Guidelines for Charity Appeal Disbursements

At the 2008 Spring Meeting of the Metropolitan Council, Archpriest John Reeves, Chair of the Council’s Charity Committee, presented a draft set of “Guidelines for Charity Appeal Disbursements.” The “Guidelines,” as approved by the Metropolitan Council, are as follows.

Guidelines for Charity Appeal Disbursements

1. The OCA Charity appeal will not overlap other Orthodox charities already ministering in the given field or to a given cause outside of the Orthodox Church in America.

For Example: Special Appeals made by the OCA for disaster relief, at home and abroad, will utilize IOCC. In such cases, parishes will be encouraged to contribute directly to IOCC. Funds which might be given to the OCA for the same disaster relief will be given to IOCC, within thirty days of receipt of same.

However, regular funding of the general work of IOCC and OCMC will be provided annually by means of the Charity Appeal.

2. The OCA Charity appeal should seek to provide relief for OCA clergy, their widows, and their minor children; and others in need as warranted for:

  • medical and physicians’ expenses not covered by insurance or other means;
  • temporary living expenses in case of disaster;
  • other cases of extraordinary, unforeseen financial need;

each on a case by case basis as submitted by diocesan chancellors or local hierarchs in the case of clergy families, or local pastors in the case of laity.

3. The OCA Charity appeal will provide grants for OCA charitable ministries already in operation in the various parishes and dioceses. As well, consideration will be given in the future for grants to initiate new charitable ministries.

Examples would be food banks; crisis pregnancy ministries; HIV-AIDS ministries; homeless shelters; alcoholic rehabilitation, etc.

The Charitable Ministries Grant Application may be downloaded in PDF format here.

4. In consultation with the Finance Committee, the Charity Appeal Committee is responsible for determining amounts to be distributed each year, as well as amounts to be held in reserve for unforeseen situations which might arise during the year.

The Charity Appeal Committee is responsible for recommending allocation of funds.

  • It will document the need in each case.
  • It will maintain confidential records of all individual applicants.
  • It will publish annually the amounts contributed to the specific ministries.