Chamber Sky’s the Limit fundraising campaign hits $180,000 goal
Sky's the Limit Victory Trip winners
For the second consecutive year, the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce has held a successful Sky’s the Limit fundraising campaign. On Thursday, July 1, 2010, the Chamber celebrated the achievement of the $180,000 income goal for the year.
“I am extremely proud of the work our Chamber’s volunteers put forth to help us accomplish the Sky’s The Limit goal. When we gathered in November, we set the $180,000 as a stretch goal,” said Bill Connor, Sky’s the Limit campaign chair. “To accomplish this says a lot about the support the business community has for the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce.”
Led by Connor and campaign vice-chairs Margie Huerta, Ann Reed, Leslie Cervantes and Nikki MacDonald, more than 70 volunteers on 11 different teams have worked over the past four months to support the Sky’s the Limit campaign. The volunteers have sold sponsorships, recruited new members and set up trades for building maintenance, advertisements and giveaways for Chamber members that will help reduce the strain of such costs on the Chamber budget.
“Having over 70 volunteers working on this campaign means that we have members who have a better understanding of the value the Chamber brings to our community. With the successful conclusion of campaign, the Chamber staff and leadership have a good handle on how our programs will be funded and also where the support for those programs are coming from,” Connor said.
Volunteers earned cash incentives for their contributions to the campaign as well as exclusive invitations to campaign reward sessions at popular sites throughout the Mesilla Valley. Reward sessions included the Preston Contemporary Art Center, Amaro Winery, Las Cruces Railroad Museum and Allen Theaters Cineport 10.
“Obviously, the money raised will help ensure that the events, programs and programs can continue and grow. I think the grow part is the important part. Over the past few years, the leadership at the Chamber of Commerce has been able to add more opportunities and chances for our business community to get the word out that “Business is good in Las Cruces,” Connor said.
“This marks the second year in a row that we have made our Sky’s the Limit fundraising goal,” said Jim Berry, Chamber president/CEO. “This success justifies the Chamber’s decision to pursue the Total Resource Campaign and makes the Chamber optimistic about securing future funding.”
Every volunteer was an essential member of the team ensuring the future success of the Chamber, though several teams and individuals went above and beyond in their funds raised. The top producing teams were the Las Cruces Bulletin, Las Cruces Sun-News, The Winners, Power Pink and the Conquistadore Red Team. The top individual producers were John Hummer, Kiel Hoffman, Jaylene Watkins, Leslie Cervantes, Richard Haas, Jaki McCollum and Dawson Dinsmore, all of whom have won a two-day trip to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
The Chamber held the first Total Resource Campaign with the assistance of Fremont Development Group, which is led by Chairman Jerry Bartles, former director of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the largest in the United States. Bartles developed the program during his time with the Atlanta Chamber and has successfully used the campaign style to raise incremental money for more than 70 chambers around the country.
Although the fundraising campaign has ended, there are still numerous opportunities for members to market their businesses through the Chamber, including sponsorships and advertisements. For more information, visit http://lascruces2010.fremontdevelopment.com. The 2010 campaign has officially ended, but planning is now beginning for the 2011 Sky’s the Limit. Any members interested in participating in the 2011 campaign, contact Chamber Revenue Development Director Alesia Dutton at 524-1968 or adutton@lascruces.org.