Chamber Blog

Three Reasons Why You Should Volunteer for Jeffersontown Chamber Events

October 30, 2019 | Jerry Mobley

The Jeffersontown Chamber always needs volunteers to help them put on the many events they have throughout the year. So why should you volunteer for one of these events? I will tell you. People, Community and Duty are the reasons which I will explain.  But first why should you listen to me?

Simple I have volunteered in many ways to support the Jeffersontown Chamber which I believe is the best chamber in Kentuckiana (yes, I am looking at you southern Indiana). I have been on multiple committees, been on the board of directors for many years and was even Chairperson one year. If you don’t believe me, I’ll hit you with my gavel.

But I am not asking you to do any of those things. I am asking you to volunteer to support an event like one of several that are part of the Gaslight Festival which includes the poker run or the golf scramble or the 5k run or the parade or even the festival weekend itself. If Gaslight is not your thing, how about Beer Fest? Don’t like that, how about the Business Expo? All of these events are spaced throughout the year and there are many more than are mentioned here. If you pick one it is a one-time commitment.  In other words, you do not have be there every month or week. In a few hours on one day of the year you could accomplish what you hoped to do when you joined the Chamber in the first place.

So now I will explain the three reasons. First is People. There are three groups of People. One, the full-time employees of the Jeffersontown Chamber. Without them none of these events occur. Every one of them is a fun, intelligent and dedicated person that you really should know. And they need your help. Two, the other volunteers. These are people that work for a business that is either in or in some way touches Jeffersontown. And they are people who get the work done, usually a better candidate for you to work with in your business as opposed to someone who just shows up to drink beer and eat pizza. Third, the people who attend the event. At each one of these events you meet a diverse group of folks that are not there as sales people. No, you can’t give them each an elevator speech but you might meet someone you like.  People do business with people they like they cannot like you if they never met you. It might be a start of something big. I know that at least one marriage resulted from people who met as volunteers at Jeffersontown Chamber events. All three groups of people can be great connections for and if you meet them as a volunteer you are proving you are one of people who ensure things get done.

The second reason is Community. If the day ever comes that the Jeffersontown Chamber fails to be able to support itself and pay the full-time staff members. Should it close its doors. The City of Jeffersontown will be a much poorer place to live. The City of Jeffersontown is the Chamber’s best partner. No events could occur without the City’s involvement plus the use of its property and facilities. But the City does not employ the Chamber Staff who plan, organize and beat the bushes for the extra funds plus the volunteers to make the events happen. It is a community that has a symbiotic relationship and when you volunteer for these events you are not just helping a business organization you are doing your part to maintain the fabric of Jeffersontown as a whole. 

Which brings us to the last reason, Duty. There was a time when businesses in a community felt that they should be a member of the local chamber out a sense of duty to be a good member of that community. But we have lost faith in most institutions often for good reason. If all this Chamber did was have a meeting each month to provide a vehicle for some networking between salespersons then I would say join it if you want but I really cannot argue any duty to it. But this Chamber produces a signature festival of several events lasting a full week that has been held for 50 years continuously, a beer fest that is rapidly obtaining signature status, a Business Expo, scholarships for employees of member businesses to improve their education and access to members of the state legislature. By volunteering to help it put on these events a very real argument can be made that you are in part fulfilling a duty that many people recognize and believe in to make their world just a little bit better than it would be if they just sat at home watching television. 

Thanks, 

Jerry Mobley