FUNDRAISING and RECOGNITION

Our Rotary Foundation is unique: It belongs to Rotarians and is dedicated to furthering Rotary programs that address the greatest needs around the world. Rotarians determine which projects and programs to support and the level of funding to provide. Because Rotary clubs operate in nearly every country in the world, Rotarians truly constitute a global network of community volunteers.

Whether it’s eradicating polio, digging water wells, providing dictionaries to a local elementary school, or educating a scholar in peace and conflict resolution, Rotary creates the environment and circumstances that promote Doing Good in the World. The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. Our areas of focus support this mission.

Rotarians support our Foundation through: The PolioPlus Fund, dedicated to global polio eradication The Annual Fund, primary source of funding for Foundation grants and activities The Endowment Fund, which supports the Foundation in perpetuity

Rotary’s own financial support for PolioPlus will be magnified by an agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. From 2013 to 2018, every $1 that Rotary commits in direct support of polio immunization (up to $35 million per year) will be matched by an additional $2 from the Gates Foundation. This means contributions to Rotary’s PolioPlus program will have three times the impact.

The Every Rotarian, Every Year effort encourages Rotarians to participate in the Foundation by volunteering for activities and contributing to the Annual Fund annually. ASK: How can you motivate members of your club to give to the Annual Fund year after year? ASK: What is the current giving pattern among club members? How can you motivate them to give more?

Contributions to the Annual Fund support local and international grants and activities through the SHARE system. Contributions are credited to the individual donor and the donor’s club and counted toward the club’s and district’s Annual Fund goals.

By making a gift of $100 or more each year to the Annual Fund, a donor becomes a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member. Recognition consists of a sticker that Rotarians can affix to their Rotary club name badges. ASK: Why is recognition important? ASK: Who can give an example of a successful fundraiser a club has organized?

By making a gift of $1,000, a donor becomes a Paul Harris Fellow or can have another person honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. Recognition consists of a certificate and lapel pin. Optional Paul Harris Fellow medallions are available for purchase. Lapel pins are given in recognition of multiple Paul Harris Fellows — those who make contributions of $2,000 to $9,999. Based on their Paul Harris Fellow level, recipients may receive pins with simulated sapphire (blue) or ruby (red) stones.

Named after Rotary’s founder, the Paul Harris Society recognizes those who annually contribute $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant. The Paul Harris Society was created in 1999 by Past District Governor Wayne Cusick from District Cusick realized that giving $1,000 annually to the Foundation was not possible for every Rotarian, but many could be encouraged to contribute at this level or above. This idea gained momentum and quickly spread to other districts throughout the world. Although the Paul Harris Society was originally administered by districts, the Foundation’s Trustees adopted the Society as an official recognition program of The Rotary Foundation in 2013.

Each year, The Rotary Foundation presents districts with club recognition banners to recognize achievement in Annual Fund giving. These include: Top Three Per Capita Giving Clubs (minimum $50 per capita) in the district 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club (every active club member is a Paul Harris Fellow at the time of the request; one-time-only recognition)

Every Rotarian, Every Year Club — a Rotary club that achieves a minimum of $100 per capita in contributions from active members and 100 percent participation; that is, every active member contributes to the Annual Fund during the Rotary year 100% Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member Club — a Rotary club in which every member contributes $100 or more to the Annual Fund during the Rotary year

A $100 contribution can provide: Two desks for an elementary school in Honduras 50 mosquito nets for women and children in Tanzania One year of tuition for a high school student in China

A $1,000 contribution can provide: One portable dental chair for providing dental care to indigenous children in Mexico 400 pairs of eyeglasses for people in Nigeria Microloans to enable three women in Guatemala to start businesses that will support their families

A $10,000 contribution can provide: Three refurbished school buses for rural communities in Mexico Bakery equipment at a vocational training center for disabled children in Sudan Two water wells for villages in Haiti

A $15,000 contribution can provide a one- time global grant dedicated to an area of focus specified by the donor. A geographic preference for the grant, such as Africa, Asia, or Latin America, will be considered. Special opportunities are available to those who wish to support global grant activities through a term gift. This is generally a one- time gift, used in its entirety for its specified purpose, and carries the name of the donor or a loved one — for instance, the Robert and Jane Smith Term Global Grant for Basic Education and Literacy. Each term gift will be individually tracked and reported to the donor.

A $30,000 contribution can provide a one-time global grant dedicated to an area of focus. Donors may specify the area of focus and a district to develop the grant, as well as the project or activity type: humanitarian project, scholarship, or vocational training team. A geographic preference for the grant, such as Africa, Asia, or Latin America, will be considered.

A $60,000 contribution can provide up to 5 one-time named Rotary Peace Fellowships in the professional development certificate program, which advances knowledge and world understanding in fields related to peace studies and conflict resolution.

A $75,000 contribution can provide: Funds for a Rotary Peace Fellow to study for two years at a Rotary Peace Center in a field related to peace studies and conflict resolution Or Funds for up to 10 peace fellow internships or research projects ASK: How do you track your donors?

Gifts to the Endowment Fund are held in perpetuity as part of an endowment. They are professionally invested, with a portion of the earnings used each year for purposes specified by the Trustees and the donors. The Endowment Fund offers donors a way to create their own lasting legacy through Rotary.

Donors can create a custom fund within the Endowment Fund and direct its earnings to a specific purpose. A fund can carry the name of the donor or loved one — for instance, the Robert and Jane Smith Endowed Global Grant for Maternal and Child Health — and is tracked separately. Donors receive an annual update on their endowed funds. The options vary depending upon the size and purpose of the gift: A $25,000 named endowed fund provides general support to SHARE, the World Fund, or Rotary Peace Centers. A $100,000 area of focus endowed fund provides general support to global grants developed around the world in one of Rotary’s areas of focus, or supports an annual seminar at a Rotary Peace Center

A $250,000 global grant endowed fund provides support for global grants in one of Rotary’s areas of focus. Donors may specify the area of focus and the district that will develop the global grant, as well as the project or activity type: humanitarian project, scholarship, or vocational training team. A $500,000 global grant endowed fund with optional geographic location endows a fund as described above and also allows the donor to specify a geographic location where the global grants are to be used, such as Africa, Asia, or Latin America. A gift of $1,000,000 should be discussed with The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

The Rotary Foundation has set a goal of raising $125 million by 2015 to fully endow the Rotary Peace Centers program. The emphasis, unlike that of the Annual Fund and PolioPlus, is on major gifts, especially gifts of $100,000 or more.

The Rotary Foundation has set a goal of raising $125 million by 2015 to fully endow the Rotary Peace Centers program. The emphasis, unlike that of the Annual Fund and PolioPlus, is on major gifts, especially gifts of $100,000 or more.

Understand the differences between the PolioPlus Fund, the Annual Fund, and the Endowment Fund Discuss ways to promote contributions to The Rotary Foundation SESSION REVIEW

TAKE ACTION Participate in Rotary’s recurring giving program, Rotary Direct, to contribute every year Join the Paul Harris Society Make an outright gift or commitment in your estate plans to support Rotary’s Endowment Fund

Questions? «Insert contact information for your r egional Rotary Foundation coordinator or endowment/major gifts adviser »