Foundation Note: Broader access to grant applications on ClubRunner now enabled
 
By Sanjay Deshpande
 
Twenty-two fully qualified clubs have been cleared to proceed to the application step for their District Grant Projects in 2016-2017. Applications are to be completed online using the ClubRunner Grants module. Eight members of the District Grants Subcommittee will guide one to three clubs each in the use of the Grants Module. Applications completed in June will be reviewed in July.
 
Initially, access to the Grants Module was limited to those members of the fully qualified clubs that received the required Grant Management Training as well as their presidents.  When President-Elect Steve Kirk of Concord Rotary tried to log in, he was not able to, even though he was the one trained member from his club. The ClubRunner support team was asked to help out and Steve’s access was enabled. However, Steve requested that other designated members of the Concord club be granted access to work on the application. That was not possible as the Grants Module was presently configured, but Steve was also insistent and persistent. 
 
At Athol-Orange Rotary, Jim Meehan, who has initiated and actively championed that club’s district grant in 2015-2016, which will be repeated in ‘16-‘17, had not received training and hence could not work on the application himself. While three members of his club were trained, one is a Grants Subcommittee member, and all offered to do the needful work for the club’s application, Jim was not happy and appealed to District Governor Jim Fusco to secure access through additional training sessions. Since additional training will not occur until there is sufficient demand from non-qualified clubs, Jim Meehan will not now have access to work on Athol-Orange’s application.
 
The ClubRunner support team worked with the Grants Subcommittee to develop a solution that enables broader access for the qualified clubs to work on their District Grant applications. First, it is pointed out that, as with all other aspects of ClubRunner, 13 club positions already have access to their club’s grant applications on the Grants Module. Each club’s President-Elect, President, President-Nominee, Immediate Past President, Vice President, Executive Secretary, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chair, Membership Co-Chair, Foundation Chair and Public Image/Relations Chair have access to that club’s grant application and can work collaboratively on it with any trained member to review and improve it prior to submission.
 
Second, to accommodate Steve Kirk’s request for designated members who will not hold any of the above positions in ‘16-‘17 to have access to his club’s grant application, and to accommodate Jim Meehan’s request to have access as the project champion who did not get trained, the District Foundation Committee has defined two new club positions in ClubRunner called Club Contact for Grants-1 and Club Contact for Grants-2. Now, club Presidents can add one or both of these positions for their club and appoint members who do not hold the 13 club positions listed above, to the newly added positions.
 
If you have any questions, please contact either District Grants Subcommittee Chair Jorge Yarzebski at yj.rotary@gmail.com or me, District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair Sanjay Deshpande, sanjdesh51@aol.com.
 
Learn more about District 7910 Foundation Grants:
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