Membership & Giving Details

Donation Commitment

• Each member commits to donating $100 per meeting ($200 per year).
• Donations can be made in two ways:
1. By check – payable directly to the charity selected by the membership.
2. Online through Grapevine (www.grapevine.org) – choose auto-deduct from your bank account or charge to your credit card.

Charity Eligibility Guidelines

• Must be a registered 501(c)(3) organization in operation for at least one year.
• Must serve the Greater Sarasota area. National charities may be considered only if funds are used locally.
• Must not be political in nature.
• Faith-based charities are eligible only if donations support charitable services (e.g., housing the homeless). Funds may not be used for worship services or religious outreach.
• Charities providing services deemed controversial may be disqualified. For clarification, members may email us before nominating.
• Leadership reserves the right to disqualify any nonprofit outside our mission.

Nomination & Selection Process

• Any member may nominate a qualifying 501(c)(3) prior to a biannual meeting.
• Three charities are randomly drawn for presentation.
• Each selected charity makes a 5-minute presentation (by the nominator or a charity representative), followed by a 5-minute Q&A.
• After presentations, members vote by ballot, and one charity is selected.
• Only one nomination per charity is allowed per meeting. If multiple members nominate the same charity, the first submission takes priority.

Voting Rules

• • Only members who are current on contributions and present at the meeting may vote.
  • Voting is by secret ballot. The charity with the most votes receives the donation.
  • In case of a two-way tie, a second vote will be taken. If still tied, the charity is chosen by drawing from a hat.
  • In case of a three-way tie, the charity is chosen by drawing from a hat.