District 7190 last week hosted a ZOOM workshop on virtual fundraising. We had a strong presence of SRC members participating, but we assume others will find the proposal of interest.
Our initial group reaction, as shown in our online discussion at last Thursday’s meeting, was (a) SRC may not be eligible for the program until our pending request to the Internal Revenue Service for a tax-exempt status is approved, and (b) we need additional information on specific virtual fundraising possibilities beyond soliciting our own members. (Eventgroove, the company handling the program for 7190, says it will provide more, specific workshops as needed.)
Meanwhile, just click here to view the original ZOOM workshop. Here is the pass code: g$^w%5cr
We will meet at 7 p.m. this Thursday via ZOOM video conference. The meeting is scheduled to last about 30 minutes. Please use this link to gain access to the meeting:
Several etiquette items to remember to avoid confusion and give everyone a chance to be heard:
• When the meeting is called to order by President Dick Drumm, or other presiding officer, please mute your audio.
• If you wish to make a comment, ask a question, etc., please raise your hand to gain Dick’s attention and, when called upon, then unmute your audio. When you are finished, re-mute.
• Please try to participate from a location without a lot of background noise (TV volume, barking dogs, clamoring kids, random gunfire, snoring, etc.). ZOOM has very good sound pickup and extraneous noise can be heard by everyone.
We’ve continually been getting better at ZOOM sessions as we get more experienced, so we’re hoping for even more participation. While our account limits us to a maximum of 40 minutes of meeting time, the participant limitation is well beyond the number of members we have, so there’s plenty of room for all.
Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez have come up with yet another fundraising idea for SRC’s general treasury, a very welcome development in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has put a crimp in our normal fundraising efforts. Please see Jim and/or Roberto if you’re interested in making a purchase.
Here are the details:
Meeting held virtually via ZOOM videoconferencing.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (9, no quorum): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Debbie Rodriguez, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Charlie Foote, Kevin Leyhane, Pat Bailey.
GUESTS (1): Tony Morris.
MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed the attendees and guest. He asked if anyone in the club had participated in the initial virtual Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) session last Saturday. No one had. … Debbie Rodriguez reported that the Danes Rotaract is hoping to host a viewing of the World Polio Day streaming event on Saturday, October 24. She will provide details as they become available. …
A brief discussion was had among members who participated in the ZOOM workshop on virtual fundraising hosted by District 7190 earlier this evening. (Bill Dowd, Dick Drumm, Debbie Rodriguez, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Charlie Foote, and Murray Forth attended the workshop on behalf of SRC). It appears SRC may not be eligible to participate in the program because the club’s IRS status has not yet been resolved by the IRS. Phil Kellerman, who headed the team submitting our application for reinstatement of tax-exempt status, said he would contact the IRS to ascertain the progress, if any, of that request submitted several months ago. …
Jim and Roberto have kicked off a sale of custom-made soaps ($7 per bar, three for $20) as a club fundraiser. The soaps, which comes in seven different scents, are made by a nurse at Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital in Syracuse. Since she sells them to us for $3 a bar, the profit margin could be very healthy for the club. Jim and Roberto, who underwrote the initial purchase, will provide marketing materials and details in the near future, although several members immediately put in orders. … Guest Tony Morris, who owns a CBD retail business in Columbia Plaza, introduced himself as someone interested in Rotary. He had attended a dinner meeting in March just before the pandemic shutdown, and reconnected with us recently. …
Kevin Leyhane offered a brief report on the hybrid teaching now going on in the East Greenbush schools. He said as of today three high school students and one elementary student have tested positive for COVID-19. …
This was our first ZOOM meeting using the club’s new, free organizational account. It is limited to 40 minutes and 100 participants. Our virtual meetings have been running just shy of 40 minutes, so we will continue to see if that level of membership meets our needs or whether we need to move up to the $20-a-month level that greatly expands the time. … Our next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, October 8.
Several weeks ago, 7190 Governor Richard Griesche announced at one of our meetings the development of Eventgroove, a virtual fundraising program the District was putting together.
Details now are ready to be shared for the virtual, free program.
The District’s Eventgroove training team will hold a ZOOM meeting for all interested parties at 6 p.m. this coming Thursday. That works well for SRC, since our club ZOOM meeting that same evening is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Meeting held virtually via ZOOM videoconferencing.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (15, quorum achieved): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Debbie Rodriguez, Jim Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Murray Forth, Kevin Leyhane.
GUESTS: None.
MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed the usual suspects. He reminded members that the virtual Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) session is this Saturday, and today is the deadline to register online. Bill Dowd told attendees he had posted on the website information just received from the District clarifying the RLI process which we now are told will be spread out over the year rather than being contained in one session. Full new details are available by clicking here. …
Dean and Doris Calamaras reported that Monday’s annual Gift of Life Golf Tournamentat Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland drew a sellout crowd of 120 golfers and netted about $15,000 for GOL. Our club had two foursomes, one sponsored by Dean and Doris and one by Jim Leyhane, as well as individual item sponsors. …
Debbie Rodriguez said a member of the Niskayuna club would like to visit us via ZOOM to present information on a global grant that club is seeking for a women’s hygiene and education effort in several African nations. It is known as The Mooncatcher Project. She will arrange for the visit sometime in the next month. … World Polio Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 24. We are looking into whether there are events marking the day that we can participate in or view as we do most years. …
Treasurer Murray Forth reported that we have received about $3,000 in member donations so far as part of our new fundraising process to help underwrite our community and global projects. Bill Dowd will craft a followup letter to send out to all members within the next week, reiterating the details of the new process. … Murray also reported that he has retrieved the donation jug as well as a collection of CLYNK bags and barcode stickers from Quigley’s. …
Jim Leyhane said the East Greenbush Police Department is raising funds to purchase and train a K-9 police dog. He said such an effort usually costs in the $20,000 range and about half that amount has been raised. While SRC has not yet been approached about contributing, he asked that we give some consideration to a $1,000 donation. Dick said the topic will be discussed at the next Board of Directors meeting. … Our next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. next Thursday, October 1, again via ZOOM.
A reminder that we are meeting virtually via ZOOM at 7 p.m. this evening.
Please be sure to join us, especially those of you who for various meetings have not been involved in Rotary activities since before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. (You know who you are!) Just go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89508796934 to participate. It’s as simple as that. If for some reason you haven’t downloaded the ZOOM software we have been using since early summer that enables everyone to join in, it will walk you through it.
A solid core of members has kept Rotary alive and vibrant locally during this critical period, despite the pandemic restrictions. We have been collecting and delivering supplies to needy students in the Rensselaer City School District, contributing to various food pantries, awarding scholarships to graduating students at Columbia, Maple Hill, and Rensselaer high schools, and raising funds for the general club treasury since March.
We still have a lot of plans to make, projects to discuss, and fellowship to share even while socially distancing.
The meeting price is right: no charge (because there is no dinner). The timing is right: about a half-hour or so per meeting. So, what do you have to lose? And, consider what your community has to gain by your involvement.
We’ve been posting information here on the virtual version of this Saturday’s Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) as it has been supplied to us. Turns out some of it inadvertently has been misleading.
Here is the latest message from District Governor Rick Griesche:
“Needed to get this clarification out to you all today. Please read the message from Sue Austin. I apologize for the confusion.” And, here is that update/clarification/modification:
“The ZOOM RLI on September 26 is a TEST of the new delivery method we will be using through the 2020-21 Rotary Year.
“We wanted a few folks from our District to attend if they could just to give us a good cross section of Districts. RLI is planning on offering one or two ZOOM sessions per month throughout the year.
“Our original date for 7190 was November 7, but with this new method our members can attend ANY of the planned RLI sessions. During this new method of virtual training there are a lot of changes: (1). All virtual; (2.). Lower cost as you will be at home and we will have breaks for you to get snacks or lunch; (3.) We are starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. which will be less time than previous in-person RLI classes. Also, no drive time or cancellations for inclement weather; (4). We have the opportunity to draw facilitators from all over the Rotary world.
“We have all first class facilitators this week for the test class. But, the biggest change is that you can attend ANY of the classes (schedules will be posted very soon for dates of other classes). You don’t have to only visit our own District’s RLI. Keep watching for more news on upcoming RLI ZOOM classes.”
We recently provided you with details of the virtual Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) scheduled for next Saturday, September 26. (Click here for details if you somehow missed the website posting … and the Facebook posting … and the email sent to you on the topic.)
As always, the club will pay the registration fee for any SRC members who wish to participate. However, the process has been changed. In the past, the club directly paid RLI for your fees. This year RLI is not accepting club checks. You must pay when you register online. The club then will reimburse you.
The deadline for signing up is this coming Thursday, September 24. And, the price has been greatly reduced — to just $25 — because the session is being done via ZOOM, so there is no food service, facility charge, or printed materials charge. So, good training at bargain basement prices. And, the time commitment is not huge — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with breaks during the day.
When you register, you’ll be asked which level you want. Part I is for first-time attendees, and Parts II and III are for those who have attended the previous part(s) in the past. The Graduate course is for those who have completed all three parts and may be attended as often as desired since the graduate topics are new each year. This year’s Graduate topics are “Diversity in Rotary” during the morning session and “Public Speaking” during the afternoon.
We hope to continue SRC’s tradition of strong participation in RLI.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 