Dear Members,
As another year draws to a close and we collectively look forward to the holiday break ahead, I wanted to recall some great moments with The Bond Club of Philadelphia during our Fall “semester” and catch you up on some pertinent news and organizational happenings.
However, in this season of thankfulness, I must first note my sincere gratitude to our Officers and Governors who have supported me tirelessly (and patiently!) in guiding your Bond Club through the year past. These few voluntary hands make it all happen and I know that our members are equally thankfully for their work on behalf of BCOP.
Our programming has continued to reach new heights with October’s presentation from Ryo Tashiro, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve’s Outreach Economist front of mind along with another suburban happy hour event last month – this time in partnership with the Financial Planning Association of Philadelphia and expertly coordinated by Governor Pete Ayoub. Last week’s BCOP Holiday Party continued its 103-year run of being our signature event for the year. Thank you for everyone who attended, making it such a special occasion, and thank you to Howard Trauger for once again hosting us at the spectacular Philadelphia Club. Guests also had the opportunity to meet Malachi Neal, our 2025 Bond Club of Philadelphia Howard A. Trauger Scholarship Fund recipient. Malachi is a Politics, Philosophy and Economics major from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Division1 soccer athlete at the school.
As many of you will know, permanently endowing the scholarship fund was a major objective coincident with celebrating the Bond Club’s centenary in 2022. Today, through the generosity of our members and friends, the fund is approaching $120,000. The scholarship remains our primarily philanthropic effort and has made a difference to so many local students over the years. Donations can be made via the Philadelphia Foundation website (be sure to select us from the dropdown menu) or feel free to contact Jon Scott. Jon has done so much to get the scholarship fund to where it is today. Your continuing support would be gratefully received as perhaps you consider year-end charitable donations.
Our first meeting after the holidays will of course be the Annual General Meeting, including the election of next year’s Officers and Governors. The proposed candidate list is below. The AGM will be on Tuesday January 20 at Bala Golf Club with special guest speaker, Jody Lurie, CFA, Senior Credit Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence. Registration email to follow shortly. In recognition of where the majority of our members now live and work, you should expect to see around half of our programming for next year move to the suburbs.
The opening couple of weeks of 2026 will also see us launch a brand-new website and membership/events management system for the Bond Club. This is a much overdue upgrade and will represent us well externally, help encourage new membership applications and also vastly improve the back-office administration of our organization. You will all see the new system in action during our 2026 membership dues cycle.
Unfortunately, these essential upgrades and modernizations do come with a meaningful and recurring cost, on top of the significant inflation we continue to experience in providing venues and catering for our events. After considerable soul searching, the Officers have reluctantly decided to raise membership dues to $150 per annum. I am though pleased to say that we are going to be introducing a student membership at $50 commencing January 1. Furthermore, you will find a small attendance fee requested for many events to help defray costs. Given we all see similar cost pressures in our day-to-day businesses, I know that you understand the necessity of these changes and equally continue to recognize the quality of events and fellowship opportunities that the Bond Club uniquely provides.
As we move into 2026, I am tremendously encouraged by the continued growth in our membership. Thank you all for your evangelism on behalf of the Bond Club. Please contact Governor Dianne Manges with any proposals for new members.
The New Year will bring exciting new programming, new venues, membership growth and a fresh face for the Bond Club to show the world. In summary, an organization of which we can all be very proud!
I wish you all Happy Holidays and good times with family and friends!
Nigel Storer
President
The Bond Club of Philadelphia