The Rotary Foundation
Our speaker on February 26 was PDG Joan Firkins from Victoria. Joan is a Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator working with Rotary clubs and districts in BC, Washington and Oregon. Her career was in banking. She has made four trips to Ethiopia as a Rotary volunteer giving children polio drops and working on water projects.
She explained the role of The Rotary Foundation. 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. The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. This support is essential to make possible Foundation grant funded projects that bring sustainable improvement to communities in need.
Polio eradication is Rotary’s top philanthropic priority. When Rotary launched the PolioPlus program in 1985, there were more than 350,000 polio cases in over 125 countries. Since 1988, Rotary has worked with its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to help immunize more than 2.5 billion children and reduce the incidence of polio by 99 percent.
Rotary has contributed more than US$1 billion to the global eradication effort.
She explained that the Annual Fund is like a chequing account where the money is spent on projects on a three year cycle.
Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) is the fundraising campaign to encourage support for the Foundation’s Annual Fund. EREY aims to engage every Rotary club member by asking every Rotarian to contribute to the Annual Fund every year and encouraging every Rotarian to participate in a Foundation grant or program every year. It works through the SHARE system, contributions to The Rotary Foundation are transformed into grants that change lives.
The Rotary Foundation’s funding cycle makes district contributions available three years after they are received. The three-year cycle gives districts time to plan projects and activities and allows the Foundation to invest the contributions. The earnings from those investments help pay for general administration and fund development expenses.
The district Rotary Foundation committee decides how to use the district’s DDF allocations in consultation with the clubs in the district. Districts may choose to use up to 50 percent of their DDF for district grants. Remaining DDF may be used for global grants or donated to PolioPlus, the Rotary Peace Centers, or another district.
Likewise, these contributions are eligible for all Annual Fund recognition opportunities, including EREY, Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member, Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society, Major Donor, and Arch C. Klumph Society. They also count toward all club recognition opportunities.
The Permanent Fund or newly named Endowment Fund is like Rotary’s savings account. Only the interest is spent each year. The purpose is to ensure the long-term viability of the Foundation and its grants and programs. Spendable earnings from this endowed fund enable the Foundation to expand existing activities and underwrite new ones. The Permanent Fund also supports the Rotary Peace Centers.
Joan ended her presentation with a plea to every member of the Rotary Club of Ladner to support The Rotary Foundation every year.