receive an Alliance Builder newsletter email each week, and have the opportunity to be featured in a short Alliance Live video. The videos are featured on the Builder newsletter, and social media as well.
“We also try to put informational things in the Builder each week, that could help your business, such as directing you to a seminar that might be available, and events that are happening,” Williams said.
The Alliance for Dade is a member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce organization, which in turn, can provide benefits to investors.
Through the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance can offer members an Anthem BlueCross/BlueShield SMART Health Plan and a 401K retirement plan.
“Currently, we are working on a possibility of a program that can help offer a discount for workers compensation insurance. More news to come there,” Williams said.
The Alliance is also looking into a possible discount through Office Depot as well.
While hotel/motel tax is keeping the Welcome Center open and running, investor money is also helping with that as well.
“One hundred investors will be a milestone for us. The old chamber of commerce probably had about 140-150 members, so we still have more to grow. The difference is that now we are an all-volunteer group doing this, and back then there was full-time staff,” Williams said.
Williams continued, “Thank goodness for all our volunteers. They’re hardworking and they have brought us from zero, to where we are today. It has been a lot of hard work and dedication on their part, and we are truly grateful.”
Looking toward the future, more investors will also allow the Alliance for Dade to search for and hire a full-time president of the organization.
“Maybe by mid-year, we will be in a financial position where we can do that, but that will be from help with more investors and exceeding the 100 level,” Williams said.
Currently, the Alliance for Dade is in the middle of their renewal campaign. Williams wants the community to know that investors are billed once a year on their anniversary date of when they joined.
“We need to grow, and we need to keep the investors that we have. We are challenging our renewals to step up to another level, which would also help with our revenue stream,” Williams said.
Investors can join at different investment levels, starting with the student and senior member at $50. An individual membership is $75, non-profit is $100, bronze is $150, silver is $500, gold is $1,000, platinum is $2,500 and titanium is $5,000.
The higher investment level joined, the more benefits received, such as authorized use of Alliance logo on your marketing material, opportunity to submit a news release for use in the Alliance Builder newsletter, complimentary membership in Georgia Chamber Federation, the opportunity to host an Alliance networking event, and online employment listings.
In 2022, the Alliance for Dade will host more Lunch and Learn events, including a possible evening event, sponsor the EXPO, and look into helping and sponsoring the 1945 Dade County Fair. There will also be an April job fair at the high school.
The Alliance hopes to have a local update luncheon in February, where local government and organization officials will inform the community on what is happening currently and in the near future.
The Alliance is working on an idea of Leadership Dade, a development program for business and organizational leaders in the county. Another idea is an entrepreneurial round table, where a group would get together on a regular basis and help one another out with business situations and/or ideas.
“These are all the eggs we have in the basket. The more investors we have will drive these programs to take place sooner,” Williams said.
For more information, visit alliancefordade.com.