Highlights of Actions Taken by the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation
April 2009
April 2009, Trustee minutes
The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International met from 20-24 April 2009 in Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A. The following are highlights of actions taken.
Administration
The Trustees approved several decisions on the Future Vision Plan, including pilot district selection process, pilot district training plans, district qualification process, district leadership structure, club- and district-developed global grants, and packaged global grants. More information will be provided on the RI Website. Pilot districts will be selected in June 2009.
The Trustees amended their January 2009 decision regarding selection of Future Vision pilot districts to state “The Rotary Foundation will take into consideration if a district has a current or past district governor with outstanding financial obligations to RI and/or TRF when considering the district’s application to be selected as a pilot district…”
Fund Development
The Trustees received a report from the Rotary Centers Major Gifts Initiative Committee and were pleased to acknowledge the generosity of donors who have provided approximately US$38.3 million toward the final goal of US$95 million to endow this program.
In response to the additional Gates Foundation grant of US$255 million for polio eradication, Rotary will now raise an additional US$100 million in matching funds. The Trustees modified an earlier decision regarding contributions recognition and incentives as follows:
- A special certificate of appreciation will be awarded for a minimum of US$2,000 in club contributions beginning 1 July 2009 and continuing through 2011-12;
- A special certificate of appreciation will be given to districts that contribute 20 percent or more of their District Designated Funds (DDF) to the challenge through 2011-12;
- The match currently provided to challenge contributions at the rate of US$0.50 from the World Fund for every US$1.00 of DDF contributed is extended through 2011-12. This match will be made on a first-come/first-served basis and capped at US$3 million annually.
The Trustees agreed to a 100-point minimum for Foundation recognition point transfer requests beginning 1 July 2009.
Programs
The Trustees:
- Approved 10 Matching Grants involving Rotary clubs and districts in Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Paraguay, Scotland, South Africa, and the United States.
- Approved 15 3-H Grants involving Rotary clubs and districts in Bolivia, Cambodia, Canada, England, Guinea-Bissau, India, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal, Taiwan, Turkey, Uganda, the United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- Approved a PolioPlus grant to the World Health Organization in support of research for the development of poliovirus antiviral drugs.
The Trustees approved the plans for the 2009 Rotary Alumni Celebration to be held in conjunction with the 2009 (Birmingham) Convention but, due to the economic downtown, agreed not to hold a Rotary Alumni Celebration at the 2010 (Montreal) Convention. Rotary alumni celebrations will resume in 2011, as previously approved.
Stewardship
The Trustees thanked clubs and districts for improving reporting compliance for Humanitarian Grants worldwide in 2008-09. However, eight districts were suspended for failure to meet the reporting compliance of 70% for two or more consecutive semi-annual periods and for having more than one grant overdue.
Regional training seminars for the Humanitarian Grants Cadre of Technical Advisors were approved for Montreal, Canada, and Ankara, Turkey in 2009-10.
Finance
The Trustees approved a budget for total program award expenditures of US$153,263,000 in 2009-10. They also adopted a budget of US$43,145,000 for program operations, fund development, general administration, and PolioPlus program operations of The Rotary Foundation during 2009-10, for a total budget of US$196,408,000.
In view of the current economic situation, the Trustees reduced the competitive 2009-10 Matching Grants World Fund budget to 10 percent of the available funds, and encouraged clubs and districts that wish to sponsor large Matching Grant projects do so by utilizing District Designated Funds in place of the requested amount from the World Fund.
Foundation Facts
Paul Harris Fellows: 1,165,582
Foundation Benefactors: 80,207
Major Donors: 11,070
30 April 2009
January 2009
January 2009, Trustee minutes
The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International met on 17-18 January 2009 in San Diego, California, USA. The following are highlights of actions taken.
Fund Development and Recognition
Thirty-eight Rotarians were chosen to receive the Distinguished Service Award in 2008-09 for their outstanding service to The Rotary Foundation. The Trustees also chose a winner of The Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award, which will be presented at the 2009 (Birmingham) Convention.
Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge has received cash and commitments of US$73 million toward the challenge, US$62 million of which is cash and US$11 million in commitments from individuals, clubs and districts.
Programs
The Trustees agreed that those districts whose current or past district governors have outstanding financial obligations to RI and/or TRF will not be selected to be pilot districts in the Future Vision Plan.
The Trustees awarded the International Service Award for a Polio-Free World to the following Rotarians:
Larry Bender
Ralph Munro
John Elloway
Howard and Kate Schwadron
Loring Miller
Luciano Vélez
The Trustees also:
- Approved PolioPlus grants for Afghanistan, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, for the Global Polio Laboratory Network, and the World Health Organization Polio Research Committee.
- Looked with favor on the plans for the 2009 Rotary World Peace Symposium and the alumni events to be held in conjunction with the 2009 (Birmingham) Convention.
Finance
The Trustees took action to reduce operating and World Fund expenses in 2008-09, and agreed to consider further cost reductions when considering the 2009-10 budget at their April 2009 meeting.
Foundation Facts
Paul Harris Fellows: 1,151,143
Foundation Benefactors: 79,482
Major Donors: 10,811
31 January 2009
October 2008
October 2008, Trustee minutes
The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International met from 27-30 October 2008 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. The following are highlights of actions taken.
Administration
The Trustees elected Trustee Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar to serve as chairman-elect and Trustee John F. Germ as vice-chairman during 2009-10. The Trustees’ annual meeting will be held 26-30 October 2009 in Evanston. The chairman will decide the dates of all other 2009-10 meetings.
The Trustees authorized the establishment of the Deutsche Rotarische Stiftung (DRS) as an associate foundation effective upon execution of a Memorandum of Understanding between TRF and DRS. The Stiftung will receive all Permanent Fund contributions from Rotarians in Germany.
Based upon 2007-08 total giving by country, the Trustees noted that Japan and Italy remain the two countries where efforts to improve tax benefits to donors should be prioritized.
The Trustees adopted the following criteria for creating new regional Rotary Foundation coordinator (RRFC) appointments:
- geographic distribution and number of districts, clubs, and Rotarians for which the RRFC would be responsible
- cultural and linguistic considerations
- the area’s ability to contribute to The Rotary Foundation, its participation in Foundation programs, or the need to educate Rotarians about the Foundation
They also agreed to merge the positions of major gift advisors and Annual Programs Fund strategic advisors into the role of Assistant RRFCs, effective 1 July 2009, and agreed that each RRFC would have a team of Assistant RRFCs, a Rotary Foundation Alumni Coordinator, and a Zone Challenge Coordinator for Rotary’s USD$100 million challenge.
The Trustees thoroughly discussed the progress of the Future Vision Plan, and agreed to a series of recommendations concerning the pilot implementation plan, training, qualifications, pilot district leadership structure, and district and global grants. Detailed information is available on the Rotary Web site.
Fund Development
The Trustees received a progress report on Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge, and approved the use of a special Paul Harris Fellow certificate with the “End Polio Now” graphic for the period of 1 July 2009 through 30 June 2012.
Programs
The Trustees:
Approved 21 Matching Grants involving Rotary clubs and districts in Angola, Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Italy, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United States, and West Africa (countries in District 9100).
Approved a 3-H Grant involving Rotary clubs and districts in Brazil and England.
Approved PolioPlus Grants for Afghanistan, Chad, India, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, and the World Health Organization.
Approved a World Fund or Permanent Fund earnings match to those contributions submitted by Rotary clubs and districts for Matching Grants and as sponsor contributions for 3-H Grants, and to contributions provided by clubs and districts that were raised by Rotary and non-Rotary entities.
Received the list of applicants approved for Session II of the 2008-09 program year of the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies pilot program. (This program will be integrated into the Rotary Centers Program, effective 1 July 2009.) Received the list of candidates to be awarded 2009-10 program year Rotary World Peace Fellowships and allocated World Fund monies to supplement District Designated Funds and restricted gift funds for 60 master’s degree and 50 professional development certificate Rotary World Peace Fellowships.
Changed the eligibility policy for the annual Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award to permit all 34 zones to submit a candidate every year, effective immediately.
Looked with favor on the draft program for the 2009 Rotary Alumni Celebration in Birmingham, England, and extended the pilot phase of these celebrations for an additional three years from 2010-11 through 2012-13. Agreed that all zone-level Rotary Foundation appointments should have specific responsibilities and duties regarding Rotary Foundation alumni.
Stewardship
The Trustees noted a decrease in world reporting for Humanitarian Grants in the October 2008 analysis and expect that districts will improve their reporting percentages by the semi-annual analysis in April 2009.
Finance
The Trustees received the Foundation’s 2007-08 audited financial results as submitted by Deloitte & Touche. The results will be published in the Foundation’s annual report.
The Trustees also appointed Deloitte & Touche to audit the books of The Rotary Foundation for the fiscal year 2008-09.
The Trustees restored the Foundation’s operating reserve to its minimum required level, and requested staff to prepare a contingency plan that includes options for reducing expenditures, if necessary.
Foundation Facts (as of 31 October 2008)
- Paul Harris Fellows: 1,139,841
- Foundation Benefactors: 78,487
- Major Donors: 10,484
Profiles of the Rotary Foundation Trustees