The Camden Rotary Club has adopted the following structure for support to community organizations within our local area (Camden, Rockport, Hope, Appleton, & Lincolnville), to accomplish the goal of greater knowledge, involvement, and enthusiasm of our club members in the charitable giving of the club.
Major Service Project
One aspect of Camden Rotary’s charitable giving is the adoption of a major project within the community that will serve as the primary focus of the club’s fundraising efforts for a defined period of time (generally one to two years). In 2010, the club adopted the “Mountain of Possibilities” campaign for Ragged Mountain as our club’s major service project. All charitable dollars raised by the club will be dedicated to this effort, with the following exceptions:
Member-Selected Community Grants
The Camden Rotary Club board will set aside $5,000 of charitable funds each year to provide multiple grants to non-profit organizations that have a demonstrated local presence in our community.
A list of potential recipient organizations will be generated consisting of non-profit organizations that have been recipients of gifts from the club in the past three fiscal years. This list will be shared with the club, and club members will have an opportunity to add non-profit organizations to the list. Both past recipients and new suggestions must meet the following criteria to be considered for one of these grants:
- The organization must be recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 non-profit organization.
- The organization must have a physical presence in the five-town area, and/or provide services to residents of the five-town area.
Once this combined list is finalized, the full list will be shared with all club members. Each club member will have an opportunity to vote for their top ten choices (in rank order). Votes from club members will be compiled, and the top ten organizations will each be the recipient of a $500 grant from the club.
Club President’s Discretionary Fund
The Camden Rotary board will set aside $2,000 of charitable funds each year to be utilized at the discretion of the current club President for charitable purposes. The President shall report the use of these funds to the board of directors and the full club membership at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Support to International Projects
All Rotary Clubs around the world are encouraged to support projects that advance world understanding. Our club has financially supported numerous international projects, and has a thriving youth exchange program. Our club’s International Service committee will take on fundraising efforts specifically for use in supporting youth exchange, Polio Plus, and other international projects.
The plan outlined above shall be reviewed annually by the Service Projects Committee, who will bring a recommendation to the Board of Directors regarding suggested changes to the plan.
