Update from the Board, 8/25/20: It's been a rough few months for our little club. We miss our gatherings, off-the-record talks, networking events, parties, impromptu karaoke nights, the Emeritus cocktail — all of it!
When we were forced to shut down in March, we continued to pay our staff and worked on cleaning and organizing the space. Since then, we’ve held several virtual events and organized fundraisers. As Philadelphia repeatedly postponed the date when bars could reopen, our bank account kept dwindling and we had to make some tough decisions. We stopped giving shift pay to our door managers in late May and bartenders in late June. In early July we reduced by 75% the hours and salary of our general manager.
In mid-July, we applied for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan. Due to the volume of applications, it is still in the initial processing phase.
The P&P is now in a very tough spot. We currently have under $4,000 left in the bank, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to reopen at all in 2020. We’re wary of taking on further debt we don’t know when we will be able to repay, but we desperately want to preserve that space and place — for all of us, and for future generations of journalists.
It is with this in mind that the board is announcing revised membership rates for 2021 and a new sustaining membership option (details below).
We are encouraging everyone to renew now for 2021. A cash infusion is crucial to stabilizing the Club's bank balance and allowing its impressive 128-year tradition to continue for years to come.
New membership rates, effective 8/25/20:
• Associate membership: $40
• Young active journalist membership: $40 (age 25 and under at time of application or renewal)
• Active journalist membership: $60
• Sustaining membership: An additional $60 per year that can be added to any type of membership; includes the option to book one free private event upstairs during your membership year and a P&P t-shirt (while supplies last)
(Note: When the Club reopens, members who are not sustainers and wish to book private events will need to pay a rental fee.)