Chapter 24, Document and report¶

Why it matters as much as the action itself¶

You have just spent two weeks distributing water, sheltering families and coordinating volunteers. You are exhausted. The last thing you want to do is fill out forms.

Yet this is the most critical moment for documentation. If you do not document now, three things happen: 1. Your district loses its TRF qualification and will no longer be able to obtain grants, for anyone. 2. Your donors will never know what their money did, and will no longer give. 3. Lessons learned disappear with the memory of the participants.

Documentation is not administrative drudgery. It is the guarantee that your next DRG will be approved, that your next donors will trust you, and that the next affected club will benefit from your experience.

Mandatory reports if you received a DRG¶

If your district obtained a Disaster Response Grant from TRF and your club used all or part of the funds, three reports are mandatory. Missing these deadlines immediately blocks any future grant for the entire district, not just for your club.

The 3 stewardship reports¶

Preliminary report, 45 days after receipt of funds¶

Required element	Detail
Confirmation of receipt	Amount received, receipt date, account number
First expenses	List of expenses incurred with receipts
Updated implementation plan	Adjustments compared to the initial plan (if necessary)
Initial beneficiaries	Number of people helped, profile (families, children, elderly)
Difficulties encountered	Honest description of obstacles and solutions considered

What your club prepares for the DRFC: - Expense table to date with scans/photos of receipts - 5-10 photos of actions taken (with captions: what, where, when) - Number of beneficiaries by category - 10-line note on initial difficulties

Interim report, 6 months after receipt of funds¶

Required element	Detail
Cumulative expenses	Breakdown by budget line, plan vs. actual comparison
Mid-term beneficiaries	Updated figures + photos
Project progress	Status compared to initial plan
Receipts and supporting documents	100% of expenses justified to date
Budget adjustments	Any change from the approved budget requires pre-approval from TRF

What your club prepares for the DRFC: - Complete financial table (revenue, expenses by line item, balance) - All original receipts (high-resolution scans) - Before/after photos if relevant - Beneficiary list (anonymized if necessary, but with precise counts) - Note on necessary adjustments

Final report, At project closure¶

Required element	Detail
Complete financial statement	100% of expenses justified. Not a single cent without a receipt.
Complete beneficiary list	With signatures if possible
Impact evaluation	Quantitative (how many people, how many kits, how many liters) AND qualitative (testimonies, observed change)
Before/after photos	Minimum 10 photos documenting the change
Testimonies	3-5 beneficiary testimonies
Lessons learned	What worked, what can be improved
Return of funds	If any funds have not been used, they must be returned to TRF

What your club prepares for the DRFC: - Complete financial file with receipt index - Photo file organized chronologically - Written testimonies (with consent of the individuals) - Impact evaluation note (1-2 pages) - List of lessons learned

Consequences of non-compliance¶

Infringement	Immediate consequence	Long-term consequence
Preliminary report not submitted at D+45	TRF alert, reminder	Freeze on remaining funds
Interim report not submitted at M+6	Freeze on all funds	Loss of district qualification
Final report not submitted	Blocking of all future district grants	Demand for repayment of funds
Unjustified expenses	Request for additional supporting documents	Repayment required
Funds diverted from their purpose	Immediate suspension	Possible prosecution

This is not theoretical. Districts have lost their TRF qualification, and therefore access to all grants, because a club failed to submit its final report. The procedural cost of skipping this step is concrete, not symbolic.

Reports for direct donations (outside grants)¶

If your club received direct donations from individuals, businesses or other clubs (without going through TRF), you have no legal obligation to TRF. But you have a moral and practical obligation to your donors.

What you must provide¶

Action	Deadline	Content
Acknowledgment of receipt	48 hours after donation	Amount confirmation, thanks, commitment to use
Financial report to donors	30 days after end of operation	Use of each dollar received: revenue/expense table
Personalized thank-you letter	With the financial report	Personalized for donors over 500 USD
Impact report	60 days after end	Number of beneficiaries, actions taken, photos (with consent)
Tax receipt	If applicable under local law	Amount, date, donor identity, club tax number

Financial report template for donors¶

FINANCIAL REPORT — OPERATION [NAME]
Rotary Club of [city]
Period: from ___/___/______ to ___/___/______

REVENUE
─────────────────────────────────────────
Individual donations                _____ USD
Corporate donations                 _____ USD
Donations from other Rotary clubs   _____ USD
Club's own funds                    _____ USD
DRG TRF                             _____ USD
District DDRF                       _____ USD
Other                               _____ USD
─────────────────────────────────────────
TOTAL REVENUE                       _____ USD

EXPENSES
─────────────────────────────────────────
Drinking water                      _____ USD
Food                                _____ USD
Temporary shelters                  _____ USD
Hygiene items                       _____ USD
Medicines                           _____ USD
Transport and logistics             _____ USD
Communication                       _____ USD
Other (detail)                      _____ USD
─────────────────────────────────────────
TOTAL EXPENSES                      _____ USD

BALANCE                             _____ USD
Allocation of balance: ________________________________

BENEFICIARIES
─────────────────────────────────────────
People directly helped              _____
Families served                     _____
Meals distributed                   _____
Kits distributed                    _____
─────────────────────────────────────────

Certified accurate by:
Club President: _________________ Date: ___/___/______
Treasurer: ________________________ Date: ___/___/______

Rotary Showcase: making your action visible¶

Rotary Showcase is the RI global platform for documenting and sharing club projects. Every response or recovery project should appear there.

Why¶

Global visibility: other clubs around the world will see your project and can draw inspiration from it
Reference for future grants: when you apply for a Global Grant, TRF will see that you have a history of documented projects
Credibility: donors, partners and media can verify what Rotary does
Institutional memory: when the president changes, the project remains documented

How¶

Log in to my.rotary.org
Go to Projects → Rotary Showcase
Click on Add a Project
Complete the fields:
Project name
Description (200-500 words)
Rotary area of focus
Geographic area
Number of beneficiaries
Total amount
Partners
Photos (minimum 3, maximum 10)
Lessons learned
Publish

When: As soon as the project closes, or at each major milestone for long projects.

Financial accountability: the golden rules¶

Total traceability¶

Every dollar received and every dollar spent must be traceable. No approximations, no "miscellaneous fees", no expenses without receipts.

Recommended filing system:

OPERATION [NAME] FOLDER
├── 01-REVENUE/
│   ├── Individual-donations/
│   ├── Corporate-donations/
│   ├── Club-donations/
│   ├── DRG/
│   └── DDRF/
├── 02-EXPENSES/
│   ├── Water/
│   ├── Food/
│   ├── Shelters/
│   ├── Hygiene/
│   ├── Medicines/
│   ├── Transport/
│   └── Other/
├── 03-PHOTOS/
│   ├── Before/
│   ├── During/
│   └── After/
├── 04-BENEFICIARIES/
│   ├── Lists/
│   └── Testimonies/
├── 05-REPORTS/
│   ├── Preliminary-report/
│   ├── Interim-report/
│   └── Final-report/
└── 06-COORDINATION/
    ├── SITREP/
    ├── Meeting-minutes/
    └── District-correspondence/

7 financial management rules¶

Separate account: Open a sub-account or dedicated accounting line for the disaster operation. Do not mix with the club's current account.
Dual signature: Any expense over 500 USD requires two signatures (president + treasurer, or treasurer + disaster coordinator).
Systematic receipts: No expense without a receipt. Photograph each receipt the same day. Store in the cloud immediately.
No cash beyond 200 USD: Favor wire transfers and checks for traceability. If cash is the only means (isolated areas), have the supplier sign a receipt.
Inventory of items distributed: Each kit, each tarp, each food package distributed is noted in the beneficiary register with the name (or number) of the beneficiary.
Monthly report to the treasurer: Even in the middle of operations, the disaster coordinator makes a monthly financial check-in with the club treasurer.
7-year archiving: Keep all financial documents for a minimum of 7 years (TRF requirement and legal requirement in most jurisdictions).

Documentation checklist¶

During the operation (daily)¶

Photos taken with captions (what, where, when)
Expense receipts photographed and stored in the cloud
Beneficiary register updated
SITREP sent to the district DRO

After the operation¶

Preliminary report submitted (if DRG received, at D+45)
Interim report submitted (if DRG received, at M+6)
Final report submitted (if DRG received, at closure)
Financial report sent to direct donors
Thank-you letters sent
Tax receipts issued (if applicable)
Project documented in Rotary Showcase
All receipts archived (physical and digital)
Complete file transmitted to the next president