Foundation Matters

I’ve always been suspicious of titles and slogans like the one above. “Is the second word a noun or a verb?” I catch myself wondering. Since this article seeks both to inform our Members about The Rotary Foundation and to emphasise its importance to everybody, Rotarian or not, for once I am going to try to sidestep this conundrum and explain both aspects at once: the facts or matters aboutFoundation and why Foundation matters.

“The magic of Rotary is that it allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things for others, and have fun doing it”

I intoned in a recent speech, published in the last Bulletin. But what I might have said, was that “The Rotary Foundation allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things for others, and have fun doing it”. Foundation, like the utopian and hard-to-find reliable bank, currently allows us three types of “account” in which to invest money and time, later to make a difference out there and to do some good in the world:

•Educational Programmes 

(Ambassadorial Scholarships, Rotary grants for University teachers, Group Study Exchanges, Rotary Centres for international studies in Peace & Conflict Resolution, Rotary Peace & Conflict Studies.)

•PolioPlus 

(Eradicating poliomyelitis across the world. To respond to Bill Gates’ $355 million Challenge, every Rotary Club worldwide is asked to raise $2000 a year, until we eradicate polio.)

•Humanitarian Grants Programme

(Matching Grants, District Simplified Grants, Health, Hunger & Humanity (3-H) Grants, Volunteer Service Grants)

From our Club’s perspective, as I understand it, these programmes may be funded in three ways. First, there will be a Club-wide donation to Foundation at the end of the year, once we have held all the fundraisers, events etc., whose proceeds we may choose to dedicate to The Rotary Foundation, for subsequent division into the Annual Programmes Fund, of which 50% is allocated to the world fund (more for worldwide programmes) and 50% into the District Designated Fund (more for local, District-planned programmes).

Second, there will be a Club-wide donation directly to Polio Plus at the end of the year, in response to Gates’ challenge.

Third, every Rotarian is encouraged to donate a minimum suggested $100 a year to Foundation’s Annual Programs Fund, for almost immediate use. He becomes a designated “Sustaining Member”, and gets a badge to prove it and to encourage contributions from others. If he donates much, much more, he becomes a Major Donor and can even be awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship! 

I trust you are keeping up. If your eyes are beginning to glaze over, then fear not. If District’s bid to become a “Pilot District” for Foundation’s “Future Vision” is successful, then Foundation matters are about to become a lot simpler to explain. From July 2010, the three bullet points above will become only two, much more clearly-titled conduits for our money: the Rotary Foundation District Grants and Rotary Foundation Global Grants. PolioPlus will still continue as a separate programme - unless we eradicate it first! I know that I shall vote for greater simplicity and for District to become a Pilot District when my chance comes, as one of your Voting Representatives at a District Assembly or District Council meeting.

But whatever we call them, and however many there may be, these outlets for our altruism will only operate effectively, like a well-tuned hybrid engine, if the correct mixture of money and time is made available to fuel them. Judiciously introducing that mixture into our global Rotary engine, in whatever combination (1) best suits you and (2) best suits our Club is the alchemy, the magic of which I spoke.  Suddenly the ordinary Rotarian starts doing extraordinary things.

At the individual level, be you an ordinary cash-rich, time-poor worker, a retired time-rich, cash-poor businessman or professional or a multi-billionaire celebrity like Bill Gates, this selfless act of Service Above Self will enable you to rise above the ordinariness of life to do something extraordinary - and exciting - to make a thrilling difference to the rest of the world. Just look at the YouTube footage of Gates administering vaccines to Polio-struck children in India, or read the insistent accounts of Rotarians who have done similar things, in our Rotary magazines, on the websites, everywhere. These people may look larger than life, but it is precisely because of their actions that they are still rooted in real life, and yet have managed to look beyond it. I find that exciting and enthralling. 

So perhaps you have more time than money. Have you considered, really considered, taking your next holiday in a developing area of the world, and giving a vaccine or two with your time? Have you looked at ProjectLINK, the database of Rotary projects worldwide, crying out for volunteers, resources, money, on the RI website, or even Googled it? 

Or if you have more money than time, please consider becoming a Foundation Sustaining Member. I have the Gift Aid forms available for you. It costs me just £17.50 a quarter and nothing beats the warm glow at the end of each day when you remember that you have made a difference to someone else today. 

At the Club level, as your Incoming President, I have just given the time to discuss with the Treasurer and inform District of our Foundation funding goals for next year. We will donate a minimum of $1000 to the Annual Programmes Fund and will meet Bill Gates’ Challenge by giving $2000 to PolioPlus. And my paltry $100 will be counted as a Club contribution to the Permanent Fund. But we can do much better, can’t we? Do you think you could help us surpass these ordinary goals? Do collect a form or have a quiet word.

 “The Future of Rotary (Foundation) is in your hands”.