Joyce Marieb, executive director of the Greater San Diego Business Association, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2009, equates money with civil rights.

“What happens with money is that people who have money enter into a more level playing field,” Marieb says.

Yet the GSDBA’s annual net profit decreased by more than 44 percent between fiscal year 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 – from $16,720 to $9,290. And its expenses increased, from $418,686 in 2005-2006 to $457,010 for 2007-2008.

Why? “It’s growth. We’re getting bigger. With more programs, pay roll, members, expenditures, it simply takes more money,” Marieb says.

GSDBA, initiated in 1979, grew by 50 members this year, bringing total membership to 850. And it’s increased the number of “tips” – people who are interested in the services members provide, which often leads to more business, said Marieb, adding that the GSDBA 2005-2006 Annual Report records 130 tips in one trimester, and in November 2007, 200 tips were received. “Even though members do not record the dollar amount resulting from the tips, we know these generate substantial business,” Marieb says.

Part of GSDBA’s expenses is media advertising, on which the association spends about $50,000 annually. Last June, it launched its most recent media campaign – “Friends Do Business With Friends.”

The campaign has two main goals: to inform consumers that the GSDBA is a source of GLBT friendly and supportive services and to enable business owners to advertise their services via GSDBA’s Web site, www.gsdba.org.

Campaign ads appear in local GLBT news publications, on TV, and on billboards.

“We’ve gotten lots of feedback from folks [about the media campaign],” Marieb says. “They recognized us, and that reinforces who we are and that we’re here.”

Another campaign goal is to build relationships with straight business owners and businesses.

That’s what recently motivated Jearl O’Neal to become a GSDBA board member.

“When you go to the [GSBDA member] orientation, one of the great things that impressed me is that people got up and announced that they were part of the straight community and that they were joining the GSDBA because they liked the people in it, and they thought it was a great business decision,” O’Neal said.

“We are not just an LGBT association. We have straight folks too. And they’re usually very good business people, and they know enough to identify with us,…because it’s good for business,” said Marieb.

Being a member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, with which GSDBA formed a partnership in 2004, has also brought the association representation at the national level.

“You know on small business councils to the Congress, women and people of color were on them, but there were never LGBT folks,” Marieb said. “So now we are. So that helps us. So we have a national voice.”

Beyond organizational growth and increasing its political clout, the GSDBA continues to emphasize the power of networking.

“What’s great about GSDBA, that a lot of chambers don’t have, is that our members are really connected to one another,” Marieb says.

“There’s no business organization that is quite like this one for people supporting one another’s businesses, for socializing together, that kind of camaraderie that we have,” Marieb said.

One event that brings the GSDBA together, is its annual holiday cruise, held last week aboard the California Spirit.

“The entire GSDBA community and their guests look forward to it every holiday season, because it is fun and festive and a great venue for celebrating accomplishments and friendships of the year,” said Marieb.

In 2009, the GSDBA will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

“It will be our first gala we’ve ever had. We already have a committee set up. So that’s exciting for us,” Marieb said.

Also next year, the GSDBA will offer workshops on “business basics.”

“What we find is that these small businesses start up with very good ideas, and a lot of them don’t have business training. So while they have a good product or a good idea about their service and all, they don’t have accounting expertise, personnel information, that kind of thing,” Marieb said.

“And that’s not so easy to do, because not everyone who needs help, asks for help or responds when it’s offered….We need to address it in a way that would be attractive but also helpful to folks. Because I don’t care, even if you know what you’re doing, it’s hard to stay in business. You know, they just don’t last. It takes a lot of things to make it work,” Marieb said.

Last Saturday, Lambda Archives of San Diego honored Marieb at its 20th Anniversary Commemoration ceremony, held at the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center.

Asked about her thoughts on being recognized, Marieb said, “There’s so many people that do very good things in our community and I’m really glad to be identified with those people.”