Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce Enhances Member Engagement

Discover how the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce improved ROI and enhanced member engagement and communication.

The Search for a Solution That Supported Growth, Engagement, and Efficiency

The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce outgrew a costly, custom-built AMS that was difficult to update. Moving to GrowthZone gave the team a flexible, cloud-based solution that supports both staff efficiency and member engagement.

Improved ROI

For the first time in nearly a decade, the chamber exceeded its new member goals every quarter. GrowthZone’s tracking and reporting tools helped the team understand what was working and replicate successful efforts.

Stronger Member Engagement

With the online member hub, members gained new ways to promote their businesses through news, events, and hot deals. The chamber now has a clear, consistent way to support member visibility.

Insights for Informed Decisions

GrowthZone made it easy for staff to find information, pull reports, and see the full picture of how members are engaging. That visibility helps guide marketing, sales, and retention decisions across the organization.

Responsive Support

The Dayton Area Chamber values GrowthZone’s ongoing improvements and responsive support team. Regular updates and enhancements ensure the platform continues to evolve alongside the chamber’s needs.

The Challenge

Holly Allen, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Dayton (Ohio) Area Chamber of Commerce, didn't take the decision to move to a new association management software lightly. With more than 2,200 members and a system that touched nearly every part of the organization, it was important to find a solution that was more user-friendly, improved member engagement and communication, and came with a responsive support team.

Before switching to GrowthZone, the team was using a custom software that couldn't easily be updated. On top of this, the solution was very expensive.

"We wanted something that was completely cloud-based and that came with support and the ability for us to update the data as we went along," Holly said. "We also wanted something more user-friendly for our staff because we had many different people working within the database. iMIS used a lot of software that people just didn't understand."

The Solution

These goals led the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce to GrowthZone. From the start, they had all the features they were looking for: a cloud-based platform, responsive support, and flexibility to update data and processes as the team's needs changed.

One of the things Holly and the team appreciated most was GrowthZone's responsiveness. She said, "The developers are always looking for ways to make things better and they take feedback from us, the customer, and put that to use.

The software also allowed the team to evaluate member communications.

"One of the things I've really enjoyed about the marketing automation module is that it allowed us to stop and look at, from a member standpoint, when we were having touch points throughout their year of membership, and how we could make that better," Holly said. "It's made it a lot easier to manage 2,200 members."

The Results

For members, the change was immediate. "I've heard from members that it's really been night and day," Holly said. Communication became more consistent, and the chamber became became more visible in member's lives.

Holly added, "We know that the number one reason members join our chamber is that they want exposure, and they want help marketing their business. We were having members come to us and ask us to send an email blast to tell the rest of the members about an event. The answer was always no, but we didn’t have a solution because we weren’t going to send an email blast for every one of our 2,200 members. It just didn’t make sense. Now, I can tell them, 'That would be perfect for you to post in the member hub!' Whether it’s in the hot deals section, member news, or event section, I’m then able to push that out through our e-newsletter."

Staff members noticed the difference too. With GrowthZone, information became easier to find and easier to act on. “We’re able to pull that information out and get a big-picture [view],” Holly explained. That visibility helps guide smarter decisions across marketing, membership, and engagement.

The impact showed up in measurable results. “This is the first year in probably 10 years that we have beaten our new member goals every quarter,” Holly said. GrowthZone’s tracking tools made it possible to see what was working and repeat it.

Retention improved as well. With a clearer view of member engagement, the team could have more meaningful renewal conversations. Instead of guessing why a member might be leaving, staff could see how deeply employees within that organization were already involved.

For a large chamber balancing growth, service, and connection, GrowthZone provided both the technology as well as the clarity and confidence to better support the people they serve inside their organization and across their memberships.