Another key goal of Impact 2012 is to study whether the existence of two separate school boards for Valdosta and Lowndes County schools has an impact on economic development efforts and business development land use patterns in Valdosta and Lowndes.

“I want to be very clear,” Valenti said. “The plan does not call for the consolidation of the school systems. That is a multi-faceted issue, much of which is outside of the chamber’s purview. Our interest is from a business perspective, that is, in any economic development impact there might be.”

Chamber officials reiterated their promise to keep contributors informed of where the money goes.

A quarterly newsletter will be distributed to all of the shareholders. Every local news organization is a shareholder. Annual shareholder meetings will provide each investor the opportunity to receive a detailed progress report and to ask questions about the campaign and their investments, Ballard said.

“We have very specific, measurable goals for each initiative, and we will be anxious to share information with the entire community,” Ballard said. “In addition, the chamber board has appointed the Impact 2012 oversight committee, including top shareholders in the program, to ensure that every penny invested is spent as promised. These committee members will serve in an oversight capacity for the five-year duration of the program.”

The chamber board will approve the Impact 2012 budget at its December meeting. Several initiatives will be put into motion in January. The oversight committee will determine the frequency of progress reports, but they’ll at least be released quarterly if not monthly, Ballard said.

Despite surpassing its original goal, Valenti said the chamber will continue to solicit pledges from the community throughout the five years of the program.

“We want every business and every person who wants to be included in Impact 2012 to have an opportunity to do so,” he said.