Entering its seventh year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the United States after the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since its inaugural year in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy with events throughout the year and a growing catalog of resources.

 

#GivingTuesday harnesses the potential of social media and the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities; it provides a platform for them to encourage the donation of time, resources and talents to address local challenges. It also brings together the collective power of a unique blend of partners – nonprofits, civic organizations, businesses and corporations, as well as families and individuals – to encourage and amplify small acts of kindness. As a global movement, #GivingTuesday unites countries around the world by sharing our capacity to care for and empower one another.

 

Sound familiar? #Giving Tuesday could be the younger sister of The Rotary Foundation. However, the differences apply in timeframe and the character of membership. #Giving Tuesday begins November 27 and lasts until the end of the calendar year. The Rotary Foundation is ever-present, 365 days a year. No matter what month it is, or what day it is, giving to The Rotary Foundation is available to any Rotarian, anytime of year, via MyRotary.org or through your local Rotary club dues structure.

 

November is the month when THANK YOU is expressed in many ways! Rotary International proclaimed November Rotary Foundation Month, a time when Rotary clubs worldwide can celebrate “Doing Good in the World” in a multitude of ways.  Some clubs set aside a meeting during November to select a partner for their next Global Grant and to develop a plan of action to ensure a successful partnership. Other clubs take the opportunity to showcase past humanitarian grants to their membership to build that sense of pride in the clubs` work in both new and ongoing members.

 

Alternatively, November may be the time our District decides to fully engage its members in greater outreach to their local communities to understand the value of Rotary. Only through good public image work can we share the news that Rotary is here to help those less fortunate, both at home and around the world.

 

The Foundation was created in 1917 by Rotary International’s sixth president, Arch C. Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary “to do good in the world.” It has grown from an initial contribution of $26.50 to more than $3 billion in its 100 years of existence! It has one of the largest and most prestigious international fellowship programs in the world. In fact, in 2016 the Association of Fundraising Professionals recognized The Rotary Foundation as the World’s Outstanding Foundation.

 

For those not familiar with the Foundation, The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational and cultural exchange programs. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.

 

Through the extraordinary generosity of Rotary members worldwide, this fund has become one of the world’s leading humanitarian foundations. It transforms our donation gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. It enables Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.

 

Rotary International’s 35,000 clubs carry out sustainable service projects that support Rotary’s six Areas of Focus – Water and Sanitation, Disease Prevention, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Economic and Community Development, Basic Education/Literacy and Maternal/Child Health. Our donations have helped wipe out 99.9 percent of all polio cases, train future peacemakers, support clean water projects and strengthen local economies.

 

Our generous contributions to The Rotary Foundation are essential to securing and growing Rotary programs throughout the world. Rotary International recognizes donors to express gratitude in commitment, offering individual and club recognition as well as naming opportunities that enable Rotarians to honor a friend or family member with a named or endowed gift.

 

Without sustained support of the Annual Programs Fund, the programs of The Rotary Foundation cannot happen. With contributions of $100 from every member every year, Rotary could nearly double its efforts to help needy people the world over, supporting the continued growth of programs. Each and every Sustaining Member gift to The Rotary Foundation is a gift of hope to those less fortunate.

 

A Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member (formerly called a Paul Harris Sustaining Member) is one who contributes $100 or more per year to the Foundation’s Annual Programs Fund. If dues are paid quarterly, $25 can be added to your dues invoice each quarter to ensure your gift has been sent to The Rotary Foundation. All gifts given through the Sustaining Member program go to the Annual Programs Fund and are eligible for and count cumulatively toward the Foundation’s various recognition programs, including recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow after $1,000 has been contributed.

The 100% Foundation Giving Club recognition is for clubs that achieve an average of $100 in per capita giving and 100 percent participation, plus every dues-paying member contributing at least $25 to any or all of the following during the Rotary year: Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, approved global grants, or Endowment Fund.

 

If you are reading this as an E-Club member or as a visiting Rotarian, encourage your club to create an internal structure that ensures a 100% Sustaining member giving program and/or a 100% Foundation Giving club. In these hectic times, it is easy to forget to give on a sustaining basis in an unstructured setting. MyRotary.org also makes it easy by direct draw either from your bank account or credit card.

 

For answers to questions concerning Foundation giving, District 7530 Rotary Foundation Chair David Raese is always willing to help and stresses that it is important for a club to set Foundation contribution goals. Contributions from a club are directed 50/50 into two funds: the World Fund and the District Designated Fund (DDF). The DDF supports local club programs. Club contributions directly impact the availability of District and Global grant funds in future cycles.

 

So, as #GivingTuesday comes upon us, let’s make a resolution to “Do Good in the World” and become a Sustaining member of the Rotary Foundation. Surely, each one of us can find $100 a year to put a smile on a mother’s and child’s face somewhere on our global sphere! The world will, indeed, THANK YOU!

 

Contact District 7530 Foundation Chair, David Raese

 

 

 

“Doing Good in the World: The Inspiring Story of The Rotary Foundation’s First 100 Years” by David Forward can be purchased on shop.rotary.org.