Chapter 22: Documenting and Reporting¶
Documentation as invisible infrastructure¶
A well-documented CED project impresses no one at the time. Supporting documents filed in plastic-sleeved binders, beneficiary registers kept up to date, photos with archived consent forms, quarterly reports filed in chronological order: none of this produces a flattering picture for social media.
Yet this invisible infrastructure is exactly what separates a project that is under control from a project that is at risk. It is the condition for:
- TRF compliance (stewardship, with stewardship reporting that can be required for five years)
- The club's credibility with its donors and its members
- Handing over to the CED coordinator's successor
- Legal protection if anything is challenged
- The ability to document impact at 12, 24 and 36 months
This chapter sets out the documentation systems you need, The Rotary Foundation's stewardship requirements, good practice for showcasing the project through Rotary Showcase, and the rules for protecting personal data.
The six permanent registers of a CED project¶
A CED project keeps six distinct registers, each for a specific purpose. These registers are not aggregates and are not interchangeable: they cross-reference one another, but none replaces another.
Register 1: Financial¶
Every project expense, line by line, with supporting documents. Format: a spreadsheet or accounting software, backed by a paper binder holding the original documents.
| Field per expense | Content |
|---|---|
| Date | Date of the expense |
| Budget line | Matching line in the TRF-approved budget |
| Supplier | Full identity |
| Purpose | Precise description (not "miscellaneous costs") |
| Amount (local currency and USD) | With the exchange rate used |
| Payment method | Transfer, check, cash (with a maximum threshold for cash) |
| Supporting document reference | Receipt or invoice number |
| Signatories | Names of the people who approved it (two signatures required) |
Register 2: Beneficiaries¶
Identifies the people who directly receive a service or a good from the project. The format fits the nature of the project.
| Type of project | Form of the register |
|---|---|
| Microcredit / MFI | Individual file per borrower: identity, repayment capacity, loans granted, repayments |
| Vocational training | List of trainees by cohort, attendance, assessments, certification, post-training follow-up |
| Value chain / cooperative | List of members, contributions, transactions, distributions |
| Economic infrastructure | List of users (traders, trainers, incubated entrepreneurs) |
The beneficiary register is confidential. It contains personal data (sometimes sensitive: financial situation, health, income). It is subject to the GDPR in Europe and to equivalent regimes elsewhere. Restrict access, and anonymize it in public reports.
Register 3: Activities¶
The activities carried out, in chronological order: training sessions, field visits, coordination meetings, public events, loan disbursements, equipment deliveries.
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Date | Date of the activity |
| Type | Training, meeting, distribution, visit, event |
| Place | Precise location |
| Facilitator / lead | Name |
| Participants | Number and, if relevant, names |
| Content or objectives | Summary |
| Results / observations | What was produced, difficulties |
Register 4: M&E (monitoring and evaluation)¶
Indicator data, collected according to the M&E plan. Format: a spreadsheet with indicators in rows and dates in columns.
| Indicator | Unit | Baseline (M0) | M6 | M12 | M18 | M24 | M24 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct beneficiaries | people | 0 | 80 | 150 | 220 | 280 | 250 |
| Average income per beneficiary | USD/month | 45 | 60 | 75 | 90 | 105 | 100 |
| Repayment rate, PAR 30 (MFI) | % | n/a | 97 | 96 | 97 | 97 | >95 |
| Share of women among beneficiaries | % | n/a | 62 | 64 | 65 | 65 | >60 |
Register 5: Decisions¶
The decision log mentioned in Chapter 20. For each significant decision: date, decision, people involved, rationale, consequences.
Register 6: Photos and media¶
The project's image bank, with for each photo: date, place, context, people (identified or anonymized), consent. Filed by date or by component.
Supporting documents: the golden rules¶
Originals and copies¶
Original supporting documents (receipts, invoices, signed purchase orders) are kept in an organized paper binder. Digital copies (high-resolution scans or good-quality photographs) are archived in the project's shared folder.
Retention¶
At least five years after the grant is officially closed. That is the TRF requirement. In some cases (controversial projects, audits under way), you may need to keep them longer.
Format¶
Originals are kept in the format in which they were issued. Digital copies are stored as PDF or high-resolution JPEG. Word or Excel files are kept but are not considered final supporting documents: signed PDFs are.
Organization¶
| Recommended filing | Content |
|---|---|
| Binder A | Financial supporting documents, in chronological order |
| Binder B | Signed original contracts and MOUs |
| Binder C | Reports and official documents (CNA report, progress reports, final report) |
| Binder D | Official correspondence (TRF, district, major partners) |
| Digital folder 1 | Photos and media |
| Digital folder 2 | Working documents (successive versions of the concept note and the budget) |
Who holds what¶
The main binder is kept at the host club's premises (or at the CED coordinator's home if the club has no permanent premises). The Finance & stewardship portfolio of the CED committee keeps a duplicate of the essential financial documents. The international partner has access to the digital folder. The club's Foundation Chair has access to everything.
The required TRF reports¶
The Rotary Foundation requires three formal reports on a Global Grant (see Chapter 16 for the technical details).
The annual progress report¶
Submitted through the Grant Center in My Rotary every 12 months from the first payment. It contains:
- Narrative (3 to 8 pages depending on the project): activities carried out, interim results, difficulties encountered, adjustments made, forecasts for the following year
- Financial: expenses line by line compared with the approved budget, explanation of significant variances, balance available
- Indicators: measured values of the planned indicators, gap from the target, measurement method, sample
- Photos (5 to 15 photos with captions and consent forms)
This report is signed by the host club and the international partner club, and approved by the DRFC before it goes to TRF.
Interim reports (if requested)¶
TRF may ask for a specific interim report on one component when there is a warning sign (indicators far from their targets, a major budget variance, a relationship problem with a partner). The format depends on the request.
The club can also voluntarily submit an interim report to document a major change (new partner, strategic adjustment) and obtain TRF's formal approval.
The final report¶
Within two months of the project's official end. Typical structure:
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Executive summary | Initial objectives, final results, total amount, beneficiaries |
| Project framework | Recap of the context, the CNA, the objectives |
| Activities carried out | Full description, chronological, by component |
| Results | Indicators measured, targets met or missed, analysis of variances |
| Sustainability | Mechanisms put in place to last, continuity partners, first signals at 0 to 12 months |
| Full financials | Budget vs. actual, by line, with explanations |
| Lessons learned | What worked, what can be improved, recommendations for future projects |
| Acknowledgments | Partners, beneficiaries |
| Appendices | Photos, case studies, testimonials, supporting documents if required |
The final report is the project's reference document. Five or ten years from now, clubs looking for inspiration or for lessons will read it. It deserves the rigor of a lasting reference document.
Rotary Showcase: putting the project on display¶
Rotary Showcase (my.rotary.org/showcase) is the worldwide display window for Rotary projects. Publishing a CED project on Showcase serves several purposes.
Why publish¶
- Visibility for the club: show concrete commitment, attract new members, keep donors loyal
- Inspiration for other clubs: clubs discovering CED look for concrete examples
- Attracting partners: a club that wants to be an International Partner can use Rotary Showcase to identify serious host clubs
- Institutional credibility: a project documented on Showcase is easier to present to a future funder, an authority or a private partner
- Contribution to Rotary's heritage: taken together, Showcase projects form the collective memory of Rotary's work around the world
Typical content of a Showcase post¶
A CED project published on Showcase includes:
- A precise title (evocative but factual)
- Geographic area
- Main Area of Focus (CED) and any secondary ones
- A 300- to 500-word description of the project
- Partners (host club, international partner club, local partner, RAGs)
- Total amount, including the Global Grant and co-financing
- Direct and indirect beneficiaries
- Key indicators achieved
- 5 to 10 photos (with consent forms) and possibly a video
- Links to more detailed publications (club website, press article, external report)
Publication rhythm¶
Ideally, a CED project is published on Showcase in three stages:
- At launch: publish the project and its objectives, to call for contributions or partners
- At midpoint: update with the first results
- At closing: full review with final indicators and sustainability dimensions
Protecting personal data¶
CED projects collect personal data: identities, income, family situation, sometimes medical information, photos. This collection is necessary, but it brings responsibilities.
The general framework¶
Depending on the jurisdiction:
- GDPR (European Union): the strictest framework, applicable to processing carried out from the EU or involving European citizens
- National laws in the beneficiary countries: to be identified specifically for each project
- International principles (OECD, UN): a common minimum that applies even where there is no local law
The principles to apply¶
| Principle | In practice |
|---|---|
| Informed consent | Each beneficiary understands what data is collected, why, who will see it and how long it will be kept |
| Minimization | Collect only the data the project needs. No collecting "just in case" |
| Limited purpose | The data serves the project, not other uses (marketing, etc.) |
| Limited retention | Deletion or anonymization at closing + 5 years maximum |
| Security | Restricted access, passwords, encryption of sensitive files |
| Individuals' rights | Access to one's own data, correction, deletion where legally possible |
Photos: a strict rule¶
No identifiable photo of a beneficiary is published without explicit written consent on a form. For children, written parental consent. Consent forms are archived for five years with the project's other documents.
Anonymization in public reports¶
Reports intended for TRF sometimes contain individual data (with consent). Reports intended for the public (Showcase, website, press article) are anonymized: no full names, no identifiable photos without consent specific to that use, no individual loan or income amounts.
Project communication: rules of restraint¶
Communication about a CED project follows a line of restraint. Three principles.
No exaggeration¶
A project that helped 250 people did not transform the life of a village. It helped 250 people. Factual precision is more convincing than grand claims.
No staging of poverty¶
No humiliating "before / after" photos. No tear-jerking stories. No poverty porn. The dignity of beneficiaries is not negotiable.
No Rotary washing¶
The project is not Rotary's work. It is the fruit of a partnership among several actors, Rotary among them. The local partners, the beneficiaries and the public institutions that contributed are named in the communication. Rotary is one component: often a decisive one, but not the only one.
Showcasing internally: toward the club¶
Beyond external communication, documentation serves to keep the project alive within the club. Three key moments.
Monthly update at club meetings¶
At the regular club meeting, a 10- to 15-minute slot is set aside for the CED project: progress, decisions made, upcoming events, opportunities to contribute. A monthly rhythm keeps members engaged without wearing them out.
Annual review for the club¶
Once a year, a full half-hour review: results, budget, photos, testimonials if possible. A moment of recognition for the members involved, a moment of information for the others, and a moment to recruit new volunteers.
Recognition at closing¶
At the end of the project, an evening devoted to it: full review, thanks to the members involved, possibly with representatives of the partners or the authorities present. This moment generates the energy for the next project.
The handover file: organized memory¶
At the annual handover (change of president), the CED coordinator prepares a handover file for the incoming president. It contains:
- The status of each ongoing CED project (progress, upcoming deadlines, points to watch)
- The consolidated project dashboard
- The list of active partners and contacts
- The calendar for the coming Rotary year (TRF deadlines, RAGCED meetings, regional fairs)
- Current and planned financial commitments
- The CED committee's points to watch (latent difficulties, identified risks)
This file is not an abstract document. It is handed over in person, together with a one-hour briefing among the outgoing president, the incoming president, the CED coordinator and the Foundation Chair. This handover discipline is what separates clubs that stay active over time from clubs that start from scratch every year.
Checklist¶
At project launch¶
- Six registers opened (financial, beneficiaries, activities, M&E, decisions, media)
- Shared folder structure approved
- Consent and confidentiality rules formalized and communicated
- Detailed M&E plan, people in charge designated
- First baseline data point collected and archived
Monthly¶
- Financial register up to date, supporting documents filed
- Activities register filled in
- Photos archived with consent forms
- Dashboard updated
Quarterly¶
- M&E register filled in
- Documentation quality review by the Finance & stewardship portfolio
- Full backup of the digital folder
Annually¶
- Progress report prepared, approved, submitted to TRF
- Annual review for the club
- Rotary Showcase post updated
- Full backup archived
At closing¶
- Final report written, approved, submitted to TRF within 60 days
- Complete archive assembled (paper + digital)
- Sensitive documents protected (restricted access for 5 years)
- Final Showcase post with the indicators achieved
- Handover file including the project, prepared for the incoming president
Invisible rigor¶
Documentation is not glamorous. Nobody congratulates a club on the quality of its binders. But a club that keeps its registers, documents its decisions and archives properly builds an infrastructure that makes everything else possible: new Global Grants, international partnerships, mentoring other clubs, influence in the district and within RAGCED.
This invisible rigor is what lets you tell, ten years later, what was done, and what can still be done. The next chapter explores another side of learning from experience: debriefing and continuous improvement.