Benchmark pays chamber dues

Donates $10,000 to cover 34 memberships

The credit union donates $10,000 to pay memberships for 34 businesses and nonprofits.

WESTCHESTER » More than three dozen Chester County businesses negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic have had their chamber of commerce membership dues paid for them. Benchmark Federal Credit Union has donated $10,000 to pay the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce memberships for 34 businesses and nonprofits.

Through the Benchmark Federal Credit Union Community Cares Program, each of the 34 recipients was notified by the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce that their annual membership fees had been paid. Half of the recipients are local small businesses, and the other half are nonprofits.

“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,” Daniel J. Machon Jr., president and CEO of Benchmark Federal Credit Union, said in a press release. “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.”

A c c or d i n g to Reb e c c a Worthington, vice president of marketing for Benchmark Federal Credit Union, there was no formal process and recipients didn’t need to apply for the payments. They were chosen in collaboration with the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce based on their status of being long-time, engaged members who had expressed to the chamber that they were having difficulty paying their dues. She added that the list of recipients is not being made public.

“We all know that small businesses and nonprofits have been hit especially hard by the economic downturn of COVID-19,” Dave Fairman, interim president of the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce, said in the release. “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.”

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its shutdowns, Benchmark Federal Credit Union has launched several 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 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, according to the press release.

Benchmark Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Chester County and serves the community with branches in Westtown, West Chester and Phoenixville. For more information visit www. benchmarkfcu.org.

Organizations that would like to donate funds to help pay chamber membership dues for Chester County businesses and/or nonprofits, contact the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce at 610-696-4046 to inquire about the Members Helping Members dues program.

“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.” Daniel J. Machon Jr., president and CEO, Benchmark Federal Credit Union