Posted by Beth Selby, District 7070 Governor , 2019-20

Dear fellow Rotarians, 

November is Rotary Foundation Month.  As the charitable arm of Rotary, your generous contributions to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) grow Rotary programs throughout the world.  Our areas of focus include: peacebuilding and conflict prevention; disease prevention and treatment; water, sanitation, and hygiene; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; and, community economic development.  The Rotary Foundation Reference Guide is an informative document on all aspects of the Foundation..........

We are well-aware that polio eradication is Rotary’s external goal and top philanthropic priority.  As the Rotary International website states “Rotary, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988.  

In 2007, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation joined Rotary in its commitment to ending polio.  Since 2013, the Gates Foundation has matched every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication 2-to-1, up to $35 million per year.”  As of 2018, Rotary’s contributions to the global polio eradication effort, including matching funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, exceeded $1.8 billion.

“The Annual Fund-Share is the primary source of funding for a broad range of local and international Rotary Foundation activities.  Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) is the fundraising initiative designed to encourage support for the Foundation’s Annual Fund.”  It is designed to encourage Rotarians to contribute to the Annual Fund and participate in a Foundation grant or program annually.

“The Endowment Fund ensures the long-term viability of the Foundation’s grants and programs.”   Contributions to this fund are invested in perpetuity, and a percentage of the total value of the funds is directed annually to Foundation grants and programs. 

“Through the SHARE system, contributions to TRF are transformed into grants for projects that have the potential to change lives.  Fifty percent is credited to the World Fund and fifty percent is credited to the District Designated Fund.”  The World Fund pays for worldwide grants and programs available to all Rotary districts.  We use the District Dedicated Fund to fund Foundation grants and programs of our district’s choice.  The three-year funding cycle gives us time to plan projects and activities, and allows the Foundation to invest the contributions.

Our District Foundation and Grants Committees decide how to use our District Dedicated Funds in consultation with our clubs.  These funds empower our district to undertake projects that are important to district Rotarians.

In addition, we may “direct our annual contributions directly to the World Fund or one of the Foundation’s six areas of focus.  These contributions are eligible for all Annual Fund recognition opportunities, including Every Rotarian, Every Year; Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member; Paul Harris Fellow; Paul Harris Society; Major Donor; and Arch Klump Society.  They also count toward all club recognition opportunities.”

District 7070 has a rich history of giving to The Rotary Foundation.  Let’s continue  our generosity.

Yours in Rotary,

Beth

Beth Selby, District Governor 2019-20