Since its founding, the club’s philosophy has been to keep membership as affordable as possible. While that makes rowing at RCRC highly accessible, it also means the club has limited funds to pay for maintenance and upkeep. RCRC from its inception has been a grass-roots rowing club. This was easy when the club was small, because we had no other options. But as the club has grown, this spirit of service has been a deliberate choice. This is part of what makes RCRC special among rowing clubs. However, much of the work is done by the same dedicated core of individuals. To take the pressure off these people and to maintain this grass- roots tradition, the club has established committees and instituted a policy to encourage service to the club. Each member is required to contribute at least fifteen (15) hours of service annually on Club sponsored activities to assist in the maintenance and advancement of the Club. Club service hours not completed the end of the membership year will be charged to the member at an hourly rate.

Fifteen hours per club member per year is roughly equivalent to the number of hours to employ one (1) person full-time for a year. We have more than enough work to employ one person full-time. In addition, it is slightly more than an average of one hour per month, a reasonable amount of time to contribute to helping RCRC thrive. If the club were to hire someone to do work, $15 per hour would be an average of what we would pay. Keep an eye on the RCRC News emails sent out via Yahoo! Groups and the club website during the coming year for club service hour opportunities.

RCRC belongs to all who row with it. Please help the club maintain its special spirit.

• Each member is required to contribute 15 hours of service annually on Club sponsored activities to assist in the maintenance and advancement of the Club.
• In lieu of service, members may pay $225 at the time of payment of annual membership dues ($15 per hour x 15 hours).
• Hours not completed by June 15 of the following year will be charged to the member at $15 per hour. Club service hours begin accruing from July 1 through June 15 of each year. Hours cannot be transferred from year to year.

Club service activities and the allocation of hours will be coordinated by the Board and its designees. Club service opportunities will be announced via the RCRC News email list. Some of these activities include:

• Coxing for Learn to Row
• Work for the Facilities committee
• Fundraising
• Helping with club regattas including River City Rebellion and Head of the Port

Club members may accrue club service hours for other pre-approved activities.