Purpose:
The PT/BSL SCP Funding Oversight Committee will take in, track and grant funds for the support of persons in the Port Townsend, Washington area to provide humanitarian relief to persons in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Membership: The committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed in a manner consistent with Bylaws Articles VII, Section 1(a) and Article VIII, Section 1(b).
Funding:
Funds will be collected by the PT/BSL SCP Steering Committee and other individuals and groups throughout the Port Townsend area, and given to the Treasurer of the Funding Oversight Committee. Money will be held in a checking account in the name of Port Townsend/Bay Saint Louis Sister City Project, managed by the committee Treasurer, who shall be a member of the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Focus on Non-Affiliated Groups:
Working in conjunction with the Port Townsend/Bay Saint Louis Sister City Steering Committee, the Funding Oversight Committee will accept donations from individuals and groups not otherwise affiliated with or working through another non-profit or organization involved in funding a Sister City project component. The Funding Oversight Committee will use that funding to cover costs of programs and activities not associated with those other tax exempt Sister City partnering organizations.
Because the Port Townsend/Bay Saint Louis Sister City Project is encouraging Port Townsend-based organizations to affiliate directly with their counterpart organizations in Bay St. Louis, the Steering and Funding Oversight Committees will encourage start-up organizations to find affiliate 501(c) (3) organizations to sponsor them. For those groups, the QUUF-managed fund will be the "fund of last resort." In the absence of such affiliated institutions, these donations and/or grants will flow through this QUUF-managed checking account, overseen by the Funding Oversight Committee.
Many of these non-affiliated groups have found their counterparts in BSL, and may donate collected funds directly to them ("group-to-group" donations). However, when they do not have a tax-exempt umbrella organization in PT through which to flow funds for local administrative work, the QUUF fund will address and cover those needs, when requests are deemed appropriate.
This account may include funding for and/or from:
- The Steering Committee, for whom QUUF acts as the umbrella organization. Examples of approved project needs include the cost of printing business cards, room rental for benefit events, and the cost of publicity for those events;
- Start-up groups who have no associated organization to hold local funding for local work, to pay for such expenses as long distance phone calls to project associates in BSL or transportation costs to and from the airport for visiting BSL citizens;
- Individuals who wish to donate to the Sister City Fund and/or consciously desire to fund administrative and non-affiliated projects and who have no affiliation to another group;
- Work which benefits the Sister City Project as a whole including: the administrative costs of fundraising events and advertising, tools and supplies, safety equipment kept in BSL for use by those who travel there for Sister City Project activities, and insurance costs for a donated vehicle that can be used on site in BSL.
This account is NOT intended to cover transportation to and from BSL, food and lodging, or labor reimbursement costs for volunteers. It is understood that persons supporting this project are volunteering their time and are to be self-sufficient.
Donating to the PT/BSL SCP:
Checks should be made out to Port Townsend/Bay St. Louis Sister City Project, and sent to QUUF, 2333 San Juan Ave., Port Townsend, WA 98368, or given to Betty Oppenheimer, treasurer of the Oversight Committee.
No Sub-Accounts:
All money will be held in a single account, collected from a variety of sources, co-mingled and granted as the Oversight Committee approves. Individuals and groups who hope to receive funding from the account are encouraged to fundraise to contribute such funds into the account.
Obtaining Funds from the PT/BSL SCP:
Those seeking funds should fill out a Request for Funding, including as much information as possible to facilitate the Funding Oversight Committee's decision-making process. Any documentation of costs (catalog or Internet price quotes) will increase the likelihood of funding approval. If the funding request is for reimbursement of money already spent, receipts should be included with the request, and an explanation as to what benefit the money served. Reimbursement for any expenditures made before approval by the Funding Oversight Committee is granted may not be assumed.
Meetings:
The PT/BSL SCP Oversight Committee shall meet as frequently as necessary to review the account and vote on any requests for funding when email approval is not adequate for contact. The committee shall operate using the democratic process (Our Fifth Principle: "The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large."), but will openly listen to and honor every viewpoint.
Committee Treasurer:
The Treasurer will maintain a journal of the donations in and grants out of the PT/BSL Sister City Project account. The Oversight Committee Treasurer will provide monthly reports to the QUUF Treasurer. The Treasurer, or another member of the Oversight Committee will send thank you notes (which also serve as proof of a tax exempt donation) to all who make tax-deductible, trackable donations. The list of donors will be made available to the Steering Committee, who will send personal thank-you cards from the PT/BSL SCP.