Our capacity to fund Vocational Education Grants depends directly on the amount of donations we receive. Some challenges we face are:- Receipt of donations is very seasonal. The amount received between July 1 and December 20 was doubled in the final eleven days of 2020.
- Majority of our donors are members of Rotary, but less than 10% of Rotarians in Arizona have donated so far this fiscal year.
- With 3/4 of the fiscal year gone, there are still one third of Arizona Rotary Clubs from which we have not received even one donation.
- Our maximum grant of $2,000 is much too low to meet the needs of today's students who meet our low income guidelines.
- If a conservative half of the $2,000 grants already funded this year had been funded at the former $3,000 maximum, our expenditure year-to-date could have been over $250,000.
- The current $2,000 maximum grant is limiting the future earning potential of those most in need of our help.
- Relatively untapped resources for TRVFA are:
- Income from family trusts,
- Mandatory retirement distributions that are not needed for daily living
- Donations from the charitable fund resources of Rotary Clubs in our State
At this time, only a small handful have taken advantage of the recurring donation option available on our on-line donation form.
Our all-volunteer board of directors has a limited reach in getting past the problem that TRVFA seems to be a best-kept-secret.
There is so much to learn and know about all the good done by and through Rotary. There is a continuous stream of announcements about new opportunities to be a part of, We are all bombarded with information constantly from a variety of sources. What we respond to is typically something that touches our heart.
If we are to expand our reach, it will take an emotional appeal from someone known, respected and loved to reach new donors. New donors typically donate because someone convinced them it was a really good thing to do. As a donor, we hope you will consider being that person in your circle of influence.
When you think about the potential income from your family, your friends, your co-workers, your advocacy could fund several more students. If those in your circle of influence learn there is a way to help someone lift themselves out of poverty which - with the Arizona tax credit may not cost them anything in the long run - why would they not want to do that?