Posted by Bob Wallace, Past District Governor, Past Rotary Zone Coordinator, and Chair of District 7070 Rotary Foundation Committee

In his August 2023 letter to Rotarians,  Past District Governor Bob Wallace, Chair of the District 7070 Rotary Foundation Committee, encourages every Rotarian to set and meet their club and personal goals and make a conscious effort to make a donation to The Rotary Foundation, whatever you can afford, to the Annual Programs Fund, the PolioPlus Fund, the Disaster Response Fund, and to the Endowment Fund. .......

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

Here we are in August 2023, the second month of our Rotary year and we are so pleased to see Rotary clubs and Rotarians, throughout the District  establishing and working on ways to meet their 2023-24 Rotary Foundation goals with their club members making their personal donations and club donations too. Once again, I want to thank you to the many Clubs for their ongoing remarkable achievements and encourage you to continue your efforts to support The Rotary Foundation in 2023-24.

It is now time to for you to eatablish your club's 2023-24 Rotary Foundation (Annual Fund and Polio Fund) goals and to enter them into Rotary Club Central. We need your help. Please set your Rotary Foundation Goals for the Annual programs Fund AND for the Polio Fund TODAY and put them into Rotary Club Central. If you need assistance with this , please let me know or ask Past District Governor Ted Morrison (E: ted.sharron@rogers.com ) to assist you. Thank you. 

I can't think of  a better time than right now, to remind all Rotarians to help achieve your club's goals and your own personal goal as you continue to support our Rotary Foundation. Thank you. Just think of the impact if every Rotarian on District 7070 made a donation, to The Rotary Foundation.

It's up to you.

To assist you in your fundraising efforts for The Rotary Foundation, be sure to read about the New District 7070 Polio Plus Society and the new District 7070 Paul Harris Society that we announced in the Rotary District 7070 April 2023 Newsletter and repeated in this Newsletter too.  

To assist your club in your fundraising efforts for The Rotary Foundation, as a reminder, we hope that you are getting ready to establish goals for donations from your pledges, and hope that you can raise lots of money for the 2023-24 District 7070 Rotary Foundation Walk (Oct 15 - 10 AM to 2 PM at Milne Dam Conservation Park, 8251 McCowan Road in Markham) .  (see: https://rotary7070.org/events/district-7070-rotary-foundation-walk-2023/ ) Stay tuned.

We sure hope that your club qualified for your 2023-24 Grants on line on our Rotary District website. Get you memorandum of understanding for the 2023-24 Rotary Year in to Lars Henriksson as soon as possible. Please remember that the deadline for submitting District Grant applications for the 2024-25 Rotary year will be  May 31, 2024.  

If you have questions, please send them to me, Bob Wallace, District 7070 Foundation Chair, and copy Lars Henriksson, District 7070 Foundation Grants Chair.

Thank you to all of Rotary clubs who came to the Nov 19, 2022 District 7070 Rotary Foundation Seminar in Oshawa Ontario . This was a great opportunity to learn a great deal of information about your Foundation and learn how money is raised and where it goes. We learned about District grants, what they are used for and how to apply and we learned about Global grants , what they are used for and how to apply. Those clubs who attended are now qualified as a club to apply for both District and Global grants for 2022-23 and for 2023-24. 

The District 7070 Rotary Foundation Committee members are more than willing to talk to your club. Contact us today. They are all excellent speakers.

Our Rotary Foundation is ready to help us, as help others. If you have not yet made a personal or club donation to our Foundation, please do so if you can.

Through The Rotary Foundation, you are making a difference in so many ways throughout the world. Rotarians do make the world a better place. It's your turn to show everyone that your donations to the Rotary Foundation and the humanitarian grants which can be performed because of the funds from the Rotary Foundation really do tell everyone that #RotaryResponds.

Donations to The Rotary Foundation: 

Rotarians have long understood that our successes rely upon our continued passion for making a positive difference in our communities at home and around the world. This passion includes our time and energy as well as our financial contributions as we are able.

The Rotary Foundation has four funds available to us for making these contributions, the Annual Fund, the Polio Plus Fund , the Disaster Response Fund, and the Endowment Fund.

I  thank you all for your past donations and future donations into all of the funds of The Rotary Foundation. And a very special thank you for your continued support of our polio eradication efforts. We need to keep this $ support strong. 

 

Here is a handy Rotary Foundation Checklist for you and your Rotary Club to help you to reach your 2023-24 goals for your 2023-24 donations to The Rotary Foundation:

 

Here is a Rotary Foundation Checklist for you and your Rotary Club

to help you reach your goals for 2023-24 and your 2023-24 donations to The Rotary Foundation:

 

What Individuals Can Do:

 

What Clubs Can Do:

  1. Increase your online giving to the Rotary Foundation using Rotary Direct.

Tip: Click here to become an online donor if you aren’t already.

  1. Set a minimum goal of $100 USD per member in support of the Annual Fund.

Tip: If you’re already achieving this (thank you!), set your goal a little higher.

  1. Be sure to get pledges and collect from people who will sponsor you in our  District Rotary Foundation Walk on Oct 15, 2023 at at Milne Dam Conservation Park, 8251 McCowan Road in Markham)  (see: https://rotary7070.org/events/district-7070-rotary-foundation-walk-2023/

 

 

  1. Be sure to get a program together to get pledges and collect all of the pledges from your club members and friends who sponsored your team, in our District Rotary Foundation Walk on Oct 15. 

Tip: Tell potential members to donate to the walk. All new members are donors-in-waiting for our Rotary Foundation.

  1. Join the new Rotary District 7070 Polio Plus Society by contributing a minimum of $100 US to Rotary’s polio eradication efforts annually.

Tip: Rotary District 7070 Polio Plus Society members receive a very nice pin! 

 

   4 Join the new Rotary District 7070 Paul Harris Society by contributing a minimum of $100 US to Rotary’s Annual Fund every year.

Tip: Rotary District 7070 Paul Harris Society members receive a very nice pin! 

  1. Set a minimum goal of $1,500 USD as your club’s contribution to the End Polio Now campaign.

 

Tip: Host a End Polio Now fundraiser any time this year . Collect from everyone who pledged funds on World Polio Day 2024.

 

  4 Set a minimum goal for  the number of Rotary District 7070 Paul Harris Society members who contribute $100 UD annually to the Annual Fund every year..

Tip: Host a Rotary District 7070 Paul Harris Society evening honouring the new members of the  Rotary District 7070 Paul Harris Society.

   5 Join Rotary’s donor recognition program by becoming Sustaining Member, a Paul Harris Fellow, a Paul Harris Society member, a Major Donor, or an Arch Klumpf Society member.

 

Tip: There’s a giving level for all budgets. Try to move up a category.

 

 5 Host a club social or a special fundraiser in support of the Rotary Foundation.

 

Tip: Pick a Rotary Area of Focus (e.g. water, sanitation & hygiene) and create a themed event.

 

Additional Idea: Some clubs have their own charitable foundations and they could make a one-time or perhaps an annual donation to The Rotary Foundation.

 
 

Have you set your 2023-24 Rotary Foundation Goals?

Are they entered into Rotary Club Central?

Are you working on plans for 2023-24 to reach those goals?  

 

GOALS AND PLANS FOR 2023-24:

Has your club set your goals and are you carrying out your plans to reach those goals that you put into Rotary Club Central for 2023-24?  Remember the requirements for the Presidential Citation every year. 

 

POLIOPLUS:

How is your Club progressing with setting and meeting your Rotary Club goal for the 2023-24 Rotary year, at least $ 1,500 per club to PolioPlus? 

When are you, as an individual Rotarian, and your club, going to make that important donation this new Rotary year?  What was your club goal? What is your personal goal to PolioPlus? Do you do a fundraiser in your community to help End Polio?  Did you know that Rotary International's goal is for EACH club to donate at least $1,500 this Rotary year to the PolioPlus Fund. Please encourage your Club President and your club Rotary Foundation Chair to honour this important goal.

Has everyone in your Club, this Rotary Year, made that same commitment to personally donate at least $20.00 for the eradication of Polio - this year? Again, this Rotary Year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match our contributions on a 2 for 1 basis for an additional 3 years. And we sure would like every Rotarian in District 7070 make that donation  today. If Rotarians raise the full $50 million US, The Gates Foundation will match it. to the tune of $100 million US more. Help us get that $100 million and ask your club members to make a donation at endpolio.org,

 

ANNUAL PROGRAMS FUND:

And I sure hope that your Rotary Club is in the process of setting your goal for contributing at least $ 100.00 US for each member of your club, for Annual Giving to the Annual Programs Fund of the Rotary Foundation for 2023-24. I hope all District 7070 Clubs that will be making that important donation to the Rotary Foundation and I hope that all of you will keep up the good work to reach your goal, this new Rotary year and next . This is where we get our money for Grants. 

Do you know the goal of your club? Do you have a personal goal?  Has your Club made plans for  that donation yet for this Rotary year?    Have YOU made that personal donation? Are your members making those donations? 

 

GRANT QUALIFICATION FOR 2023-24: 

We hope you filled out the 2023-24 Grants Qualification online to get you and your club prepared for applying for grants, both Global and District grants. Keep Nov 28 open for another opportunity to get qualified at the District 7070 Rotary Foundation Workshop in Oshawa. 

NOTE: Applications for 2024-25 District Grants from qualified clubs will be due on May 31, 2024.

 

EVERY ROTARIAN - EVERY YEAR:

We want to reach our goal for this year and next. We would like to see $ 100.00 US from every member, in every Rotary Club.

But if your members cannot reach that target, we understand. But can they donate some smaller amount? Wouldn't it be very special to see your Rotary Club with 100% of your members contributing something to the Annual Programs Fund? This is our commitment to the Every Rotarian Every Year Campaign of the Rotary Foundation - EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year). We hope it is yours too.

 

ROTARY DIRECT : A SEAMLESS WAY TO DONATE TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION:  

Go to MyRotary and enroll in Rotary’s recurring giving program, Rotary Direct, which makes giving easy, fast, and secure. You can schedule a monthly, quarterly, or annual donation that empowers Rotarians to change lives in communities around the world.

 

THE ENDOWMENT FUND - MAJOR GIFTS INITIATIVE

Are there any prospective Major Donors in YOUR club or in YOUR community?

Please let me know if you, or someone you know, wishes to take this next step to support Our Rotary Foundation. More than 100 years ago, Rotarians took bold action to ensure your success and the empowerment of generations still to come — they established The Rotary Foundation to secure a better future. Gifts to Rotary's Endowment ensure that future Rotarians will have the resources they need to design and implement sustainable projects year after year. Rotary strives to increase the value of your gift to the Endowment by preserving and investing your initial contribution and spending only a portion of the earnings. This strategy supports Rotary's causes today while generating funds that will further the work of future Rotarians committed to Doing Good in the World. When you give to the Endowment today, you can watch as the value of your gift grows and investment earnings improve communities. You can secure your vision for the future by including a commitment to the Foundation in your will or estate plan. The Trustees of the Rotary Foundation have set a goal to get the Endowment fund to $2.5 billion US Funds by the year 2025. 

While Rotary is a major player partnered with the Gates Foundation for the eradication of Polio, Rotary is asking clubs to be in a position to partner with other NGO’s on projects that currently fall beyond the means of our District or Global Grants programs. Accordingly, they have created the Major Gifts Initiative for each of our six areas of focus. 

If you have not yet participated, please contact me, if your club can make that commitment. 

 

Watch The Tuesday Talks:  The Rotary Foundation

Be sure to watch the replay (now available on our District 7070 you Tube Channel)  to see where your dollars go when you donate to the Rotary Foundation and hear an outstanding Rotary Global Grant Scholar.

Here is the link. 

Many thanks to all of you for your support.

Bob

District 7070 Foundation Chair -  Email: rwallace7070@gmail.com