At our July 25th meeting, Hannah Bell presented the results of the Membership Survey conducted in June relating to use of Fundraising proceeds. The Survey solicited feedback on a number of questions like what defines us as a Club strategically, how we want to be seen, what do we want to support, how involved do we want to be in the donations we make, what types of service projects do we want to be involved in, how much should be donated to International projects, and how do we donate funds back to the rural areas where some of the bingo proceeds were generated.
                                                             
 
 
The Key Findings are as follows:
  • International contribution of 10%; must be careful not to create restrictions or challenges by creating hard lines or exact numbers
  • Provincial distribution of funds (rather than trying to address rural/urban targets) to organizations
  • Donations to directly to individuals or individuals operating service projects is not preferred
  • Primarily focus on Youth, and possibly Seniors, and to a lesser extent Community, in areas of Poverty, Education, Entrepreneurship, and Health
  • No support to large established national or large local organizations that already receive strong financial support.
  • No support for political, and/or religious organizations, etc.
  • Small grants of < $5K are most popular 
  • No appetite for Club managed large Capital projects
  • We must have money in the bank before we start allocating funds
  • We must build our Club brand by getting the Rotary Club of Charlottetown on things. Guidelines are critical. With smaller projects, Social Media will be key.
  • For Donations, we should consider a hold back (25%) until completion of all requirements including reporting and recognition.
 
Next Steps:
 
The Committee is compiling a list of organizations and community groups who work with children and youth in PEI in designated areas. It is also consulting with the other Rotary Clubs in PEI to try not to duplicate Community Service or areas they are focusing on. In late September, the Committee expects to have present options for the Club to consider.     
 
Also, the Committee is hoping to have a Draft Donations Policy in late September to be presented to the Club.
 
Hannah is pictured below with Donations Strategy Chair Marilyn Lowther, and President Paul Crant.