What to Do When Your Board Has a “Great” Idea

When a board member shares, “I have a great idea for the chamber,” do you smile or slink deeper into your seat?

Sometimes that sentence leads to a useful partnership, a stronger program, or an opportunity you hadn’t considered.

Sometimes it leads to a proposal for another event during your busiest month, complete with the assurance that you shouldn't worry. "It will be easy. We can just 'throw' it together."

And that is the loneliest "we" ever.

But being a chamber pro is all about relationships. You can't just say exactly what you're thinking. You need to manage your response.

Dismiss the suggestion too quickly and you may lose a board member’s willingness to contribute. Respond with enthusiastic encouragement you don’t mean and you'll spend the next month explaining why their “approved” idea isn’t happening.

You need room to listen, ask questions, and offer an honest assessment. You also likely need the relationship to survive the answer.

Listen Before You Start Calculating the Workload

Experienced chamber pros can spot complications quickly. A board member says “business showcase,” and you immediately see venue contracts, registration questions, sponsorship commitments, and the staff hours required to manage them.

Your experience is useful, but it can also cause you to respond to an idea before you’ve fully heard it.

Let the person finish even if you want to employ the biggest eye roll ever because there may be a brilliant insight in a ridiculous shape. Dig deeper and they'll feel heard. Ask what prompted the suggestion. Is it a recurring concern from members? Have they seen something work elsewhere? Maybe they've identified a group the chamber isn’t reaching and they think this event is a great way to open the door to them? (Even if that isn't the case, the new audience could be valuable to your chamber and you can brainstorm other ways to reach them outside of what was suggested.)

Then bring the board member back around to the strategic plan.

Try: “What would you want this to accomplish for our members?”

The answer may reveal more than they said initially. A board member suggesting a new awards luncheon, for instance, may really want more recognition for small businesses.

That gives you something useful to discuss beyond the actual event or lackluster idea.
Reflect back what you heard: “You’re concerned that smaller members aren’t getting enough visibility. Have I understood that correctly? Are you hearing that among our small business owners?”

Give them a chance to correct your interpretation before you evaluate their solution.

Audio Summary

Appreciate the Contribution Without Endorsing the Idea

“That’s a great idea!” feels friendly. It’s also hard to retrieve once someone has repeated it to three potential sponsors because they thought your comment was an endorsement.

You can express appreciation honestly: “Thanks for bringing this forward. I’d like to understand it better.” Or “I appreciate you looking for ways to help us reach members.”

Be specific about what deserves recognition. Perhaps they noticed a gap, made an introduction, or brought member feedback into the conversation. Acknowledge that contribution without attaching praise to a proposal you haven’t assessed.

Don't give in to the urge to fill dead air while everyone looks to you for your response. Even what you may consider a diplomatic comment like, "That is certainly a creative approach to our workforce development work," can be seen as a positive.

Instead, if you have an immediate concern, name it calmly. “I can see what you’re trying to accomplish. I have concerns about adding another event, particularly during renewal season.”

Your tone can be welcoming while your assessment remains undecided. Board members don’t need automatic enthusiasm to feel heard. They need evidence that you took their contribution seriously.

Ask Questions That Improve the Thinking

Questions should help both of you understand the proposal. Avoid turning the conversation into a cross-examination designed to make the person abandon it.

Start with the intended result, then explore the assumptions. Who would participate? What suggests they want this? How would it differ from an existing offering? What would success look like?

If another chamber inspired the idea, ask what made it work there. A program supported by a major employer and a dedicated coordinator won't look the same when your chamber tries to reproduce it if you don't have similar support or resources.

Distinguish interest from commitment, too. “People would love this” deserves a follow-up: “Which members have expressed interest, and what did they say they’d participate in or support?”

Apply that same curiosity to ideas you personally like. Consistent questions make evaluation feel fair. They also help board members bring stronger proposals next time, with fewer assumptions for everyone to untangle.

This type of questioning works best in-person or on the phone. Putting it in email or text may seem combative as you ask multiple questions.

Make the Tradeoffs Visible

“We don’t have the capacity” may be accurate, but it leaves plenty of room for interpretation. Someone who hasn’t seen the work may hear reluctance instead of a practical constraint.

Explain what the proposal would require and what it would affect.

“Launching this in the fall would put planning and sponsor outreach alongside our membership campaign. With our current staffing, we’d need to reduce that campaign or move another commitment.”

Use reasonable estimates and identify what’s still unknown. No detailed feasibility study required to explain a scheduling conflict.

Address offers of help with equal specificity. If the response is “volunteers can handle it,” ask which tasks volunteers would own, who would coordinate them, and what staff support would remain.

A volunteer’s willingness to help can change the assessment. It doesn’t automatically remove registration, communications, financial tracking, or follow-up from someone’s workload. Make those responsibilities visible before anyone promises an easy launch.

Give an Answer People Can Understand

Once you have enough information, avoid wrapping your assessment in so much politeness that the decision disappears.

“This is interesting, and perhaps we can explore it sometime” can sound like encouragement to keep asking. If you’ve concluded the chamber shouldn’t pursue it, say so.

“I don’t recommend moving forward with a separate awards luncheon. We already have difficulty securing sponsors for our current recognition program, and this would approach many of the same businesses.”

Then pause. Give the person room to respond instead of filling the silence with concessions.

If a smaller approach would address the need, suggest it: “We could consider adding a small-business spotlight to our existing communications.” Offer that alternative only if it’s worth considering on its own merits. You don’t owe every declined idea a replacement project.

Likewise, distinguish a recommendation from a final decision. Be precise about what’s been decided, what still needs discussion, and who will receive your assessment.

Handle Disappointment Without Ambiguity

A board member may feel disappointed, especially if they’ve invested time, offered personal connections, or imagined the response would be enthusiastic.

You can acknowledge that without changing your assessment. “I understand this is disappointing. You’ve put thought into it, and you hoped we could move forward.”

Then return to the reason: “My concern remains the overlap with our existing program and the demand on the same sponsors.”

Avoid arguing about whether the person should feel disappointed. Avoid apologizing repeatedly for offering a professional judgment. Stay interested in any new information they bring, and be willing to reconsider when that information changes the picture.

If the conversation becomes personal, move it to a private setting. “I’d like us to talk this through directly. Can we set aside time tomorrow?”

Privacy gives both people room to ask questions and speak candidly without managing an audience. It also makes it easier to repair a misunderstanding before it becomes a larger conflict.

Pair a Real Next With “Let’s Explore It”

Some ideas deserve more information. Define the question you need answered, who will gather the information, and when you’ll return to it.

“Before considering a new workshop series, let’s find out whether members want this topic. Could you introduce me to the three businesses you mentioned? I’ll include their feedback in our assessment by next month’s meeting.”

Keep the investigation proportionate. A brief conversation with several members may tell you enough to stop. Reserve extensive research for proposals with enough promise to justify the effort.

If a pilot makes sense, agree on its scope, resource limit, and success measures in advance. Include when you’ll decide whether to continue. A pilot without an ending can become a permanent commitment.

And if “later” is your answer, explain what would trigger reconsideration. A budget change? Demonstrated member demand? Completion of another priority? Without a trigger, “later” can encourage them to bring it up at every board meeting until they get a "yes."

Reset Expectations When You Sounded Too Enthusiastic

Occasionally, you’ll realize your first response created an expectation you didn’t intend. Address it promptly. “I sounded more committed when we first discussed this than I should have. I appreciated the goal, but I hadn’t assessed the resources. After reviewing those, I don’t recommend proceeding.”

Own your wording without blaming the board member for misunderstanding. If they’ve already approached potential partners, agree on how to correct those expectations. The longer you wait, the more awkward that correction becomes. A direct conversation now protects the relationship and gives everyone accurate information for their next conversation about the proposal.

Close the Loop, Especially When the Answer Is No

An idea that disappears into silence can leave someone feeling ignored. Follow up after the assessment, even when the conversation was brief.

A short note can confirm the proposal, the outcome, the reason, and any agreed next step. Keep the language straightforward enough that it won’t be mistaken for approval if forwarded.

When a board member contributes something useful, acknowledge it. Their proposed luncheon may have uncovered a recognition gap you eventually address another way. Tell them their observation helped.

Feeling valued is a big part of continued volunteerism. You don't want a lackluster idea to be the reason you lose them or those watching.