$10,000 Donation Pays Chamber of Commerce Dues for Dozens of Chester County Businesses

$10,000 Donation Pays Chamber of Commerce Dues for Dozens of Chester County Businesses

WEST CHESTER, PABenchmark Federal Credit Union announced that it has donated $10,000 to pay chamber of commerce membership dues for 34 small businesses and nonprofits in Chester County that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

“It is essential that Chester County’s small businesses and nonprofits continue to receive support as they recover from the crippling effects of COVID-19,” says Daniel J. Machon, Jr., President and CEO of Benchmark Federal Credit Union. “We want to be sure that our neighboring businesses can continue to rely on the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce as a valuable resource to stay connected, informed and supported while they work to get back to normal operations.”

Through the Benchmark Federal Credit Union Community Cares Program, each of the 34 recipients was recently notified by the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce that their annual membership fees had been paid courtesy of Benchmark Federal Credit Union. Half of the recipients are local small businesses, and the other half are nonprofits. The 34 organizations were chosen based on long-term and highly engaged chamber membership with fees that were past due, or due between now and December.

“We all know that small businesses and nonprofits have been hit especially hard by the economic downturn of COVID-19,” says Dave Fairman, Interim President of the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce. “Benchmark Federal Credit Union’s donation will ensure that our members can continue to take advantage of chamber programs designed to help them recover. The funding is also valuable to the chamber, since its two signature events had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.”

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With three convenient branches located in Westtown, Downtown West Chester and Phoenixville, Benchmark Federal Credit Union offers Business Savings Accounts with a low minimum of $5 to open, as well as Checking Accounts with the first 200 transactions free every month. Plus, free digital banking, ATM/debit card and no minimum deposit to maintain the Checking Account.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 shutdowns, Benchmark Federal Credit Union has launched a number of programs to support small businesses and nonprofits, including up to $1 million in interest-free loans for Chester County businesses through the Benchmark Cares Loan Program; sponsorship of an ongoing virtual panel series to help local nonprofits generate revenue in a virtual world; a free, award-winning financial literacy program for more than 60 public, private and parochial schools as well as stay-at-home students in Chester County; and continued sponsorship of community programs as they went virtual during the COVID-19 crisis. As the only federal credit union to exclusively serve Chester County, Benchmark Federal Credit Union supports more than 20 community events and organizations each year.

If your organization fared well during the pandemic and would like to also donate funds to help pay chamber membership dues for local businesses and/or nonprofits, you can contact the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce staff at (610) 696-4046 to inquire about the newly developed Members Helping Members dues program.

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