By Leonardo de Angelis, Member of Rotary Club Ravenna, Italy and Coordinator of the Multi-Club Workshop
In 2007, the Rotary clubs of Ravenna in Italy and Stockholm Strand in Sweden decided to meet in Stockholm with other clubs to plan projects they could implement together while promoting fellowship and experiencing a new culture. They called this meeting the Multi-Club Workshop (MCW). Since then, representatives from various Rotary clubs meet every year in a European town to relive that experience.
Over the past 11 MCWs, Rotary members have been able to build relationships and implement 36 projects together, totalling approximately US $2,000,000. Between 2013 and 2016 alone, clubs from D2072 (Italy) implemented 29 global grants, 19 of which found supportive funding partners at MCWs.
The vocational expertise of Rotarians is essential to the success of projects. Many past participants of the MCW have been club presidents and/or members of their District Rotary Foundation Committee with knowledge to assist clubs in drafting and submitting global grants. Furthermore, attending the MCW has allowed Rotarians to build a network of international relationships that are essential for planning and implementing international projects and global grants.
Many clubs ask for our assistance in solving problems since the MCW has become an expert in implementing projects in the world. Conducting an assessment and creating a project plan are two crucial steps for project hosts to complete. If you’re a host club seeking support for large humanitarian projects, we advise following two important steps:
1) Secure financing: The search for the needed funding is the second, particularly challenging step. International relationships lead to committed involvement from international clubs and districts. We are more likely to fund projects organizers and managed by our friends who we have met and who we trust. But this search for funding should not be limited to just clubs and districts.
Partnering with organizations helps build larger projects. Two large global grants presented at the 9th MCW have been recently completed thanks to US $70,000 support from private organizations. We recently secured a large funding commitment from an NGO for two projects being finalized for presentation at the 12th MCW in September.
Don’t overlook government, private, and non-government entities as cooperating partners on your projects and grants.
2) Propose a global grant: Drafting and submitting the global grant application should not be an intimidating process for clubs seeking support from The Rotary Foundation. Your District’s Rotary Foundation Committee is an excellent resource for assistance. Your MCW friends are always ready to help as well!
If your club is seeking to support an international project, it’s important to find a feasible, well-planned project to support. There are many ways to find an international project or global grant to support. We have found that meeting people in person builds the foundation for successful long-term partnership and provides the most motivation for partnership investment. The MCW creates the right atmosphere to build friendships that evolve into humanitarian partnerships.
The 12th Multi-Club Workshop will be held 5-8 September 2018 in Matera, Italy. We’ll spend four days immersing ourselves in Matera’s rich culture, meeting new friends from all over the world, learning about one another’s humanitarian priorities and projects, and participating in a training on project planning and implementation.*
On behalf of all my friends involved with MCW, we hope to meet with many Rotarians and their partners/relatives this September in Matera and live the joyful and productive experience of past meetings.
Find the event program registration form on our webpage. If you wish to present a project at the seminar, complete the project form. Hotels are booking up quickly; interested participants should register by 30 April.
See you this September in Matera!
*This year the MCW will be sponsored by D 2120 (Italy). It is the first time that a district will sponsor the MCW. This sponsorship proves that the MCW is more and more appreciated.
Service in Action 
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