Volunteer Guide
MISSION STATEMENT
“The voice of business to champion opportunities that drive regional prosperity and enable community prosperity.”
Updated: June 2025
Vision
The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce (GKWCC) is a business association of economic development champions. As the voice of business for the Greater Kitchener Waterloo area, the Chamber is a strong advocate for continued development of our community and a partner for prosperity. By working together and focusing on initiatives that support growth, members use the services of the Chamber as an important catalyst for their business success.
Recognized as a leader in one of Canada’s most forward-thinking business communities, GKWCC strives to be the best Chamber of Commerce in Canada.
The Voice of Business
The Chamber plays an important advocacy role by working with all levels of government on issues related to taxation, business regulations, land supply, economic development and essential public services.
Helping Businesses Succeed
The Chamber offers a broad range of products and services that provide networking, marketing, and educational opportunities for our members and for their employees.
Helping our Community Succeed
The Chamber is involved in numerous initiatives designed to strengthen local health care services, educational institutions, and the local labour market. The Chamber also encourages businesses to adopt best practices in terms of environmental sustainability.
Volunteer work is a great way to gain experience, learn new skills and put your own talents to good use. Thank you for your commitment to the betterment of your community.
How to be a Successful Volunteer:
• Be a positive ambassador for the Chamber at all times.
• Be on time. Volunteering is a commitment.
• Follow Chamber policies.
• Treat other Chamber members and staff with respect.
• Talk to the Committee Chair or Chamber President if you have any issues
Role
of the Committee
Committees are the backbone of the Chamber of Commerce. They are the membership in action and the organization through which a “program of action” is carried out.
All committees are appointed by the Chamber The Chamber President is responsible for regularly updating the Board on the work of the committees through regular written reports to the Board.
What is the Role of the Committee?
Committees are operational in focus, offer insight that helps shape board direction and they provide analysis to ensure the continual improvement of Chamber initiatives. Their role is to work as a team in order to recommend actions and to implement the approved actions of the Chamber’s strategic direction.
Committee Membership
Committees are comprised of a group of active members who attend regular meetings. All committee members must also be a member in good standing with the Chamber. Politicians do not qualify for Chamber Policy Committee membership.
Please note that the committees often have selection process for membership and that representation on committees is subject to approval of the Chamber Staff.
Similar to the Board, the length of term of committee membership on any single committee can be up to a maximum of six (6) years. If you wish to continue volunteering, you may immediately join another committee or take one year off and then return to the same committee. This process will begin in 2021 and the Chamber reserves the right to make exceptions at its discretion.
Finding a Committee that Suits your Passion Committees broadly fall into two major categories: task forces and standing committees. Committees which are created for a limited period are called “task forces,” while those without a set time limit are called “standing committees”.
Here are a few of the opportunities for volunteer involvement and business development with our standing committees and task forces:
EVENT BASED
NAME OF COMMITTEE
Business Around 5 (BA5) Committee
DESCRIPTION OF FUNCTIONS
Provides support and guidance to the Chamber to create events (minimum 4/year), which promote member business and networking opportunities.
Chamber Young Professionals (CYP) Committee Offers networking and business educational opportunities to young professionals’ community. Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) Enhance women’s abilities for success by encouraging the development of leadership skills, continued education and personal growth through inspiring and informative events.
Business Excellence Awards ‘Champions’ (BEA)
Advises the Chamber as they navigate the nominee process for the prestigious Business Excellence Awards. Reviews nominee submission kits and makes Award Winner recommendations to the Judges. Also assists with any event-related setup/execution items for the Gala itself.
Chamber Ambassador Committee (CAC)
Assists the Chamber Staff with ‘odd jobs’ and random tasks to support all chamber initiatives across events, sales, marketing, advocacy, leadership, etc. The Task Force does not have any regular meetings however, they will be called upon regularly whenever extra assistance is required for a chamber-related program.
ADVOCACY & LEADERSHIP
NAME OF COMMITTEE
Chamber Engagement Committee (CEC)
DESCRIPTION OF FUNCTIONS
Support the Chamber by acting as an ambassador to assist with membership development, new member on-boarding, increasing membership engagement, increasing brand awareness in the community, etc.
Chamber Health Care Resource Council
Federal & Provincial Affairs Committee
Regional & Municipal Affairs Committee
I.D.E.A. Committee
(Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility)
Identifies and provides solutions to the region’s health care challenges, working to build a stronger health care foundation for the community over the long term. Also assists the Chamber with CHCRC related fundraising initiatives and revenue generation, to keep the program funded.
Identifies and creates solutions to federal and provincial issues affecting our region and provide the community with a respected voice.
Identifies and creates solutions for regional and municipal issues affecting our region and provide the community with a respected voice.
To support and develop a membership that reflects the unique and diverse makeup of Waterloo Region, by ensuring diversity and inclusion is present in all aspects of the Chamber’s work, communications, processes and events.
Committee Expectations
The day-to-day challenge for committees is to present recommendations supported by the Board, Committee, and Chamber President. All committee decisions on operational issues are only recommendations for the Board through the President.
The Board Liaison acts as a sounding board for the committee. The Board Liason’s role is to work with the Committee Chair and Chamber President to ensure that updates are communicated regularly to the Board.
Each committee member should maintain a minimum attendance guideline of 60% to ensure sufficient representation at meetings and events. We track attendance closely and conduct regular quality reviews. If a member falls below the minimum participation rate, a warning will be issued. Continued non-compliance may result in the member being asked to step back from their role.
To have a good balance of representation on each committee, it’s recommended that no more than one (1) representative per company actively sits on any single committee. If a member chooses to sit on more than one committee, they can do so, if they feel they can still commit to the minimum attendance guideline of 60% per committee.
For all guidelines above, the Chamber reserves the right to make exceptions at its discretion.
Code of Conduct
All committees and volunteers are subject to the Policies and Procedures of the Chamber. These include, but are not limited to, “Purchase of Goods and Services,” “Harassment,” “Health & Safety,” “Privacy” and “Ethics.” As is the case with Chamber staff, volunteers who are not performing their duties as outlined in this manual may be subject to the Chamber’s adopted, “Corrective Performance Process.”
Integrity is important to the Chamber of Commerce. When a committee is making a decision and a member has a direct, specific and immediate interest in the matter, it is advisable to declare a conflict of interest Declaring a conflict of interest is not intended to hinder discussion, but rather to promote open discussion, good decision-making and fairness.
Name
Date