Highlights of Actions Taken by the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation
October 2008
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