Legacy Task Force - August Report
Randy Topolnitsky
It has been some time since you have heard an update from the Legacy Projects/Funding Review Task Force. My apologies for that, but not all has been quiet. As the Task Force started discussing and working through possible next steps to address the information and recommendations from the Trico Changemakers Studio report, a great opportunity presented itself.
The Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation presented us with an opportunity to support our very successful signature legacy project the Rotary Flames House at the Alberta Children's Hospital with a revitalization of the playground on the grounds of the facility. The Task Force was up to the challenge to take this real-life project and use it to develop processes for evaluating, governing and managing these granting opportunities of this stature from start to finish.
To tackle this project, the Task Force was divided into five subcommittees. Champions subcommittee would be responsible for stewarding the project through our processes from start to finish; Application/Business Case Process subcommittee would develop a template model that can be used to fundamentally gather and record the project scope and information in a consistent manner; Evaluation Criteria subcommittee was to develop an application criterion that can be used to consistently and as objectively as possible evaluate projects in relation to the strategic direction and impact to the Club and Community; Fundraising/Philanthropy/Partnerships subcommittee was to deepen the understanding what role fundraising/philanthropy and partnerships play in evaluating projects and leveraging the dollars the Club contributes to project; Overall Process/Governance/Flowchart subcommittee was to develop the overall process from project conception to receipt of potential project through to project approval, implementation and completion. .
This has not been an easy process as you can imagine there was diversity of opinion which led to critical discussions within each subcommittee as they were considering the history of these projects and the new information from the Trico Changemakers report. Each subcommittee is presenting their findings and recommendations to the full Task Force to add an additional layer of scrutiny to the process. From the preliminary discussions of the work done by the subcommittees, the Task Force unanimously agreed to present the project to the Club for feedback at the July 25th lunch meeting. From that presentation no questions arose, and the Task Force is working through a final presentation to the Board at the August 17th Board meeting.
The Task Force is working to start wrapping up its work and produce a report with findings and recommendations for review by the Club and Board.
The next steps in this Club funding review process, following the main recommendation from the Trico Changemakers report was to develop a Granting Strategy for the Club across all granting platforms. The consultant chosen to lead the development of the strategy was Sherry Ferronato – Ex Animo Consulting Inc. Sherry comes recommended from the Calgary Foundation and members of the Club who have worked with her on projects in the past. She was instrumental in developing the granting strategy for the Calgary Foundation and other similar organizations. Sherry has also done work several years ago with the Rotary SIS Program so is familiar with our Club. A small team from the Club will be working with Sherry whose main purpose is to create a Granting Strategy and Granting Programs structures and processes that:
- Support projects that respond to community needs.
- Wisely invest Rotary Club Calgary Downtown’s (RCCD’s) financial resource for sustainable community impact.
- Encourage Club member recruitment and retention, and meaningful Club member engagement in a variety of ways.
- Help to grow Rotary’s positive public image.
- Enhance the focus, rigor, continuity, coherence, accountability, accessibility, effectiveness, and impact of RCCD’s granting practices and programs.
- Align with RCCD’s 3 Year Plan and the requirements of Rotary International.
Continue to watch the COG for future updates.
Randy Topolnitsky
Legacy Projects/Funding Review Task Force