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# Annual chamber events net tens of thousands
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/annual-chamber-events-net-tens-of-thousands/
- Published: 2004-03-09T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T03:58:19.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Business, Santa Monica, #archive-import

divulge that information.

Leaders of the non-profit organization on Monday blamed the shortfall on a laggard economy and pointed to an array of new ventures that they hope will attract new members, whose dues account for 60 percent of the chamber’s revenue.

More than 1,000 local merchants belong to the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. Annual dues range from $275 for one-man companies to $700 for businesses with 31 to 40 workers, to more than $2,000 for corporations with hundreds of workers.

“It’s tightly run,” said Dick Lawrence, president of Encino State Bank, former board chairman and current chief financial officer for the chamber. “But the problem we’ve been seeing is getting new membership in the chamber — because of the business climate. Our projection for new business memberships is down for this year and will probably be down for the remainder of the fiscal year.”

Kathy Dodson, president and CEO of the chamber, said she expects the organization to be out of the red by the end of the year, a place the chamber hasn’t been for several years. Her colleagues credited Dodson with helping turn around the chamber’s finances since she was hired in 2001.

“In terms of a direction and a tone and a tenor, we are on the right target,” said Dr. Mike Gruning, chairman of the board for the chamber. “It is definitely a turn around.”

If the chamber doesn’t meet its budget, which is likely, Dodson said it will dip into a savings account it keeps to avoid going into debt or borrowing money. Dodson didn’t say how much money is in the account.

Dodson also declined to release this year’s projected budget, but she did offer some financial information about the private, nonprofit organization. While member dues account for the majority of the chamber’s revenue, another 25 to 30 percent comes from community events it sponsors. The remaining 10 to 15 percent of revenue comes mostly from selling newsletter ads, renting out extra office space and selling directory labels to members.

Gruning said the chamber profited $30,000 last year from its “Taste of Santa Monica” event on the Santa Monica Pier, where local restaurants showcase their specialties. Lawrence said the chamber expects to bring in another $12,000 to $14,000 through its business expo; $11,000 through its annual health festival and about $10,000 through its monthly mixers. Chamber officials project another $2,800 in profits from an annual event it holds to welcome new teachers to the local school district.

It costs $10 for members and $20 for non-members to attend the monthly “mixers,” which are set up for Santa Monica business people to network. Luncheons, which Dodson said are “pretty much a wash,” cost $30 or $35 for members and $45 for non-members. Those fees have increased in recent years.

The chamber spends half of its money on salaries for its five and a half staff positions, Dodson said. Another 17 percent is spent staging community events, and the rest goes towards operating costs — rent, insurance and equipment. Dodson declined to further itemize how those expenses break down or say what her salary is.

“What we spend our money on is nobody’s business,” she said. “We don’t get a dollar of city funding.”

As well as working on community events, Dodson said she helped turn around the chamber’s finances after she was hired in August of 2001 by redoing the organization’s newsletter, Web site and directory. She then worked on producing marketing materials, which were completed last month.

“We had to build the organization first,” she said, later adding, “We’re not doing bad right now, but we’re not meeting our budget. It’s because the economy hasn’t recovered as quickly as I thought it would.”

Daniel Ehrler, a Santa Monica resident and president of the chamber for several years before he resigned, said the chamber “fell into a world of hurt” in late 1999, when members stopped renewing. As a result, membership dropped from above 1,000 to below 850 at the end of 2001\. That number eventually climbed back above 1,000, where it has remained since.

Though membership growth was below projections in November, December and January, Dodson said growth was up again in February. There are currently 1,060 members — out of an estimated 6,000 merchants in Santa Monica.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 9, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/030904.pdf?ref=smdp.com)