In years past, club members have sometimes suggested -- during a club meeting-- to donate our weekly Change for Charity collected money to go to a charity that is speaking at the club that day. Though this has been done prior, Plaza Rotary will not be doing this going forward as it is not in accordance with our By-Laws. Any money disbursements are decided by the Board, not spontaneously announced at club meetings, and MUST go to a 501(c)3 charity.
If you are inspired by one of our program speaker's efforts for their charity and wish to have the Plaza Rotary Club donate to that charity, please follow the process in our By-Laws.
From our club's By-Laws:
"Policy on Change for Charity Beneficiaries Plaza Rotary Club
Change for Charity (“CFC”) will be collected at each regular club meeting over the course of the Rotary fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). There will be no specific weekly beneficiary designation for the CFC funds, unless they are designated for a special purpose by the President at the club meeting where they are collected (i.e., disaster relief). All CFC will be deposited in the club operating budget to facilitate disbursement and use in community and international projects/needs that are not 501(c)3 uses.
As soon as reasonably possible after June 30, and no later than August 15, all CFC funds collected during the previous Rotary year that were not designated for a special purpose will be dispersed in the following order:
1. To meet our club commitment to Polio Plus, in combination with Centurion funds collected. For example, if $2,000 is collected from Centurions and the annual goal is $2500, then $500 of CFC will go to RI for Polio Plus. If we receive $2,600 from Centurions, then no amount of CFC will go towards Polio Plus. The amount of CFC that exceeds the polio goal will be distributed as below.
2. The remaining balance will be distributed as follows:
a. 40% to a beneficiary designated by the Community Service Committee.
b. 40% to a beneficiary designated by the International Service Committee.
c. 20% to the Plaza Rotary Foundation.
The Community Service and International Service beneficiaries should be established by the committees and announced to the club during the first quarter of the Rotary fiscal year (no later than August 30)."