District 7850 - Policies

DISTRICT 7850 - POLICIES

From time to time, District 7850 will require the need to create and modify Policies to augment our District Bylaws. Revisions to these Policies and the creation of new Policies may be put in place only with the approval of the District Governor. The last revision to these policies were made effectiveJuly 26, 2012 by DG Sonny Holt.

INDEX

PagesRevision Date

I. Financial Policies

A. District Financial Reimbursement Policy2-3

II. Website Policies

A. District-wide Email Distribution

B. Use of District Calendar Function

C. Administrative Access Authority

III. Other Policies

A. Child Protection Guidelines

B. District Crisis Management PlanApril 22, 2011

I. Financial Policies

A. District Financial Reimbursement Policy

District 7850 will cover any reasonable expense incurred by a District Officer or a District committee member in the execution of their duties. An AG can submit a meal (if paid), and mileage if the visit is "official" with the DG. In addition, AGs are expected to visit their Clubs quarterly, and are only reimbursed for one official AG visit per quarter.

Each District Officer and Committee has dollars allocated in the budget. It is expected that every officer and committee stay within the budget allocations. If you find you will spend beyond your budget, you need prior approval to do this from the District Governor, who may consult with the Finance Committee prior to accepting or rejecting the expense payment being requested.

Mileage will be reimbursed at $0.555/mile. (This number may fluctuate based on current fuel prices and Rotary International recommendations)

Receipts are required for any purchase or travel greater than $75.00 (seventy-five dollars); and for all hotel accommodations.

All expenses must be first cleared by your Committee Chair before being submitted to the District for payment. If you are not sure whether or not an expense will be covered, please ask your chair or the District Governor for assistance prior to incurring the expense. There is a standard form to be used to record your expenses. See your Chair for a copy. That being said, there may be some expenses denied by the District which may be eligible for reimbursement by your own Club or taken as a deduction on your tax return. Please consult your own club or tax advisor in these situations.

Examples of questions that have come up in the past:

Example #1:

As a member of the Youth Exchange Committee, you attend an overnight meeting of the Committee to review plans for the coming year.

Your travel expenses to and from that meeting by the shortest route qualify as well as any tolls, parking, meals, registration fees and hotel bills. The meeting must be held more than 50 miles from home to receive a hotel reimbursement unless weather becomes a factor.

If the registration fee includes meals, yet you decide to join a group and sample the local cuisine, that's terrific, but, it is your expense. If a popular movie or play is in town, you are welcome to attend and pay for it yourself.

If you bring along a partner who is NOT a committee member, their expenses cannot be covered.

Example #2:

As a member of the District Membership Committee, you have been requested to make 150 copies of a new handout on membership retention in preparation for a conference. Your travel to and from the printer, the printing costs and long distance phone calls to the print shop are all eligible. If you stop for a quick sandwich, that is not reimbursable.

Example #3:

If you are a District Committee member, yet, attending another function not related to that committee, your expenses are not covered unless this has been pre-approved by the District Governor.

Example #4:

As a member of a Rotary Club, you, and your fellow Rotarians, are invited to the dedication of a new ball field made possible by a neighboring club. We're glad you're supporting that club's efforts, but, it is not reimbursable.

Finally, to save you time and the District's accounting expenses, please try to submit your reimbursement requests quarterly (e.g. by October 15, January 15, etc). Our fiscal year ends July 1st, send only outstanding expenses from April 1st to June 30th by July 5th. The goal is to have all expenses for the fiscal year posted in early July and then close the books.

II.Website Policies

A. District-wide Email Distribution Policy

The District's ClubRunner Email communications system is to be used by the District Leadership and committee members in the performance of their duties. In addition, it should be used in such a manner as to minimize the impact of "unwanted" emails by the recipients. Emails sent to all members of District 7850 should be authorized by the District Governor.

B. Use of District ClubRunner Calendar Function

The use of the District's ClubRunner Calendar Function should only be used to post District events such as the DTTS/PrePETS training, PETS, the District Assembly and the District Conference as well as the key dates associated with the District's supported programs such as RYLA, RLI, GSE, Youth Exchange, etc. Individual clubs may post key club activities to the District's calendar if they would be of broad district-wide interest such as a fundraiser or major project.

C. Administrative Access Authority

The access authority level to the District's ClubRunner website shall be reviewed by the webmaster and District Governor annually to ensure that those who need access have the appropriate level.

III. Other Policies

A. Child Protection Guidelines

B. District Crisis Management Plan

It is inevitable that issues will come up that will be distressing for Rotarians, Club Presidents, our Rotary Clubs, and the District at large. Many may be involved in the crisis. It is the District Leadership Team’s goal to support Clubs during the crisis, and help the Club(s) determine an effective plan to address the problem(s) identified.

The first step is for the Club’s president (or their representative) or District Committee Chair or other District Officer to report the situation to the District Governor. This should be done as soon as possible. The District Governor role and goal should be to work with the Club(s) and or District Committee(s) to safeguard the welfare of all involved in the crisis.

The District Governor will work to gather all facts related to the situation, and determine who should be a part of the crisis management team. Depending on the severity of the problem, the team may consist of the club president(s),district committee chair and other Rotarians who have specific information related to the crisis, and other members of the District Leadership team, and others as needed, e.g.:

If the issue has potential legal ramification, the District Governor may want to consult with an attorney.
If there is the potential for this to become a media relations issue, the District Governor should make it clear to all involved that only one person may speak on behalf of the District and/or the Club. This person will be identified as the District spokesperson. Often the spokesperson will/should be the District Governor. All contacts from the media should be referred to the spokesperson. No one else should be speaking to the media about the issue.
The District Governor is encouraged to report significant issues to Rotary International (RI) to seek their guidance. The RI staff has expertise in navigating legal issues and media relations. They may have addressed similar issues in other Districts in the past. RI’s PR Division can be reached at 847-866-3245 or 847-866-3237. You can also contact Rotary International Club and District Support Staff for guidance too. Currently, Françoise Garcia is the Supervisor for this team. She can be reached at - or P: 847-866-3264
If there is a potential liability issue a claim should made to the appropriate insurance carrier

Since the District Governor is an officer of RI, if the issue/crisis involves the District Governor, the individual(s) involved should contact Rotary International Club and District Support Staff Supervisor for guidance. The supervisor is Françoise Garcia (Supervisor) - , P: 847-866-3264

The crisis management team should quickly work to develop key messages to help the spokesperson convey Rotary’s position consistently and accurately. Formal prepared statements may need to be developed that accurately state the facts, express Rotary’s position, and convey appropriate tone. A mechanism should be established to update this information as needed. In addition, the District Governor and members of the Crisis Management Team should/can refer to RI’s Media Crisis Handbook (515EN) for guidance as needed.

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