The Charity Committee has a tough job to do. They receive many nominations for worthwhile causes from members. Just how do you figure out which one should receive the benefit of a club donation? Jennifer Tlusty, Mary Alexion, James Smith and Michael Armand developed criteria and a process so decisions are applied equally across all potential beneficiaries. Their goal is to have a fair and equitable system in place when evaluating nominated candidates.
At the highest level, club criteria is:
- Minimum donation is $250
- The club will not give to an organization more than 2 years in a row. A donation in one year does not guarantee a donation the next year.
- If an organization is donated to – 2 years in a row, it becomes ineligible the following 2 years.
- In any single year, the committee strives to support charities in multiple counties.
- The club will not give to statewide or national organizations. Donations are limited to organizations that serve the Triangle area (Wake, Orange, Durham and Chatham counties)
- The club targets supporting non profits that have a primary mission to serve: youth and children, feeding the hungry, health and animal care.
The charities deemed eligible according to the above criteria are evaluated for donation by the Charity Committee according to the following process:
- Charitable giving budget amount is confirmed
- Solicit recommendations for charities to support from members by a specific deadline. Only one nomination per club member.
- Members nominate a charity in writing (e-mail is acceptable) to include:
- Name of the organization
- What they do
- Why we should give to the organization
- Confirm that the submitted charity is a 501 c(3) in good standing
- Validate that the submitted charity spends 20% or less of their expenses on administrative overhead. There are many on-line sites that support this research including GUIDE Star
- Select charities and designate amount of the donation
Once the charity is selected by the Charity Committee, they are contacted and invited to attend a club meeting. A Board Officer will present the check directly to the representative of the designated organization (hopefully) at the regularly scheduled membership meeting. Since our club meetings are on Sunday’s, it may not always be possible for the charity representative to attend. In this case, a Board Officer will go to the site of the charity, present the check in person and take photos to be shared with club members.
The Charity Committee does an outstanding job researching and reviewing nominated charities. It can be a time intensive process depending upon the number of charities nominated in a single year. We’ve heard from so many of our club members that they appreciate being involved with a club that prioritizes giving back to the community. The dedication of Jennifer, Mary, James and Michael to “getting it right” and making sure our donation goes the furthest is a testament to the overall commitment of the club. Thank you for your hard work and we look forward to learning more about the charities selected for our 2016 donations!
Previous Recipient – Donation to Partners for Youth Opportunity