What is a Soroptimist Fellow?
Fellowships are grants or scholarships. But what is a fellow? A fellow is an equal or a comrade. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who work together as peers in the pursuit of knowledge or practice.
In this case, a Soroptimist “Fellow” is a person or club that is indeed a member of an elite group. Every fellow named represents $1,000 in donations to the Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship Program, which provides scholarships to some amazing women. Over 750 Soroptimist women have become Fellows since 1948. Five hundred women are active members, and many have multiple fellowships and/or have donated fellowships to other Soroptimist women.
Ask your Soroptimist Fellowship Director for a copy of the complete list of Fellows by district. They will be happy to update the list if a name is missing, miss-spelled, or the member has moved to a different district or club.
The Fellowship Board emcees the annual Friday night dinner at Founder Region Conference where the new Fellowship recipients are presented to the members, and given a moment to describe themselves and their project. Soroptimist Fellows are invited to an exclusive reception before dinner to meet the recipient winners in person! This is always a highlight of conference for Fellowship.
How to become a Fellow:
- Contribute $1,000 to Founder Region Fellowship.
- Anyone can win a Fellow by participating in Fellowship drawings.
- Donations to Fellowship can be made by anyone, including non-members.
- Donations can be made "in honor of", or "in memory of", a person living or deceased.
- Set up a Monthly Pledge of $25 or more to become a fellow.
District Meeting Raffle Baskets
- All clubs within each district send representatives and members to their annual District Meeting in the Fall.
- Prior to the meeting, members can purchase raffle tickets at their regular club meetings.
- Anyone can purchase raffle tickets
- Total raffle funds at each meeting are divided by $1,000 to determine the number of Fellows drawn at the District Meeting.
- Raffle tickets are then entered for an opportunity to win a basket of goodies (worth at least $75) at each District Meeting.
Clubs Donations
- Clubs are encouraged to develop their own opportunities to raise funds for Fellowship.
- Clubs are encouraged to budget $1,000 for Fellowship.
- Many clubs save for an annual or semi-annual Fellow.
- Clubs often decide to surprise a member or perhaps raffle off a Fellow at a meeting.
- Ready to name a Fellow?
please send the FELLOW INFO & FINANCIAL TRANSACTION FORM
to the FRF Treasurer.
Region Conference Fellowship Games
The Fellowship Board annually develops opportunities to win a Fellow.
- A $1,000 Fellow is awarded to the person with the winning number drawn for that game.
- The number of opportunities is set by the annual Fellowship budget, and may be increased if there is a demand.
- Fellowship board members visit clubs in their district and bring advanced sales of opportunities, which is especially nice for people not able to attend in person.
February "Fun for Fellowship"
February is designated as the month to raise funds for and awareness of Fellowship. Clubs may develop their own fines, raffles, or games to collect money for Fellowship. Club members may be asked to empty all their coins into the collection jar at every meeting in February, or perhaps the club will "fine" members for birthdays and specials occasions. Clubs can also use the Fellowship Calendar game to raise funds and have fun.
Personal Donations
IN HONOR OF or IN MEMORY OF DONATIONS
Anyone can contribute any amount to Fellowship, in someone’s memory or in honor of someone.
Anyone can contribute any amount to Fellowship, in someone’s memory or in honor of someone.
- All donations are acknowledged in writing, and all are tax deductible.
- A member can contribute $1,000 through a company’s matching donation program.
- Anyone donating $1,000 to Fellowship will be awarded a pin, a certificate and a life-time membership in Fellowship.
