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DavenportOne launches total resource campaign

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By Jennifer DeWitt | Thursday, April 03, 2008 |

Dozens of Quad-City business leaders will be volunteering in the coming weeks to help DavenportOne take care of business.

DavenportOne kicked off its second Total Resource Campaign, or TRC, Wednesday night at the Radisson Quad-City Plaza in downtown Davenport. The “Taking Care of Business” TRC is aimed at recruiting new members as well as selling event sponsorship and advertising opportunities to its member businesses.

“It was such a great success last year that we’ve expanded it,” said Rene Hipple, director of DavenportOne’s membership development.

The all-volunteer campaign will be driven by 100 people — up from about 60 volunteers who participated in the first campaign last year.

This year’s Taking Care of Business chairman is Mike Bauer, Quad-City Bank & Trust. The 2008 vice chairs are Ken Croken, Genesis Health System; Gary Mohr, Eastern Iowa Community College District; Dan Portes, Management Resource Group; Chuck Ruhl, Ruhl & Ruhl Commercial; Mike Vondran, The Ad Group; and Carmen Darland.

Hipple said each vice chair has recruited a team of eight to 10 people to help meet the teams’ individual goals. Through May 21, the teams will be meeting with area businesses to discuss the campaign.

In addition to serving as a membership drive, the campaign “offers a one-stop shopping opportunity for our members,” Hipple said, adding that the volunteers will sell sponsorships of DavenportOne’s events and advertising in its publications.

She said the goal is to recruit 60 new members and produce $210,000 in sponsorships and sales. Last year, the TRC surpassed its financial goal of $100,000 and membership goal of 50 new members — raising $235,000 and recruiting 72 new businesses.

DavenportOne switched to a TRC format last year to line up sponsorships for the entire year so the organization did not have to keep going back to the membership. It’s a new strategy among chamber organizations, although Hipple said DavenportOne is the only chamber in the area using the TRC idea.

To learn more about the Total Resource Campaign, contact Hipple at rhipple@davenportone.com or (563) 823-2662.

Jennifer DeWitt can be contacted at (563) 383-2318 or jdewitt@qctimes.com.