Ruritan Club and District Officers' Handbook

Appeals Procedure Under Community Service Merit Systems 1. Clubs must have submitted their completed community service reports to the district governor postmarked (or e-mailed) no later than October 1. 2. The district governor shall have arranged for evaluating community service reports submitted. It is suggested that the district governor appoint a special knowledgeable reviewing committee from within the district (e.g., past district governors, honorary district cabinet members, etc.) or from another Ruritan district to review and evaluate the reports. 3. Clubs having questions about the district’s evaluation process should direct their concern(s) to the district governor. 4. In the event a club disagrees with the decision by the district regarding decision(s) made about the evaluation and ranking process and awards recognition, the club should: a. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the district’s official decision (normally, at the time of presentation of awards at the district convention), the club president should submit a written appeal to the district governor asking for a review and reconsideration. The district governor shall arrange for an official review of the club’s request and report back to the club the findings/reasons for the decision within 30 calendar days from receipt of the club’s notice. b. The district governor may request an advisory opinion from the National Advancement Committee at any time prior to rendering a final decision on the club’s initial request. The National Advancement Committee will provide an advisory opinion within 30 calendar days after receipt of such request or defer to the next scheduled National Advancement Committee meeting, as deemed appropriate. The Chair of the National Advancement Committee shall notify the district governor, in writing, of the time period required to provide an Sample Reports Sample Community Service Merit System reports are included in this manual for training purposes. Use the examples as a guideline for judging the community service achievements of Ruritan clubs in your district. These sample reports contain many typical Ruritan club projects, with sample hours and membership totals. On each report, the calculations have been completed for you so that you can see the relationship between service hours, donations, and active members.

opinion. The district governor shall notify the club, in writing, of the reason(s) for the pending final decision beyond the 30 calendar days. c. If the club disagrees with the final review decision rendered by the district governor, the club may appeal directly to the National Advancement Committee. The request must be signed by the club president and contain a detailed statement of the reason(s) for the disagreement, a copy of the appropriate Community Service Report(s), and any other relevant information. d. The National Advancement Committee will acknowledge receipt of the request and give an estimated time for rendering a decision (normally 30 to 90 days from date of receipt of request). A copy of the notice will be sent to the appropriate district governor with a request for a written statement with accompanying supporting documents regarding the club’s request within 30 calendar days after receipt of request. 5. If the findings by the National Advancement Committee agree with the decision made by the district, a letter will be sent to the club notifying them of the final decision with a copy to the district governor. 6. If the findings by the National Advancement Committee favor the club’s appeal, the National Advancement Committee will notify the club of the favorable final decision with a copy to the district governor. The National Advancement Committee will notify Ruritan National, in writing, that an award must be prepared for presentation to the appropriate club. Ruritan National will send the appropriate award to the district governor for presentation to the club. The inappropriate award will be returned to the district governor by the club president. Spirit of the Awards The purpose of these awards is to encourage and document the giving done by Ruritan clubs every day in their communities. These awards are not designed to punish, judge, or criticize. Clubs are encouraged to be as honest as they can be when reporting. District judges are urged to be positive and supportive when judging community service reports.

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Revised 8/2024