Jank reflects on SCCDP national accreditation

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As of June 2021, the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership was able to say something most other chambers of commerce can’t say.

It’s accredited.

Jonathan Jank, CEO and president of the SCCDP, said accreditation is a benchmark the U.S. Chamber of Commerce uses. Accreditation goes through nine categories and judges each chamber on its work.

“We did exceptionally well in all,” Jank said. “Accreditation gives us the confidence that we are the best that we can be.”

Being accredited allows Seward County to be seen as a statewide leader. Of the more than 7,000 chambers across the country, less than 200 are accredited, Jank said.

He said the county can be proud of the SCCDP staff and board’s focus on the county’s best interests.

“It’s a team game. We win together,” Jank said. “We find joy from the team win. It’s not about one business or one project. We win because of the giants who came before us. They created something special.”

He said it’s been fun to see Seward County at an elevated level in the state. The SCCDP is one of six chambers in the state to be accredited.

“We want to be at the statewide table,” Jank said. “We have a great story to tell. If we’re not telling it, no one else will.”

The process took 18 months, he said. The SCCDP staff and board worked on the different categories, which are governance, finance, human resources and staff, government affairs, program development, technology, communication, facilities and benchmarking.

“We want the membership to have confidence we’ll the most efficient, effective organization we can be,” Jank said.

Now that it’s certified, the process will repeat every five years. Jank said some areas were good, while others could be improved.

For example, the SCCDP didn’t have a government affairs focus before the accreditation process began. AS a 501(c)6 nonprofit, it can be politically active, Jank said.

“It helps us be aware and engaged in the political sphere, which clearly affects business,” he said. “We are excited to move into this space more.”

He was able to testify on four bills during the 2022 legislative session.

As another example, Jank said, the SCCDP board has been invested in continuing education for the staff, and Jank was able to attend the Institute for Organizational Management to help improve his skills as chief executive officer.

Under the governance section, the staff and board analyzed the SCCDP bylaws. Vision 2035, the SCCDP’s long-term plan, was part of that division, too.

Each section was different, Jank said. As the staff and board reviewed what had been done, he said it was a good opportunity to see where the SCCDP had been and consider where it could go.

Taking time to reflect and celebrate what had been done well was the most fun part of the process, Jank said.

Everything was submitted March 31, 2021. It then underwent a thorough review by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The SCCDP was notified in June that it had achieved accreditation.

“We can’t do it without the faithful members and their choice to invest in the community,” Jank said.