There are four requirements for all members:

• Be a legally formed business.
• Support the Chamber’s Mission.
• Adhere to the Chamber’s Standards of Business Conduct & Ethics, which can be found here: https://www.houstonlgbtchamber.com/business-standards/.
• Pay annual or monthly membership dues investment.

No. You do not have to identify as LGBTQ to join the Chamber. The only requirements to join are the four requirements mentioned above.  The Chamber welcomes members of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Many of our active Chamber members do not identify as LGBTQ, including several past and present Chamber board members.

We welcome LGBTQ+ Allies and many of our members are strong allies of the LGBTQ+ community.

Your Chamber benefits begin as soon as you join. Various benefits include business growth opportunities, events (including joint events with other groups), networking, new membership recognition, e-mail alerts, advertising/sponsorship, and volunteer/committee opportunities to name a few examples. Benefits vary by membership level. Please review our Business Level Membership Benefits and levels page here.

Please contact the Chamber Office via the Contact Us Page or call 832-510-3002 if you have further questions about membership and benefits.

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber has various membership levels and advertising opportunities. Please review our Business Level Membership Benefits and levels page here for more information.

All members of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce receive an online directory listing as one of their member benefits. Our search engine optimized Chamber Directory is a great way to market your business. In addition, members may post Hot Deals, special discount offers, to Members or the general public. It’s all part of your membership!

To grow your business, you need to get the word out about who you are and what you do.  The Chamber provides a great platform through various channels to showcase your business and raise your business profile with other members and in the community.

We encourage every member to be active and engaged in the Chamber. Connecting with other members such as through events, the Member Facebook Group and other active networking is key.  We have members who do business with each other because they have connected through the Chamber.  In order to connect, you need to be active and engaged!

We encourage nonprofit organizations to join the Chamber to raise the profile of their mission in the LGBTQ & Allied Business Community.  While we do not have a nonprofit rate, we do highlight our nonprofit members throughout the year through nonprofit spotlights and collaborate on events to raise the profile of nonprofit members in the Chamber.  For our nonprofits in arts & culture, we collaborate through our Arts + Business Initiative.

Chamber membership has its rewards!  As a current member of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce, you can promote your business to other Chamber members through your participation in our Member to Member Discount Program. In addition, you promote Hot Deals to the general public.  Other business development opportunities include promoting your member business in the Member Facebook Group, plus dozens of networking events throughout the year to connect with other members and pitch your business.

You may join the Chamber by completing our online application or by submitting a completed printed application to Greater Houston LGBT Chamber, 5340 Weslayan St. #25011, Houston, TX 77265.

Investment membership dues depend on the size of your business and the level of membership benefits you wish to receive.  Business Level Memberships range in cost annually from $430 to a President’s Circle membership for $2,535.  Visit our Business Level Membership Benefits and Level Page to learn more.

Are you a corporate partner or company larger than 99 employees?  Learn more about our Corporate Partner Benefits and Levels.

Business today is complex and hyper-competitive, so the Chamber offers practical how-to workshops, seminars and professionally-led programs to help you get and stay up to speed with today’s winning techniques.  Chamber members and our partners with expertise in law, finance, IT, marketing, sales and present at Chamber workshops.

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the NGLCC are two independent organizations. However, the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber is connected to the NGLCC as a local Affiliate Chamber.

Because of our relationship with the NGLCC, the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce is the area's exclusive partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce for the LGBT business certification program known as the LGBTBE^® certification.

The NGLCC’s LGBT Business Enterprise® (LGBTBE) certification verifies that eligible businesses are majority-owned by LGBT individuals, and subsequently grants LGBTBE^® designation to such businesses as part of its LGBT Supplier Diversity Initiative.  Click here to learn more about the LGBTBE^® certification.

Plus, as a member of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber, your certification fee is waived by the NGLCC.  It’s a great partnership!  Remember… Membership is local and certification is national! 

No, a business does not have to be 51% LGBTQ owned to join the Chamber. In fact, a business does not have to be LGBTQ owned to become a member. We encourage LGBTQ and LGBTQ-Allied businesses to become a member of the Chamber. The 51% rule only applies to those members wishing to become LGBTBE certified.

Your business must meet the following criteria:

• Majority (at least 51%) owned, operated, managed, and controlled by an LGBT person or persons who are either
U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
• Exercises independence from any non-LGBT business enterprise
• Has its principal place of business (headquarters) in the United States
• Has been formed as a legal entity in the United States

If you meet the criteria above, then the first step towards the LGBTBE^® certification is to become a member of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce so your certification fee is waived through the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

Through the Chamber’s affiliate partnership with the NGLCC, members that apply for the LGBTBE^®certification will be eligible to have their application/certification fee waived. Your second step is to formally apply for the LGBTBE^® certification through the NGLCC.

Learn more about the application process at our LGBTBE^® certification information page and download the Chamber’s “How To Get LGBTBE^® Certified”.

No! This is one reason we encourage you to join the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber prior to applying for your LGBTE® certification through the NGLCC.

In fact, because of our relationship with the NGLCC, our members have opportunities to receive scholarships, mentoring, and conference discounts to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) without having to pay additional dues. Qualified members of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce are eligible to have the LGBTBE® certification fee waived just by being a member!

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce does not provide its membership list. However, we do have vehicles that allow our members to communicate with each other, including the online directory, member Facebook Group, and networking events.

Yes. The Chamber’s Standards of Business Conduct & Ethics is located at https://www.houstonlgbtchamber.com/business-standards/.

Of course! The Chamber provides resources for entrepreneurs through our collaboration and strategic partners partnerships. The Chamber has members and strategic partners whose expertise is focused on supporting entrepreneurs and/or small business owners. We provide education, access to capital, certification opportunities, supplier diversity workshops and a myriad of other activities to support individuals in the creation of their businesses.  We love to help new entrepreneurs get access to critical information and resources!

The Chamber is continually focused on offering diverse programming for our members. If you have a program proposal, please see our Program Proposal Guidelines and complete our Online Program Proposal Form.

We offer a variety of business networking/growth opportunities and educational programs and workshops including monthly events both in-person and virtually. Generally, we host at least two events each month including our Brewing Up Business and Biz Connect Mixer.  Check the events calendar for the program or event to fits your needs.

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce covers a large geographic area which includes the Greater Houston Region.

The Chamber sends a monthly newsletter and other information.   Just take a moment and add your name and email to our mailing list.

You can visit the Chamber Directory to find a host of LGBTQ supportive businesses.  The general public routinely uses the Directory to find businesses whose values align in terms of support and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community.

You can contact the Chamber Office via our Contact Us Page or call 832-510-3002.  The mailing address is Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce, 5340 Weslayan St. #25011, Houston, TX 77265

Among the 200+ events the Chamber hosts each year, a majority are popular monthly breakfasts, luncheons and after-hours events to make networking easy, and much more -- all free or at great discounts to Chamber members.  Some events are held at the Chamber’s spacious office, and others are held at members’ own locations. All are convenient, and inviting to Chamber members and potential members who want to get the most out of networking.

The Chamber works with our nonprofit members to highlight their mission and raise their work up in the community.  We offer various community events including our annual food drive, through the Chamber Foundation, benefitting vulnerable LGBTQ members of the community.

Chamber members are among our most supportive donors, and our dual involvement with the Foundation gives Chamber members the favorable public relations they deserve and recognition of their generosity. It’s a synergy that benefits local businesses and the LGBTQ community and proves the value of doing well by doing good.

Absolutely. We allow you to decide if you want your membership available in our online directory.

A Chamber of Commerce is different from the Better Business Bureau. However, if you believe a member of the Chamber has violated the Chamber’s Standards of Business Conduct & Ethics, which can be found here: https://www.houstonlgbtchamber.com/business-standards/, you may contact the Chamber to file a complaint. However, the Chamber is under no obligation to take any action other than to forward the complaint to the member.