January 9, 2009

Dear Friends,

In the face of an uncertain economy, BerkShares businesses have a leg up on
much of their competition and a unique way to reach out to customers. As a
BerkShares-accepting business, you convey local pride, help foster community
self-sufficiency, and your customers automatically receive a discount when
they purchase their BerkShares from a participating bank. These days, that’s
a big deal for consumers and you should be taking advantage of this
advantage! Let people know you support BerkShares and you’re almost
guaranteed to do more business.

There are now more opportunities than ever to spend the BerkShares you
accept, so with a little creative thinking you can often keep your
BerkShares in circulation instead of depositing them at the bank. As long as
you spend them, you’re not absorbing the discount.

Check www.berkshares.org for places to spend them – new businesses are
signing up every week and you may be surprised to learn how many
opportunities there are for you to use BerkShares. Starting this year, the
BerkShares Directory page features the newest business sign-ups at:

http://www.berkshares.org/directory/index.htm

One simple way to reduce the number of BerkShares in your cash drawer is to
take some of your own cash and replace it with BerkShares. That way, if you
cannot find enough business outlets for them, you can use them for your
personal expenses.

For more information on BerkShares, visit www.berkshares.org, or plan to
attend the next informational meeting on Tuesday, January 13th at 8 am at
the Red Lion Inn. Even if you know all there is to know, you’ll be with
other BerkShares participants and may get some new ideas on how to make them
work better for you, or have the opportunity to share your good ideas with
others. Please join us! You can RSVP by emailing Sharon at
sharon@berkshares.org or calling 413-358-2692.

Sharon Palma for the BerkShares Team
P. O. Box 125
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-528-1737
www.berkshares.org