For more than 70 years, PPRS has been a local and independent organization for public relations professionals from Fortune 500 corporations to associations, government, and marketing and consulting firms. Every dollar of membership dues stays right here in Central Pennsylvania.
As expenses have increased in our personal and professional lives, PPRS has faced the same rising costs. The past year has been challenging for our Executive Team and volunteers as we strive to provide programs that meet your expectations. The reality is that the cost of venues, meals and other event-related expenses have increased significantly, especially since 2020. Additionally, as expenses have risen, our membership levels have continued to decline – resulting in reduced revenues to the organization. We will focus on membership recruitment and retention in the year ahead, but we need to make changes now to secure the future of PPRS.
While we explore other programming options, we are committed to keeping costs affordable while meeting our other financial commitments. Most importantly, we want to continue supporting local businesses in the communities where we live and work – many of which have been mainstays for networking, learning and, most importantly, friendship.
To maintain the quality of our programs and continue to meet the needs of our membership, the Executive Committee proposes an increase in annual membership dues to $100, beginning in 2024. This would mark the first dues increase in more than a decade. Additionally, this increase still puts our dues in a significantly lower bracket than other professional organizations in our field.
So, what happens next?
To institute a membership dues increase, our bylaws require that a majority of members in attendance at the September 28, 2023, meeting must vote to approve the increase. We hope you will support this strategic decision.
If you have any questions about this recommendation prior to the September meeting, please contact us at pprshbg@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued commitment to PPRS.