QCVVA Chapter 299

In December of 2005, at the regular general membership meeting of Chapter 299, the following procedure for Chapter donations was approved and will stand, unless rescinded or changed by a membership approved motion.

Anyone or any group seeking a charitable donation from VVA Chapter 299 is to required to submit the request in writing.  The request can come in any form, but it must be written.  Electronically transmitted requests (e-mail) will also be honored.

Charity requestors are limited to one request per calendar year and although there is no formal restriction on who may apply for funds, the sprit of the program is to help the Quad Cities Area.  We make our money locally and the belief is that we should be spent locally.

The request will be given to the Chairman of the Chapter’s Charity/Donation Committee (CDC).  The Chair will present same to the Board for consideration.  If the requestor wishes to appear before the Board in person, arrangements will be made to accommodate the request.  Once the presentation is made before the Board, the requestor will be required to leave prior to a vote by the Board.

If questions arise as to the requestor’s validity or credentials, the CDC Committee Chair will be instructed to research and investigate and then report back to the Board.  The Chair may employ others in determining the requestor’s authenticity.  This due diligence will validate the request and help ensure that the donation goes to where it is needed most.  An individual or group that fails to be substantiated will not receive funds.

The Board will discuss the request and vote on weather or not to refer the matter to the CDC.  If passed, the Board will assign a recommended dollar amount to be considered by the CDC.  The recommendation is only that; a recommendation.  The CDC operates autonomously from the Board and answers directly to the membership.

The CDC, which is appointed by the Chapter President, will do the following:

• Meet, review and discuss all Board referred requests.
• Evaluate each request on a case by case basis.
• A vote will be taken and if passed, a dollar amount will be assigned.
• The Board’s recommended dollar figure will be taken into consideration, but the CDC in not bound by the Board’s recommendation.

To conduct business, the CDC must have a simple majority of assigned members present.

Upon conclusion of the CDC meeting, the recommend donations will then be verbally presented at the regular general membership meeting for a discussion and vote.  The Chapter’s membership will have the final say as to the allocation of funds as the Chapter’s leadership must always remain cognizant that this is our Chapter, our money, and our decisions.

The exception to this process is if exigent circumstances exist and there is a time sensitive issue that can not wait for the CDC or the general membership meeting.  This would be a rear occasion.  If/when such an event arises; the president is empowered to allocate assets (within the Chapter’s spending cap provisions) with the approval of a simple majority of the Board member’s approval.  If possible, this exception process will be conducted at a regular Board meeting, but by the very nature of it being special case, the Board can be contacted prior to or after a regularly scheduled Board meeting.  This communication can be done via the phone, e-mail, written or verbal.  A record of the circumstances of the request, who was contacted and the response must be maintained and presented at the next Chapter meeting.

All monetary donations referred by the Board to the CDC and on to the membership will be based on the Chapter’s financial status and will not exceed the Chapter’s spending cap.  The amount of the donation can be changed by a Chapter membership vote, but may not exceed double the spending cap.  This financial safeguard, passed in April of 2008, is contained in the Chapter’s constitutional by-laws.

Any member who wishes to address the general membership on behalf of a charity or cause at the general membership meeting will still have that absolute right to do so, but any action taken must be generated by a written request to the Board and processed through the established procedure contained herein.

Our Chapter is a very generous organization and we want to continue our legacy of helping area veterans and giving back to the community.  We also have significant expenditures with respect to our obligations in conducting Chapter business day to day.

Therefore it is incumbent upon the Chapter’s leadership to plan for and implement a financial strategy to ensure the survival of our Chapter through the coming years.