Addison Rotary Club
India Volunteer Trip
Summary of Financials & Operations
11/29/2007
Summary
The purpose of the Addison Rotary Club - India Project is to provide relief to children of need in India through international monetary aid. Various organizations have been identified via the project leader, word-of-mouth, and the local Rotary of Madras. Each of the organizations is based around Chennai, which is located in the southern part of India.
The project is unique in that it is an end-to-end initiative. It spans across two weeks and begins with U.S.-based fund raising, logistical planning, on-site audit & qualification of each organization, procurement of goods, and finally, the distribution of goods to each of the organizations. Approximately $6,000 dollars were raised in the United States and a sizeable majority has been distributed to the organizations in the form of tangible goods.
On 11/27/07, the three project volunteers attended the Madras Rotary meeting to present the project to the local members. In addition, it offered an opportunity to foster and build the internal relations between the Madras and Addison Rotary Club.
Financials & Operations:
Roles and Responsibilities
Raj Narayanan – Rotarian, Mr. Narayanan served as the project leader. His responsibilities involve the overall planning of the project and logistics in Chennai. As he is fluent in the native language (Tamil), Mr. Narayanan also served as the natural liaison between the volunteers and the local constituents.
Mike Morath – Rotarian, Mr. Morath served as the communicator of the project’s operations to the wider audience. Because of his strong background in technology, Mr. Morath is able to share up-to-date status and reporting on various medias such as the project’s blog. In addition, his experience in operations has been instrumental in creating a procurement and distribution process that is a model of efficiency.
Kevin Yu – Rotarian, Mr. Yu served as the accountant and financial monitor over the project’s financial activities. Mr. Yu has a background in accounting/ internal controls and has been instrumental in tracking all expenses as well as producing the financial reports to the project’s sponsors. In addition, he is in charge of photography and visual documentation.
Fund Raising
Funding of the India Project totaled approximately $6,700. The various sources include: Addison Rotary Club, Addison Rotary Foundation, and individual donations.
Administrative Costs
The total administrative cost of the trip is approximately $2,700 per person, for $8,100. The various expenses include: flight, accommodations, food, and local transport. A large portion of the total administrative costs is the cost of the place ticket. The accommodations are covered by the volunteer project leader, whose family resides in the city of Chennai. As a result, much of the expenses related to room and board have been minimized. In addition to the costs stated above, a private driver and a large sport utility vehicle have been utilized to navigate unfamiliar roads and also to assist in the delivery of the large amount of procured items.
Please note that all administrative costs have been absorbed by each of the volunteers. Administrative costs do not constitute an expense against the funds. As such, the project is able to attain 100% “Pass-Through” rate and is able to maximize on the impact of the funds.
Audit and Qualification
Volunteers visited a total of six sites through the course of three days. The purpose of the site visit is:
· to understand the nature of the organization
· to understand the financial status of the organization
· to assess the qualitative measures of the organization
· to assess the organization’s level of need
The site visits varied from 30 minutes to 2 hours and was spontaneous in nature. The methodology of each audit involves a discussion with management followed by a tour of the facility. Upon the qualification of the organization, volunteers requested a list of items and/or services that can be provided to the organization.
Procurement
The procurement of goods relied upon lists provided by the organizations. Each organization provided a list of items ranging from medical to hygiene supplies. Also, the quantity of items requested varied greatly depending upon the number of children belonging to each organization. As the purpose of the project is to maximize the reach of the funds, the allocations are based upon need and also common necessities applicable to all children (such as rice).
The total amount of funds utilized for the procurement of requested items total Rs 235,613.20 (USD $6,100.81). The majority of the funds have been applied towards medical and hygiene supplies. Items were purchased from a variety of stores such as the local shops, local wholesale markets, and the local pharmacy. Many items purchased were discounted due to bulk and goodwill of shop owners.
Items included:
Mats (Straw sleeping mats)
Aluminum pots and lids
Rice cooker/ cookware
Lights (Flourescent light bulbs)
Light Installation
Medicines
Medical Supplies (Gauze, bandages, iodine)
Hygiene supplies (toothpaste, shampoo, soap, toothbrush, nail clippers)
Speech kits (training tools for handicapped children)
Rice and beans
Milk
School supplies (pens, pencils, erasers, paper)
Sporting goods (cricket supplies)
Sweets
Distribution
The distribution of the items spanned across four days. Certain items such as comb, toothbrush, hair oil, were assembled as an individual hygiene kit. One hundred hygiene kits were packaged and distributed directly to Samajam, an organization comprised of one hundred male orphans. The medical supplies were placed directly in the hands of administrators at Little Hearts School for the Mentally Challenged. Other items such as rice, mats, school supplies, and light bulbs were also distributed to each organization based upon their specific needs.
Metrics and Statistics
Total Dollars Received $ 6,000.00
Total Dollars Distributed $ 6,014.18
Total Children
V Excel 560
Samajam 100
Little Hearts 100
Meston 25
Exchage Rate (US/Rupees) $ 38.62
