Kia Ora Koutou
November in the Rotary Calendar is The Rotary Foundation month
I know that around our District, many clubs do not place a high priority on making contributions to The Rotary Foundation - we see so much need in our own communities that we make supporting local projects our priority
I can completely understand that – our ties to our own local communities are very strong and we can often have an immediate impact by initiating a club project
But let’s not forget that The Rotary Foundation (we’d probably call it a Trust here in New Zealand) is a huge well-managed fund that all Rotarians are asked to support in order to ensure that there is money available to support projects all over the world and here in New Zealand. Yes, money donated to the Rotary Foundation can be used right here in our own country; it does not disappear into a giant bucket out of our reach in the USA
We can partner with an overseas club or district to deliver a project worth $30,000 - $400,000 right here in New Zealand (Global Grant)
Money we as a District contribute to The Rotary Foundation is invested for 3 years and our District can then request an amount of up to 50% of this contribution be transferred back to the district for distribution to clubs as project funding (District Grants)
Of course, in order to be able to fund more than US$70 million worth of Rotary projects and programmes across the world annually, we Rotarians must continue to make regular contributions to The Rotary Foundation, our own charity. So often clubs raise funds which we then donate to another charity to support a project or programme of that organisation - next time you are undertaking a fundraising project, please seriously consider donating at least part of the money you raise to The Rotary Foundation
Make The Rotary Foundation first on the list of charities you support and let’s continue to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty!