When the Cook County Chamber organized six years ago, it focused primarily on business economics and public policy in Grand Marais, Cook County and St. Paul.
But almost immediately, the Chamber was called upon to do other things not very related to business concerns, at least not directly. The Great Place Project, initially a partnership with the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, is a good example. Or raising funds to support Eddy, the K9 deputy who keeps company with the men and women of the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office.
So we created a sister organization, the Cook County Chamber Foundation, to handle these efforts. We applied for and received 501c3 tax status for the Foundation so that donations would be tax-deductible. The Foundation also became the vehicle for processing collections for our annual canoe raffles, and we serve as a fiscal agent for a few other groups that lack the 501c3 status.
The Chamber Foundation is much more of a community-building organization than a business group, and we hoped to attract both wide membership and wide donations. But as long as that word “chamber” was in the title, it had the appearance of having a narrow focus on business concerns.
Therefore, we have applied for and received authorization to do business under an “assumed” name that better reflects the Foundation mission. Hereafter, our Foundation sister will do business as the “Cook County Business and Civic Partnership.” That’s why you will see a couple of DBA notices in the News-Herald. They are a condition of qualifying to use an assumed name.
As we further develop the new identity for this Cook County Partnership, we will adjust the makeup of our board to better reflect broad community involvement. We also would welcome public members who believe in our mission and are willing to commit resources to financing its execution – in much the same way as a number of other nonprofits in town solicit memberships. You can donate as little as $25 or as much as you wish to become a member.
We hope that we develop sufficient resources from memberships to hire at least one part-time staff member. The work involved in the Chamber universe has expanded beyond the capacity of our one staff member.
To those who would like to become charter members of the Cook County Business and Civic Partnership, please call the Chamber office at 218-387-2079, email us at our new address, ccpartnership805@gmail.com, or send us regular mail at Cook County Partnership, P.O. Box 805, Grand Marais, MN 55604. Donations of $25 or more will be very welcome.
Also, please do not forget to submit your applications for a Great Place Project 2019 grant before the April 1 deadline. You can find the application here: cookcountychamber.org/great_place_project
Jim Boyd
Executive Director
Cook County Chamber and
its 501c3 sister, the Cook County Business
and Civic Partnership
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