SPECIAL | feature
As of February 28, 2021, over $22 million was held in local chapter accounts. This is an average of over $3,800 per chapter, with 222 local chapters having a balance of over $10,000. How much is too much? A general rule is to maintain one year of operating expenses in the local chapter treasury. Unless a chapter is saving for convention expenses or a special gift, there should be no reason to maintain excess funds.
he P.E.O. Sisterhood has a long and rich tradition of philanthropy. For over 150 years, P.E.O.s have joined forces to support women’s education through the International Chapter projects. In addition, state, provincial and district (s/p/d) chapters have established projects for scholarship funds and other worthy causes. Both International and s/p/d projects further the work of the P.E.O. Sisterhood and depend primarily on chapter and member support. Though most of the charitable work of P.E.O. is fulfilled through these projects, chapters also seek to raise awareness of P.E.O. through involvement in their communities. The P.E.O. Finances and Service Policy states that the primary purpose of our chapters is to support the philanthropic projects of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. This not only reinforces our mission statement, but is also the basis for our IRS group exemption. In order to maintain this group exemption, chapters must illustrate support of our common purpose through use of their financial resources. The P.E.O. Finances and Service Policy does not provide specific direction. Instead, it is a basic framework to raise awareness and encourage chapter discussion. In order to guide chapter decisions, consider the P.E.O. Pyramid of Giving, a three-tiered pyramid representing the three levels of contributions—International projects, s/p/d projects and local chapter interests. A chapter should consider their giving on these three priority levels. The base of the pyramid represents the largest portion of a chapter’s giving and this should be to the International Chapter projects. The middle section of the pyramid represents the contributions to s/p/d projects. The smallest portion of the pyramid is the tip—the portion of chapter giving that is available for local chapter scholarships and other community support. Though the exact amount or percentage of giving may be different among chapters, the shape of the pyramid should guide chapter decisions and help to focus support on the projects that are the strength of our Sisterhood. Helen Keller once stated, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” P.E.O. has proven the worth of this statement by helping nearly 117,000 women finance their education with over $385 million through our International Chapter projects.* Our concentrated efforts will ensure the continued success of the P.E.O. philanthropic projects, and more importantly—our shared mission to help women reach for the stars!
*as of July 2021
P.E.O. Finances and Service Policy In keeping with the mission of P.E.O., the focus of chapter funds and fundraising activities shall be International Chapter projects, followed by state/provincial/district projects. In order to protect International Chapter’s exemption with the United States Internal Revenue Service, chapters must demonstrate the mission of P.E.O. through financial support. Therefore, P.E.O. dollars, offered and earned by members in the name of P.E.O., should be considered primarily for approved P.E.O. projects and/or the P.E.O. Foundation with minimal chapter funds used for outside philanthropic or local educational activities. To strengthen P.E.O.’s visible influence in the community, chapters and chapter members are encouraged to offer their talents and skills, time and service for local philanthropic and educational endeavors.
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January–February 2022 | THE P.E.O. RECORD
WWW.PEOINTERNATIONAL.ORG
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