What is the Sacramento Metro Muslim Chamber of Commerce?
The Sacramento Metro Muslim Chamber of Commerce (SMMCC) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(6) serving Muslims in the Greater Sacramento region. Our mission is to improve business conditions through education, research, networking, trade promotion, and workforce development. The Chamber does not engage in lobbying or electioneering.

How many Muslims are in our community?

• Population estimate: ~75,000.
• Households: ~18,750 (average four people per household)
• Planning ethnicity mix:
  - 40% South Asian
  - 30% MENA (Middle East, North Africa)
  - 20% Sub-Saharan Africa
  - 8% other Asian
  - 2% South Pacific.
• Income context: median household income ≈ $88,700
• Net wealth anchors: typical household net worth ≈ $353k; cumulative ≈ $6.6B. Directional for planning, not published figures.

Why do we run a Job Fair, Business Expo, and a Gala?

The Chamber hosts three anchor events each year to strengthen economic and professional networks:

• Job Fair (June): Connects employers with graduates and mid-career talent. Without this event, employment opportunities and internships are minimal and recruitment timelines for top talent rise.
• Business Expo (six months after Ramadan): B2B/B2G lead generation and vendor discovery. Without this event, businesses and professionals must rely on ad-hoc networks, limiting growth, often resulting in missed contracts.
• Gala (post-Ramadan): Showcases member outcomes, recruits mentors, sparks investor–founder matches. Without it, recognition and partnerships may fragment.

What is the current calendar?

• Cycle starts Oct 2025: run the five monthly workshops Oct–Jan.
• Ramadan pause: Feb–Mar 2026.
• Gala: April 2026.
• May 2026: resume workshops.
• Job Fair: June 2026.
• Business Expo: September 2026.
• Monthly Networking Events

How does the chamber c(6) differ from a c(3), a c(4)?

Are dues deductible?

• For Businesses: Membership dues, sponsorships, event tickets etc. are generally 100% deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense, reducing taxable business income dollar-for-dollar.
• For Individuals/Professionals (W-2 Employees): Membership dues are generally not deductible as a charitable gift and, in most cases, they are not deductible as personal expenses.

What do members get for $300/yr membership besides supporting the cause?

An SMMCC Membership gets you access to the following:

• Individual or Team of up to 3
• Directory profile.
• Monthly networking, except during Ramadan.
• Five rotating workshops outside Ramadan and anchor months:
  1) Operations Lab
  2) Marketing Sprint
  3) Hiring Roundtable
  4) Accounting Clinic
  5) Tax Readiness Workshop
• Hiring pipeline: resume bank, candidate alerts, Job Fair access.
• Templates and office hours for ops, HR, and technology.

• Community data summaries for planning.

Where does the money go?
Operations Fund $120,000 budget for Jul 2025–Dec 2026 to reach goal of 400 active members.

• Staff ≈ $108,000.
• Platform and materials ≈ $7,000.

• Programs and events ≈ $5,000.
  Result: a lean back-office that runs the calendar and member services above.

How is the Initial Operations Fund different from membership dues?
The Initial Operations Fund is a one-time launch pool outside regular dues. It finances startup and core operations from July 2025 through December 2026 so the chamber can reach a steady state of 400+ active members.

What do membership dues cover?
Annual dues are $300 per member. Dues fund ongoing member services after launch: programs, research, networking, member support, basic operations, and compliance. At 400 members, dues are expected to cover the steady-state core budget (about $120,000 per year).

What does the Initial Operations Fund pay for?
Startup needs: website and tools, initial materials, outreach, research, insurance and compliance, three staff, plus general operations. It bridges operations until dues scale.

How are anchor events funded?
Anchor events are designed to be self-funded. Event costs are covered by ticketing and acknowledgment-only sponsorships. Sponsor recognition is limited to name, logo, neutral slogan, locations, phone, URL, and value-neutral product lines. Digital sponsor links point to a homepage or “About” page.

How are anchor event dollars spent?
Direct event costs first: venue, A/V, permits, accessibility, content, insurance, and event staffing. Any surplus supports future events or reserves. Funds are not used for political activities.

Who runs the chamber day to day? What does paid staff do?

• Full-time Marketing Manager
• • Content: photography, videography, editing.
  • Social: create and publish on calendar; engage members; report metrics.
  • Design: one-pagers, decks, signage, event collateral.
  • Website: management, CMS updates, analytics.
  • Email: announcements and event drip sequences.
• Two part-time Project Managers
• • Scheduling: master calendar, venue holds, vendor bookings.
  • Member ops: onboarding, directory profiles, renewal tracking, inbox triage.
  • Events: registration, confirmations, onsite check-in, speaker and coordination.
  • Finance/admin support: invoices, receipts, light procurement.