Frequently Asked Questions
The Chamber is made up of local businesses and is financed in large part by membership dues, sponsorship, advertising, networking events, our programming and office rental space at the Chamber.
YES! The Bastrop Chamber sells advertising in multiple ways. We also offer FREE promotional opportunities. PLEASE NOTE: The Bastrop Chamber is not a promotions-advertising-public relations firm.
Since 1922, the Chamber has supported its members-in-good-standing. We make referrals but not recommendations. It is up to the consumer to do his or her own research. Further, we can neither refer nor recommend businesses that are NOT Chamber Members.
ABSOLUTELY! The Bastrop Chamber of Commerce website host the most inclusive community calendar in our community. All Chamber Members are encouraged to promote their community support efforts, free events, business anniversaries, expansions, changes/additions to staff, and free networking events through the Chamber. PLEASE NOTE: All announcements are subject to approval.
YES, absolutely! The Chamber has Members in many surrounding cities and a few in other states. They appreciate and take advantage of the many networking opportunities we offer as a chance to expand their business reach. For a member, a Chamber of Commerce is essentially an inexpensive networking and business promotional hub. If you have a business that would benefit from belonging to a business association outside of your immediate area, we strongly recommend joining Bastrop Chamber of Commerce.
No we do not. The Chamber is sometimes asked to take a position on political issues, mostly business development.
The Chamber is not a government agency, nor is it funded by city government.
Yes, though we recommend you do most of your research online first. You can visit www.bastropchamber.com or www.bastropedc.org. This is the Bastrop Chamber and Bastrop Economic Development Corporation's official websites and can answer more questions.
After attempting to resolve the problem yourself, the Chamber always recommends that you contact us. Although we cannot act as a mediator in any dispute, our Members represent our high standards for doing business. Complaints about Members are considered seriously by the Board of Directors. If the business in question is not a Chamber Member, there is very little the Chamber can do. Your next step is to contact The Better Business Bureau of Austin at (512) 445-2911. Legal action should always be your last resort.
We are also a non-profit organization raising funds for our own events and programming. As a policy, we do not solicit our Members for other organizations. All of our Members benefit from Chamber membership and are able to promote their fundraising events through multiple Chamber communication tools including our website and social media.
Members are entitled to receive one copy of membership mailing list labels once a year for free (member must provide the mailing labels). If you need further sets of mailing list labels, you can purchase them for $25 and you will need to provide the mailing labels. We do not share our Membership email list with anyone (including our own Members). This privacy policy is implemented at the request of our Members to avoid unwanted solicitations and also keeps the Chamber in compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act.
Bastrop Chamber of Commerce Members work together to promote the economic development of our city. It is a voluntary, non-profit, private, business association, autonomous and independent, neither seeking nor accepting financial aid from any other organization.
We are financed entirely by membership dues, sponsorship and advertising sales; the Chamber is not supported by tax dollars. Our funds are dedicated to our Members and this organization. The Chamber provides services to its Members through networking events, promotional programs and by creating open communication among the Members.
As a non-profit organization, we raise funds for our own events, programs, advertising and sponsorship which fit our Mission. As a result, we are unable to contribute to other organizations' events, programs, advertising and sponsorships.
This policy also ensures that our members are not involuntarily duplicating donations. For example, Members pay dues to the Chamber; Chamber donates to local organization, local organization directly solicits a donation from the Member - ultimately resulting in a duplicate donation.