The Cuyahoga County Human Service Chamber will be joining the ranks of well-established chambers in Franklin and Hamilton counties. This is a good opportunity to look at what human service chambers are currently doing in Ohio and what services they provide.
Franklin County
Founded in 2010, the Franklin County Human Service Chamber is comprised of over 210 health and human services nonprofits in the Columbus region. The chamber offers a buffet of benefits to member agencies as part of their vision to enhance quality of life for all working with and for health and human services nonprofits. These currently include legal services and human resources. Soon more services will be offered, supporting sustainability, communications, financial and accounting, development, and cybersecurity/IT.
A helpful calendar on their website shows members’ community events, fundraisers, and volunteer opportunities. They host a nonprofit job board, will review and share your resume amongst its members, and those interested in joining nonprofit boards can send in their information and the chamber will contact them when opportunities arise.
The Franklin Chamber engages in advocacy through activities such as hosting events, providing testimony, and organizing sign-on letters around its policy priorities of food and nutrition, health, housing, transportation, legal and reentry services, refugee and immigration services, workforce development, and youth and education policy.
Most recently, the chamber released a statement, also signed by Community Solutions and Advocates for Ohio’s Future, urging Senators Brown and Vance to reject H.R. 9495, a bill that would give U.S. Treasury Secretary power to designate a nonprofit a “terrorist organization” and revoke its 501c3 status without a clear evidentiary requirement or oversight.
Hamilton County
The Hamilton County Human Services Chamber was formed in 2013 and represents and serves over 90 human services organizations in the greater Cincinnati area. In aligning with its mission to develop and advocate for public policies that provide equitable opportunities for all community members to reach their full potential, member organizations interact with community leaders and human services directors, advocate with government leaders, develop public policy, and learn about human services issues. The chamber provides a collaborative environment for leaders and staff of nonprofits to work and learn from one another to address community needs more effectively.
The Hamilton chamber educates members and stakeholders on public policy and its impact on the health of the community and develops and promotes policies that are beneficial to the human services sector. Additionally, the chamber positions itself to educate policymakers on community issues. Each year, the Policy Committee and board develop a policy agenda based on input from its members. This year, the chamber is focused on affordable housing, human services funding, and transportation.
In 2019, the chamber launched the Empowering Citizens for Equitable Public Transit project which aims to provide opportunities for residents to have input on their local public transit system. Working with the Better Bus Coalition, the chamber completed Phase 1 by engaging with residents of four communities. Phase 2 will partner with the Cincinnati Public Library in which five more communities will participate.
Both chambers offer a wide array of benefits for members and communities. Look out for these types of activities, services, and projects from the Cuyahoga County Human Service Chamber in the future. If your nonprofit organization is interested in joining, learn more here.
