Get Involved in 2021

THE TAKEAWAY:  2021 is an opportunity for you to make your mark in Advocacy, and the Coalition will provide many ways for you to do so this year.

Many of you will probably remember 2020 (and January 6, 2021) as the year you’d like to forget in politics. No matter which side you found yourself on in the election, you’re probably happy to bid adieu to the minute by minute Twitter bombs and election coverage. (Except for SNL. We can keep SNL.)

It’s the end of February, so you’ve probably already dropped a bunch of your New Year’s Resolutions, so why not rescue your intentions! While you may have been intent on leaving all of 2020 in the past, one late add to your New Year’s resolutions this year should be to purposefully get involved in Advocacy.

We know you want a break from politics. But that’s not what we’re asking you to get involved in. We’re asking you to engage in policy. There’s a difference.

Whether you’re excited with the changes coming to our Statehouse and Washington, or you’re disappointed, it’s more important than ever to take an active role in shaping policy. The 13 Chambers in our Coalition provide many opportunities to engage in policy and develop deeper relationships with your elected officials. Here are some ways for you to get involved in 2021:

• Sign up for our weekly updates. We send out updates (nearly) every Friday on what’s going on at the Statehouse, and how legislation affects the business community. We try to keep these updates easy to read, jargon-free, and skimmable. We know that you’re busy running your business, and you don’t always have time keep up with what’s going on in Columbia. Our weekly updates will help keep you informed.
• Get involved in an Advocacy committee. Many of our member Chambers have committees that tackle policy issues. The Greenville Chamber has four committees: 1. Business Advocacy, 2. Energy & Environmental Compliance, 3. Health & Community Wellness, and 4. Growth & Infrastructure. The Spartanburg, Greer, Anderson, Easley, Simpsonville, Greenwood, and Clemson chambers all have policy committees that meet monthly or quarterly. Each of these committees includes updates of what’s going on in their respective areas, and all are a great way to get plugged in to an issue. You’re also likely to run into members of the legislative delegation, city or county councils, and Congressional staff. If you’d like to know a little more about one of these, please email us.
• Respond to calls-to-action. Throughout the legislative session, we sometimes send out calls-to-action asking our investors to take action in making a phone call or emailing their representative about a certain issue (like our current one about passing COVID liability protections). We do this when a piece of legislation that you told us is critically important to the business community needs help getting across the finish line. Your calls and emails are important. It takes five minutes but could save your company money, provide you a stronger workforce, or improve our community. Responding to our calls-to-action gives you a way to directly influence policy.
• Become a candidate. We always say that the best way to pass pro-business legislation is to have pro-business legislators in office. This year the chamber will host advocacy and candidate schools, known as the Upstate Political Leadership Institute, where you can learn the nuts and bolts of running for office and how to advocate for your issues. Both courses will be offered in the fall. If you’d like to know more about these classes, feel free to reach out to us.

Even though some of the above opportunities may seem small, just making a phone call to a legislator can have a much bigger impact than you may think. For more information on the Business Advocacy and how to get involved, please visit our website.