How CCIHY Supports Membership Growth with Membri
Summary
With more than 500 active members, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haute-Yamaska (CCIHY) relies on accurate, accessible and structured information to support its mission: helping local businesses succeed, strengthening business connections, promoting local purchasing, managing events and driving membership growth.
To support these activities, CCIHY uses Membri, an association management solution designed for associations, chambers of commerce and membership-based organizations. The platform serves as a centralized database, an event management tool, a prospecting platform and a performance reporting solution.
Although she only recently joined the Chamber as Executive Director, Geneviève Brouillard quickly recognized Membri’s strategic value in her day-to-day operations.
“For us, it’s definitely a time saver. When we need to find information, it makes things much easier.”
An Active Chamber of Commerce Supporting More Than 500 Members
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haute-Yamaska represents approximately 530 members, primarily businesses located throughout the region.
Like many chambers of commerce, it must simultaneously manage relationships with current members, former members, prospective members, event management, targeted communications and membership performance metrics.
Having joined the organization in February 2026, Geneviève Brouillard did not participate in the original implementation of Membri. However, she brings a valuable perspective as a new Executive Director who inherited the platform and quickly had to understand the organization, its business network and its growth opportunities.
Her previous experience with Microsoft Dynamics at Desjardins made it easier to become familiar with Membri, which is built on the same Microsoft 365 Power Apps ecosystem.
“I knew Dynamics from my previous role at Desjardins, so Membri’s interface wasn’t unfamiliar to me, even though the use case was different.”
This familiarity helped her immediately recognize Membri as more than an administrative tool. It became a platform supporting organizational performance, member relationships and decision-making.
Membri as Organizational Memory
For CCIHY, one of the first benefits of Membri is its ability to centralize information. The platform brings together member data, former member records, prospects, event information and relationship histories within a single environment.
Geneviève describes Membri as a true organizational memory.
“We use it extensively as a memory tool. We also rely on it as a database that stores the history of our relationships with members.”
For a chamber of commerce, this institutional memory is critical. Relationships with businesses depend on continuity, regional knowledge, historical context and the ability to access relevant information quickly.
With Membri, the team can easily retrieve member information, understand individual business contexts, track interactions and make better-informed decisions.
This centralization also prevents information from becoming scattered across multiple people, files or systems. Instead, it becomes a structured organizational asset that can be easily accessed and leveraged.
A Strategic Database for Business Development
Beyond managing existing members, Membri also serves as a business development and prospecting tool.
Geneviève uses the platform to identify businesses within the territory, track former members and create targeted prospecting lists.
“I use it as a prospecting database. Depending on our members, former members or businesses located in our territory, we can build prospect lists for future outreach.”
This demonstrates that Membri is far more than a data repository. It directly supports membership growth initiatives.
As Executive Director, Geneviève prefers a highly personalized approach. Rather than relying solely on automated campaigns, she uses the platform to prepare calls, organize meetings and better understand how Chamber membership can benefit individual organizations.
“I mainly work through one-on-one outreach. I visit companies in person and explore how membership could be valuable to their business.”
Membri therefore supports a relationship-driven strategy by providing leadership with the information required to personalize interactions.
Supporting Business Connections and Local Purchasing
One of the Chamber’s most important responsibilities is connecting businesses throughout the region. For CCIHY, Membri directly supports this mission.
The platform helps the team better understand member businesses, their industries, their needs and the services they offer. This information can then be used to facilitate introductions and business opportunities.
“We use it as a networking database. Based on members’ needs, we can identify other businesses that offer relevant services. We really try to promote local purchasing through these connections.”
The ability to connect the right businesses depends heavily on data quality. The more structured and accurate the information is, the more effectively the Chamber can fulfill its role as a business facilitator.
A Useful Segmentation Tool for Communications and Events
CCIHY also uses Membri to better target its communications.
Depending on the type of event or audience, the team can identify the most relevant businesses and contacts to invite.
For example:
Industrial events can be promoted specifically to manufacturing businesses.
Events designed for women in business can be targeted to the appropriate audience.
“When we create an event, our events coordinator targets communications based on the type of event. If it’s an industrial luncheon, we target industrial businesses. If it’s an event focused on women, we target communications accordingly.”
This segmentation capability improves communication relevance, increases participation and helps ensure that events align with member interests.
Geneviève also emphasizes how easy search and targeting functions are within the platform.
“I have no difficulty finding or targeting what I need in Membri. It’s very user-friendly.”
For a small team that needs to move quickly, this ease of use becomes an important adoption factor.
Event Management at the Core of Operations
Like many chambers of commerce, CCIHY regularly organizes networking activities, sector-specific meetings, educational sessions and economic development events.
Membri supports these activities by allowing the organization to create events, manage registrations, monitor attendance and measure participation.
“We use it as our event management platform. Through the events we create, it allows us to manage attendance and participation.”
This event-related information provides valuable insight for evaluating performance, adjusting programming and understanding member interests.
Event management therefore becomes more than a logistical activity. It becomes a strategic tool for understanding engagement and supporting membership growth.
Performance Indicators That Support Membership Growth
For a chamber of commerce, membership is one of the most important sources of recurring revenue. Monitoring membership growth is therefore a strategic priority.
Geneviève uses Membri to track key metrics such as:
membership growth;
member retention rates;
event participation;
active member trends;
business development opportunities;
indicators that may signal emerging risks.
“Membership is one of our recurring revenue sources. We can act quickly if we notice a decline in membership.”
This ability to identify trends and respond proactively is essential to maintaining organizational sustainability.
Geneviève also sees additional opportunities in the platform’s reporting capabilities.
“I’d like to make greater use of dashboards and KPIs. I know the potential is there.”
As the team continues to expand its use of Membri, it expects to leverage even more advanced analytics and performance monitoring.
A Solution Designed for Chambers of Commerce
Having previously worked with more general CRM systems, Geneviève sees a clear distinction between a standard CRM and a solution specifically designed for chambers of commerce.
According to her, the difference lies in the quality and relevance of the information that can be structured within the system.
“What makes the difference is the quality of the information being collected. It makes our networking and prospecting efforts much more targeted and relevant.”
For a chamber of commerce, data is not simply about contacts. It helps identify opportunities, facilitate introductions, target communications and support membership growth.
An Outstanding Customer Experience
One of the most positive aspects highlighted by Geneviève is the support provided by the Vendere team behind Membri.
She specifically mentions the responsiveness, efficiency and accessibility of the support team.
“The customer experience is really outstanding. As soon as we have a need or a question, we get direct support. It’s efficient and effective.”
For a resource-constrained organization, this level of support represents meaningful value.
It enables the team to quickly resolve issues, improve processes and continue expanding its use of the platform.
Benefits Observed by CCIHY
Even after only a few months in her role, Geneviève identifies several tangible benefits.
Time Savings
Finding information is significantly faster and easier.
“When we need information, it’s very easy to find it.”
Centralized Data
Membri consolidates information in one place and eliminates fragmentation.
Greater Visibility Into Membership Growth
The Chamber can monitor membership growth, detect trends and take action sooner.
“It helps us remain sustainable as an organization. We need a database we can rely on to monitor retention and membership growth.”
Improved Prospecting
The platform facilitates prospect identification and recruitment planning.
Better Event Management
Events can be managed, measured and targeted more effectively.
Stronger Business Connections
Higher-quality information helps connect members more effectively and support local purchasing initiatives.
The Most Important Advice: Take Time to Learn the Platform
According to Geneviève, success with Membri depends heavily on organizational commitment.
“You have to take the time to learn it. Yes, there are major time savings, but you need to understand all aspects of the platform before you can fully benefit from it.”
She emphasizes that the value of a CRM depends on how actively it is used.
“If you implement it but don’t use it, it becomes a complex system. But if you invest the time, the benefits are there in the medium term.”
This advice is especially relevant for smaller chambers and nonprofit organizations evaluating the return on investment of a CRM.
An Important Consideration for Smaller Organizations
Geneviève readily recommends Membri to other chambers of commerce and associations.
“Absolutely, I would recommend it.”
However, she acknowledges that affordability can be a challenge for smaller organizations with fewer members.
“The biggest challenge for smaller chambers is affordability. When you have fewer members, the cost can feel significant.”
At the same time, she stresses that the value becomes clear when the platform is fully adopted and integrated into daily operations.
Overall Satisfaction: 9 Out of 10
When asked to rate her experience, Geneviève gives Membri a score of 9 out of 10.
“I would give Membri a 9 out of 10. The platform is intuitive, easy to use and very helpful.”
This score reflects both the usability of the platform and its ability to support the Chamber’s operations and membership growth objectives.
A Future Opportunity: Connecting Documents with SharePoint
During the interview, Geneviève also mentioned an opportunity related to document management.
Although Membri is not intended to replace a full document management system, integration with SharePoint creates an opportunity to link documents directly to member records while maintaining document storage within Microsoft 365.
This approach keeps documentation organized, accessible and connected to the broader member management ecosystem.
Conclusion: A Strong Foundation for Membership Growth
For the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haute-Yamaska, Membri has become an important operational and strategic asset.
By centralizing member data, supporting prospecting efforts, improving event management, enabling stronger performance tracking and providing excellent customer support, Membri helps the Chamber better serve its members while driving membership growth.
“For us, it allows us to remain sustainable as an organization. We can rely on data to monitor our progress and take action quickly.”
Beyond the technology itself, CCIHY’s experience highlights a critical success factor: a CRM becomes a true growth tool when an organization takes the time to adopt it, structure its data and integrate it into its daily practices.
Looking to Better Manage and Grow Membership?
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