St. Andrew’s Society of Southwest Florida, Inc.
Scholarship Program
PROGRAM PURPOSE: Our Society awards scholarships to one or more students at Florida Gulf Coast University for a period of study at a university in Scotland. This activity has received wide acclaim within the Society, and is arguably the most meaningful activity that the Society has yet undertaken in terms of “giving back” to the community. The original concept was to award scholarships until the original funding contributions were exhausted, but the awarding of scholarships has proved to be so meaningful to the recipients and the Society that it was determined that the scholarship program should be continued indefinitely. In addition to the obvious benefits to the scholarship recipients
the presence of the scholarship awardees in Scotland will serve to promote their awareness of Scottish history, customs, and culture and the “giving back” aspect of the program will engender a sense of pride, satisfaction, and purpose within the Society and donors, and the program will create an awareness of the Society within the community at large. The program is a centerpiece of the Society’s ongoing legacy.
OVERSIGHT OF THE PROGRAM: A Scholarship Committee appointed by the Board of Directors shall oversee the program. The Chair of the Scholarship Committee should maintain a good working relationship with Florida Gulf Coast University. All members of the Scholarship Committee should be Directors of the Society for insurance purposes. The Committee shall make reports of its activities to the membership of the Society at least annually.
HANDLING OF DONATIONS: Contributions from Society members (and from others) should be in the form of a check made payable to The St Andrew’s Society of SWFL, denoted as a scholarship donation, and forwarded to the Treasurer of the Society. The Treasurer in turn will deposit the check in an account in the name of Florida Gulf Coast University, our partner in the scholarship program. Since the Society has 501(c)3 status, contributions to the scholarship fund are deductible from income tax to the extent permitted by law. The Treasurer will arrange to have an acknowledgement letter sent to each contributor, as required by IRS rules. The scholarship funds are then forwarded to the University, which charges no fee for managing our funds, and the funds will remain as cash, so that there is no chance for the value of the fund to decrease.
DONORS FOR THE CURRENT YEAR:
PUBLICITY: The Scholarship Committee will take steps to ensure that the program is publicized through the Society’s outreach efforts, including the Society’s website, annual fundraising programs, and membership mailings. As a corollary, the Committee should periodically obtain feedback from the membership, the scholarship recipients, and the university.