ANNUAL MEETING
This week we held our Club annual meeting where Club leadership and committee chairs shared updates on the work accomplished so far this year and plans for the remaining months of the 2020-2021 Rotary Year.
Treasurer’s Report – Bill Henning
Bill has served as the Club Treasurer for four and a half years. In this role, he maintains the Club finances and serves on the finance committee which meets quarterly to review financial reports prior to their presentation to the Board of Directors. The fiscal year runs in conjunction with our Rotary year, from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. Bill reviewed the Club’s balance sheet comparison which shows the Club’s assets contained in various accounts and accounts receivable as well as liabilities and equity. He also shared the Club’s most recent profit and loss comparison from July through November of 2020. Notes from these reports include that the Club is down $1,000 in fines and recognitions; $1,400 in raffle revenue, and $5,000 in net revenue normally received through uneaten meals. He did note that the Club has received less requests for funding support so far this year as most organizations we support have not had their typical events or projects since the start of the pandemic.
Secretary’s Report – Rich Eisner
Rich Eisner serves as our Club Secretary and does a great deal of work on Club operations including managing our ClubRunner account, membership reports, attendance, billing, the PO Box, and other administrative processes. He also keeps us in compliance with Rotary International and is the personification of the Four Way Test, making sure all actions taken at the Board- and Club-level are fair to all concerned. The Salem Rotary Club currently has 58 active members and 9 honorary members.
Funds Allocation – Mike McLaughlin & Leslie Levesque, co-chairs
Mike shared the process of how the Club distributes funds to local and international partners and projects. This is done through the Funds Allocation Committee. The committee receives written requests for funding through the PO Box and/or email. The committee then reviews the requests and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors each month for a vote to fund or not. Decisions are based on past participation, an evaluation of the request as it aligns with our mission, and board discussion. This Rotary year, the Club has budgeted nearly $17,000 for funds allocation. If members receive requests for funding, please forward them to Mike and Leslie.
Fundraising Committee – Rinus Oosthoek & Jen Close, co-chairs
As was mentioned in several of the previous remarks, Rinus noted that this is a Rotary year like none before. We haven’t had an in-person fundraising event to date and were not able to host an annual fundraiser in the last Rotary year. As such, we moved forward with calendar sales as normal to help make sure that we had some funds coming in to support our work. The ads sold were slightly below what was targeted, but if the sale of the calendars goes as planned, it should still bring $12,000 in revenue to the Club to support our efforts. The committee is in the process of figuring out how to have a virtual annual event this year, as hosting the traditional in-person auction is unlikely at this point. The committee will be discussing new ways to host this event which will hopefully bring in the same amount of net revenue, roughly $30,000. If you have any ideas or want to help, please reach out to Rinus and Jen.
Communications Committee – Ryan Guilmartin & Jason Consalvo, co-chairs
Ryan shared how the committee held its first meeting and discussed how best to use social media to promote Salem Rotary’s work and to attract new members. The committee will work to utilize the Club accounts, and he encouraged members with Facebook to like the page, share our posts and contribute content when possible. He also noted that the committee will be looking at updating the Club website.
Community Service Committee – Kristen Armstrong & Claire Kallelis, co-chairs
Kristen and Claire told the group that they are organizing Lifebridge Dinners, with the first dinner taking place on January 13. They will provide a recipe to volunteers so the meal will be consistent, and volunteers will make a portion of the dinner in their home kitchens. They will work with volunteers to figure out how best to get the meal to Lifebridge. This month’s meal will be lasagna, salad and dessert. Please contact Kristen or Claire if you would like to volunteer this month or in the future.
Finance Committee – Tim Clarke, chair
Tim shared that the finance committee works closely with the treasurer on planning the budget, managing collections and other financial issues for the Club throughout the year.
International Committee – Gerrit Bradley & Joanne Scott, co-chairs
Gerrit noted that this committee has not met yet. The normal visits from Friends Forever will not occur this year, but the committee will be looking at how to bring a more international conversation to the Club in the coming months.
Literacy/Youth Service Committee – Scott Grover & Suzanne O’Brien, co-chairs
Scott noted that the traditional work of this committee has been particularly challenging because it typically takes place within the public schools which is not possible this year. The committee will connect with the EarlyAct Club to discuss potential projects and will reach out to the Boys and Girls Club to see how Salem Rotarians can support their remote learning hubs in a virtual way.
Membership Committee – Bruce Whear & Marie Cardillo, co-chairs
Bruce noted that we are in a unique time for new member recruitment because the cost and time commitment for our virtual meetings is lower than our traditional in-person meetings. It is a great time to bring a friend or interested community member to Rotary so they can get a sense of who we are and what we do, noting that corporate membership works well for engaging larger institutions within the city. The speaker committee has been doing great work this year and is always interested in hearing suggestions from Club members. Please send any suggestions for speakers to Bruce. Marie noted that we have had successful Dutch Drink events and a wonderful evening in Paris. The committee will continue to find fun and creative ways for our members to have fellowship while we are in this virtual environment.
Scholarship Committee – Joe Amico & Leslie Levesque, co-chairs
The work of this committee is starting to ramp up with the revision and distribution of the scholarship application. Joe noted that Beth Alexander Stevenson is instrumental in contacting the local schools to make them aware of this opportunity and that he will be reaching out to Gerrit to get the updated application on our website. Rob Lutts noted that the Foundation will be able to contribute $30,000 to the scholarships again this year. The additional funding from the Club has not been determined at this point.
Salem Rotary Foundation – Rob Lutts, Treasurer
Rob shared that the Foundation was established as a 501(c)(3) in 1993 to give high priority to scholarships for Salem students. A vision of Salem Rotarians Vance “Salty” Smith and major contributor Robert “Buck” Alexander, the initial deposit of $1,000 has grown exponentially over the years. Through the support of Rotarians and donors, including the Smith and Alexander families, the Foundation is nearing its $1,000,000 goal. The Foundation contributes between $30-35,000 per year for scholarships and is managed in a growth model to make sure it lasts into the future.