Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce members have unanimously voted to cease operations due to a lack of funds and reduced membership participation.
“I want to thank our board members and the executive board for their time and hard work as we have made the difficult decisions necessary to responsibly cease our operations,” Susan E. Bernhard, chamber board president, said in a statement.
During a general membership meeting via Zoom on Oct. 10, the vote was unanimous in favor of ceasing operations. The 16 members present for the final meeting and vote fulfilled the quorum per the chamber bylaws requiring 5% of membership and not less than eight members.
“There was a general understanding that this was the necessary step so that we could properly close down board operations and be able to cover our final obligations,” Bernhard said.
The executive board will continue to meet to wind down the board operations and the necessary end of the year paperwork and filings, said Bernhard.
“I want to thank all those members and businesses that continued to support the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce,” said Bernhard. “Even as we moved through 2024, we had new businesses join us and we, as members, had the opportunity to learn about these businesses and how we could support them.”
Bernhard added: “Organizations are always going to change and flux, especially those that depend heavily on volunteer participation, but for these groups to continue to thrive and be successful, the members have to make the time to participate in the events.”
Bernhard feels that she always learned something new and made great new connections through the chamber meetings.
“I believe that we always need to keep learning so we can continue to grow. Participating in the Chamber continues to be a great opportunity to promote your businesses and organizations,” said Bernhard.
Not enough funds to remain operational
In a Sept. 23 announcement, the Northeast Berks Chamber board of directors announced its recommendation to cease operations due to a lack of funds and reduced membership participation.
“We realize that reduced interest and participation is a problem for many organizations coming out of COVID and we have explored every option to continue the operations of the Northeast Berks Chamber but recognize that we cannot responsibly continue our operations with the current level of participation,” the board of directors stated in the announcement.
Before the pandemic, chamber monthly meetings averaged about 40 people. Since resuming in-person operations, attendance declined to about 15 to 25. The addition of lunch meetings did allow different members to attend events, but overall did not increase attendance numbers, Bernhard and Jim Reece, chamber board vice president, said in a statement.
The chamber is funded primarily by membership fees.
“We have worked to keep our membership fees low so that they are affordable for the small business owner. In talking with other Chambers as we explored our options, we learned that with their larger operations, they have the staff to run revenue-producing events such as classes and large-scale speakers,” stated Bernhard and Reece. “In the Lehigh Valley, the chamber helps local municipalities with holiday events as part of their revenue activities.”
“Being a smaller chamber with only a part-time executive director, we did not have the resources to take on these larger events.”
What impacted chamber funds was primarily the drop in membership.
After the pandemic, the chamber lost the support of some of its larger corporate partners, which had a more significant impact on membership revenue.
“We attribute the loss of these larger partners to continued corporate mergers and changes in management that did not appreciate the value of supporting the small business community,” Bernhard and Reece stated.
The chamber has a board of directors of 15 people. The executive board consists of chamber officers. A paid part-time executive director handled the daily operations of the chamber.
In spring of 2024, the chamber board decided to downsize its office space in Kutztown which was only used for about five hours per week. The board felt that eliminating that expense would help with reducing operational expenses. The plan was to base operations out of kTown Hall, the Kutztown co-working space, according to the announcement.
Very low interest and sign-ups led to the cancellation of fall events to avoid further financial losses for the chamber. The board further determined that the chamber did not have the funds to remain operational through the end of 2024, according to the announcement.
What’s next
Northeast Berks Chamber memberships will be transferred to the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce, which covers the region of southeast Berks, western Montgomery and northern Chester counties and has more than 430 members.
The board did explore options of joining with both the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance and the Lehigh Valley Chamber but was not able to create an offer with these groups that could provide Northeast Berks Chamber members with services and benefits similar to their current offering, according to the announcement.
Under the agreement with the TriCounty Area Chamber, Northeast Berks Chamber members will have access to additional member benefits, including the ability to post job openings and press releases, according to Eileen Dautrich, president of the TriCounty Area Chamber.
Dautrich added that her organization will also look to add some events to its calendar this year that might be a “little bit closer to home for their membership.”
In January, Northeast Berks Chamber members will have the opportunity to remain active chamber members by joining the TriCounty Area Chamber.
“After the meeting and vote were completed, TriCounty Area Chamber sent out a welcome email to our members,” said Bernhard. “They will establish our members in their database and our members will be able to sign in and participate in all of the remaining events for 2024.”
Northeast Berks Chamber members will have the opportunity to meet TriCounty Chamber staff on Oct. 22 and Nov. 1 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the offices of Friend Inc. Community Services, 658 Noble St., Kutztown.
“Friend Inc. has been a long-time chamber member, and we appreciate their support in providing the space for these meetings,” said Bernhard.
TriCounty Area Chamber will have materials available about their upcoming programing, chamber membership benefits and answer any questions.
“We hope our current members will stop by to say hi and learn how they can continue to participate in chamber events. We also invite all of the local business community to stop by for some coffee and to explore the benefits of participating in the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce,” said Bernhard.
Dautrich said she understands the situation the Northeast Berks Chamber is in.
“Our chamber as well has struggled to return to somewhat normal since COVID. I respect it is a difficult decision for their board to make. And I appreciate their confidence in us to fill that need that their members will have,” she said prior to the vote.
Bernhard would like to thank Dautrich for all of her help in allowing Northeast Berks Chamber members to participate with TriCounty Area Chamber through the end of 2024.
“From my first out-of-the-blue phone call, she was generous and so welcoming in making this transition,” Bernhard said. “I look forward to joining and participating in the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce and I hope to see many NBCC members at their events.”
Donna Rovins contributed to this story.
