Monthly messages
May 2012
With our new grant model, we can do more good in the world
I recently met with a number of Rotarians who will be responsible for communicating with you in the coming year about our new grant model under the Future Vision Plan. I recognize that we are asking the nonpilot districts to make a considerable leap of faith in the development of our Rotary Foundation for the future. It is difficult to understand and accept the changes when you do not know the details.
Why Future Vision? So that we can do more good in the world and use our resources in the best way possible. We needed to change our Foundation, as we were facing major challenges. We had to simplify. If this meant that we had to move away from some of our “feel good” activities, we were prepared to do so. Doing good was a greater priority, and when we do good, feeling good follows.
This is not somebody else’s plan. The starting point was the responses of the thousands of Rotarians who presented their views. One of the direct results is the six areas of focus. These are where Rotarians want to serve.
Almost all of the pilot districts say their Rotary is stronger because of Future Vision. They like the greater opportunity to make their own decisions with district grants. Sometimes building sustainability into global grants has been a challenge, but the pilot districts understand the importance, and our helpful staff can and do assist.
What do I ask of you? To get your district structure in place so that you are ready for 1 July 2013, and to please be patient as we make our new Foundation as effective and productive as it can possibly be. If you can wait just a little longer, you will enjoy the new opportunities.
April 2012
Keeping our promise for a polio-free world
As I write this, we are still reflecting on the achievement of a full year in India without a case of polio. As recently as 2009, India had more cases than any other country, so this represents a tremendous effort by Rotarians and our partners, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the government of India and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It shows what can be done when people of goodwill work together toward a goal. As Rotarians, we should feel proud of our fellow Rotarians and the whole family of Rotary in India.
This is not the time to relax, however. India is close to two countries where polio still exists, and China had an outbreak in 2011 because of an importation. India has shown that winning the battle is possible, but some hard work remains to be done.
One of the “unsung” aspects of our effort has been advocacy. The governments of the world have contributed billions of dollars for polio eradication, and much of it has come because of the advocacy of Rotarians. This work is quietly performed in the background, but the results have been significant.
The Gates Foundation gave us another US$50 million gift in January to help us remain an effective member of the partnership. We have several years to go before the world can be certified polio-free. Please do not stop giving because we have achieved the target of Rotary’s Challenge, for every dollar you give for the eradication of polio will be used exactly for that.
We made a promise to the children of the world that they would live in a world free of polio. As Rotarians, we keep our promises!
March 2012
Get ready for a simpler, more powerful Foundation with Future Vision
I am still occasionally asked why we decided to develop our Future Vision Plan. The question is, if the Foundation wasn’t broken, why fix it? The truth is that our Foundation, which has served Rotary and the world so well for over 90 years, was becoming dated. We were reacting to a changing world by adding yet another program or altering our rules, which made the Foundation increasingly complicated and expensive to administer. It was time to face the reality that we must change or see our impact on the world diminish.
We asked over 10,000 Rotarians what changes we should make and then began to work on a Foundation that is simpler and easier to understand, that involves clubs and districts more in spending and stewardship, and that builds more sustainability into our activities.
Just as polio eradication has defined Rotary to the international community in recent years, in the future, our six areas of focus will define us. We will have lifted ourselves above the multitude of little projects that felt good but addressed symptoms, not causes, and too often had a short-term impact. We have demonstrated through our polio efforts what we could do, and we will show the world that there are answers to other major issues, and that Rotary is prepared to lead the way. We can’t do it on our own, but we can and will make a difference.
The pilot districts are saying that Future Vision is exciting, leads to greater engagement and enthusiasm, is more efficient, is creating more interaction between clubs, is making Rotarians more aware of opportunities, has scaled up the size of projects, and is leading to greater giving to the Foundation. As chair of our Foundation, I can only agree!
February 2012
Our Foundation helps us help others
A friend who is an Arch C. Klumph Society member recently sent me an email ending with words that remind us of why we support our Foundation. John began life in humble circumstances and became a successful businessman. Through our Foundation, he has shared that success with people who have no ability to help themselves. He said: “As someone who was born poor on a farm during the Depression, I can confirm that when you have nothing, a little bit goes a long way to help. I remember like it was yesterday those neighbours and relatives who helped our family of nine and gave us support and encouragement. In essence, this is our Foundation’s mission.”
Another quote that impressed me recently came from a Rotarian at a Rotary institute: “I joined Rotary for business and fellowship. I stayed to change the world.”
For many of us, Rotary is our only way to change the world. As individuals, there is little we can do on our own, but when we join with our fellow Rotarians, we do make a difference. How we do that depends on where we are. If you are in a country with great needs, then you will be involved in identifying the needs of people and developing and implementing projects that will change their lives. If you are one of this generation who has been blessed with success, then you can help by making resources available. Our Rotary Foundation, in a sense, sits in the middle and makes the connection.
Our business model works, which is why we will in a few years celebrate 100 years of supporting Rotarians in making the world a better place. We have passed the test of time.
January 2012
Areas of focus are the causes that drive Rotary
Areas of focus are the causes that drive Rotary. We are now halfway through the pilot of our Future Vision Plan, and as I look to the future I think the most significant change will be the adoption of the six areas of focus -- and not just for our Foundation. I recently heard RI Director Stuart Heal, the chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, say that our areas of focus fit very comfortably into our RI Strategic Plan.
Today’s generation supports causes rather than organizations, and so we in Rotary should be able to clearly identify the causes that drive us. When somebody asks you what Rotary is, you do not have to fumble for words. Tell the person that we are an organization of service-minded individuals around the world who are working to make the world a better place with our efforts in water and sanitation, basic education and literacy, maternal and child health, disease prevention and treatment, economic and community development, and peace and conflict resolution. You can say that in 20 seconds!
You can see how this may bring new members to Rotary and increase the giving to our Foundation. If you approach corporations for a contribution, they are much more likely to respond if they know how their money will be spent, and that we will spend it wisely. We are building on a strong record of performance over a long period of time. Bill Gates has said as much on a number of occasions. He has shown his faith in us through his significant gifts for polio eradication.
While I am writing this from a Foundation perspective, the membership factor should not be overlooked. Plenty of organizations talk about issues, but Rotary is about action, not words.
December 2011
Make giving to our Foundation an annual tradition
As Rotarians, we often reduce our words to initials. We talk of GSEs. VTTs, NIDs, and PHFs. Our district officers are DGs, DGEs, and DGNs, and in Evanston we have a GS. We have plenty of PDGs and an occasional PRIP. I am sure you could add many more.
This month, I would like to focus on another set of initials: EREY. The words are Every Rotarian, Every Year , and they encourage every one of us to make an annual contribution to our Foundation. Despite the economic problems and the awful natural disasters, our giving to the Annual Programs Fund last year was the second highest in history. Thank you for your confidence that we are building a Foundation that will be stronger and even more effective in the future.
I read a lot of district and zone newsletters, and I smiled at a quote in a recent newsletter from District 7600, in Virginia, USA. In it, Bill Billings talked about how Rotary became more important to him as he became more involved. He went on to say, “These are my brightest days in Rotary because now I am learning what I can do for Rotary. I give to The Rotary Foundation every year because it feels so good.” At this point, his sense of humor came through. I am not sure if every country has telemarketing, but if yours does, you will appreciate Bill’s next words: “But I also give to the Foundation because it is the best defense against annoying telemarketers. When they call me I simply say, ‘I give my money to The Rotary Foundation, but thanks for calling and have a nice day.’ Click!”
Bill has made our Rotary Foundation his charity of choice. I hope you will too.
November 2011
Now’s the time to learn about what the Foundation does
November is Rotary Foundation Month, and I hope you’ll focus on the Foundation with your club speakers and programs. How can our newer Rotarians understand the Foundation if we do not tell them what it is and what it does?
We are often not good communicators in Rotary, which is strange as we are business and community leaders. Maybe it is information overload or too much sport on television, but Rotary information is not a high priority for many Rotarians. For example, how would you answer these questions:
Is there an Ambassadorial Scholar in our district?
What is this Future Vision Plan, and what does it mean for our club?
What do we need to know about polio eradication, other than that it makes us feel good?
What is the difference between Group Study Exchange and vocational training teams?
I hear the words Every Rotarian, Every Year . What is that about?
How can The Rotary Foundation support our club’s desire to help people outside our community?
What are Rotarians doing on issues such as HIV/AIDS and water and sanitation?
Nobody in my club reads the Foundation annual report. Where does the money go?
What is our relationship with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation?
The list of questions could go on, but the real question is, “What is our club doing to learn more about our Rotary Foundation?” If the answer is “not enough,” now might be a very good time to start.
October 2011
An exciting month for the Foundation
October is a busy month for The Rotary Foundation. While our Trustees meeting is usually held in October, this year, because the 2012 RI Convention is so early in May, it was moved to September. This meant that “Taiwan Day” was also held earlier.
On Taiwan Day, we inducted Rotarians from Taiwan into the Arch C. Klumph Society in honor of their contributions of at least US$250,000 to our Foundation. We inducted five generous couples on Taiwan Day in 2009, seven in 2010, and as I write we’ve had eight in 2011. When you consider the population of Taiwan and the number of Rotarians there, this giving is humbling. We now have over 300 Arch C. Klumph Society members, with the highest number in the United States, and now the second highest in Taiwan. A challenge to the rest of us!
October is a month with many Rotary institutes, where current, future, and past Rotary leaders come together to discuss what is happening within Rotary. We have a trustee and Foundation staff at each institute.
Each October, we also select the next group of our Rotary Peace Fellows – up to 60 for the two-year master’s, and up to 50 for the three-month certificate. The selection process is fascinating and resembles the draft system used by U.S. football teams to select their new players. All the applicants are scored and ranked by experienced Rotarians and the universities. Representatives from the universities come to the meeting with their “wish list” but take turns in choosing their actual scholars. Their choices may be influenced by a desire to have a wide geographical or subject spread, and sometimes they will “trade” choices. The result is that the best candidates become our fellows, and our program remains among the best.
September 2011
What will be your legacy?
Years ago, during a visit to New York City , I saw a T-shirt that said, “He who dies with the most wins.” It seemed funny at the time, but we all read the stories of people who judge their success by their wealth. The problem is that material possessions often do not bring happiness, for there is always someone who has more.
Most of us, however, want our life to be measured by what we have done. Many Rotarians have expressed their appreciation of fellow Rotarians’ service by promising a contribution to our Rotary Foundation that will live on after them. The earnings from their gifts go to our Annual Programs Fund year after year. What better legacy to the world?
By earlier this year, we had almost 8,000 commitments to the Bequest Society. These represented an expected value of about US$338 million, a significant share of the almost $700 million in assets and expectancies in our Permanent Fund.
The first Australian RI president, Angus S. Mitchell (1948-49), foretold the creation of the Permanent Fund in 1992, in a speech that ended with this story from the Talmud: Choni Hama’agel saw an old man planting a carob tree and asked when he thought the tree would bear fruit. “After 70 years” was the reply. “What!” said Choni. “Do you expect to live 70 years and eat the fruit of your labor?” “I did not find the world desolate when I entered it,” said the old man. “And as my fathers planted for me before I was born, so I plant for those who will come after me.”
We each have that same opportunity by making a bequest to our Rotary Foundation.
August 2011
The Rotary Foundation supports your Rotary service
A few months ago, Lorna and I attended three district conferences. The conference programs featured several Rotary Foundation activities, and we heard from Ambassadorial Scholars, Rotary Peace Fellows, Group Study Exchange teams, and representatives from a number of excellent projects in which Rotarians and the Foundation have worked together. I reflected on how much our Rotary Foundation is woven into the fabric of our Rotary service.
After the conferences, I went directly to a meeting of the Future Vision Committee. The committee heard from one of our RI senior managers, who had tested the process of applying for grants and found the global grants application to be too complex. We also discussed the definition of basic education within the areas of focus, possible strategic partnerships, and training for those districts not in the pilot.
There were many other topics, but I mention these to demonstrate that there are big items and small items that need attention as we work our way through the pilot. We are all experiencing some frustrations as we build the Foundation for the future. The three years of the pilot will seem a long time for many of you, but we are shaping something that should help us serve humanity more effectively in the years ahead, and we need to test that we are getting it right.
From that meeting, it was straight into the Finance Committee meeting, where senior staff and trustees spent a day and a half working through the budget to ensure that our operating costs could be as low as possible while still giving you the service you need. Our aim is to ensure that we spend the maximum amount on programs.
This is our Rotary Foundation, and there are many people working in different ways to give you the best possible support in your Rotary service.
Bill Boyd
Foundation Trustee Chair
July 2011
Let’s work together to make 2011-12 a great year
I am excited, and I hope you are too, as we move into the new Rotary year. Our clubs and districts have new leaders, and we’ve set new goals for the year ahead. Everything we appreciate in Rotary remains constant, but the people and roles change.
Similarly, our Rotary Foundation has new trustees and a new chair, but our mission remains the same: to enable Rotarians to advance world peace through the improvement of health, support of education, and alleviation of poverty. This year, we’ve set three goals for the Foundation – not to replace our vision for the future, but to give us focus for the year.
Our first goal is to complete the eradication of polio. We took great steps forward in 2010. We cannot relax, however, as the outbreaks in Tajikistan and the Republic of the Congo remind us. Each of us can make a contribution to this, the greatest achievement in the history of Rotary.
Our second goal is that every one of us should feel that we own The Rotary Foundation. We can do that through our service and our contributions. This should be our Rotary Foundation.
The third goal is to make our Foundation more effective and efficient by testing and refining our Future Vision Plan. After a very positive first year, we need the pilot districts to tell us what works and what could be improved, and to develop new ways to serve. This also will be a preparation year for nonpilot districts. Think now how your district structure will change and how you will make decisions on grants and audits.
The strength of The Rotary Foundation, our Foundation, is not determined by the trustees. What we can do is determined by you. Please support us, and together let us make 2011-12 another great Rotary year.
Bill Boyd
Foundation Trustee Chair