As the Club President, I get all sorts of emails which is to be expected.Yesterday, I got an email from a member who objected to a direct marketing email from The Rotary Foundation. This one got me a little perplexed because I am not sure the author understood the underlying message and took it as a cash grab email.
So the email goes as follows:
"I refer to attached email from RI touting for donations direct from Rotarians.
Please put on record my objection to Rotary International contacting Rotarians direct for donations or contributions.
I object on the basis that it may water down any member’s direct donations via their own club, and indeed asking for donations could put off members from Rotary, and cost is membership.It may also water down club fundraising totals.
Rotary fund raising or donation gathering money from members should be carefully monitored, as we should concentrate our fund raising efforts in targeting outside the club or clubs.
For the record I do not have any objection to recent fund raising efforts from club members, eg walkathons or Trachoma."
The complaint is perfectly understandable. You get an email asking for money and it just gets your hackles up. There is a selection of projects to put money towards and a nice spiel about what the foundation does.
"Thank you for being part of the Rotary family! Did you know that because of our generous donors, Rotary members were able to complete more life-changing projects last year than ever before? You can make a difference by helping people in need — from supplying equipment that protects health workers against COVID-19 to training peacebuilders, who’ll work toward a future with less conflict. It all starts with giving the gift of Rotary.
The Rotary Foundation funds the work of Rotary members, who provide sustainable solutions to their communities’ most pressing needs. This work is necessary now more than ever, but we need people like you who will take action and help make these projects possible.
With your gift today, together we can fund projects that make a big impact by strengthening communities to create real, lasting solutions. Please consider giving the gift of Rotary, so we can keep Doing Good in the World."
Sincerely,
The Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation funds the work of Rotary members, who provide sustainable solutions to their communities’ most pressing needs. This work is necessary now more than ever, but we need people like you who will take action and help make these projects possible.
With your gift today, together we can fund projects that make a big impact by strengthening communities to create real, lasting solutions. Please consider giving the gift of Rotary, so we can keep Doing Good in the World."
Sincerely,
The Rotary Foundation
Time for a fact check: The Rotary Foundation is funding our Rotary Club projects too!
Now I am not sure if anyone has been paying attention, but the Rotary Foundation is our lifeline to our own Rotary projects. Last year:
It provided $7,500 AUD to help us with our BlazeAid project.
It also provided 7 Ventilators @ $67,000 US in a global COVID-19 grant application to New Jersey USA.
- 3 ventilators for Trinitas Health Foundation @ $36,000 US, in a global COVID grant application to New Jersey USA
- Critical Care Bed for Overlook Hospital @ $34,000 US in a global COVID grant application to New Jersey USA
Our current ongoing project, Global Grant GG 1753140 Water Filtration for Six Villages in Philipines is still live. We are still involved with projects in Balibo, Timor Leste, which are also supported by the Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Club of Berwick has donated $340,109 over the life of the club to the Rotary Foundation. 34 members are current donors through the Centurion Club/Polio Plus or other programs, 11 members are not donors. By making personal donations to the Rotary Foundation, you directly contribute towards your PHFs, as recognition of your commitment to supporting Rotary projects. Remembering a PHF is an award for service to the community, if awarded by a Club or District. It is also a recognition of supporting the Rotary Foundation as an individual by donating money. $1000 US will afford you one Paul Harris Fellow.
The complaint made by the member does not take into consideration the support for the Rotary Foundation by the Club. or the realisation of the existing support by the members and the projects that are being funded. All I can say is, check out the top ten Charities in the world and look at number four: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=topten.detail&listid=18. All the facts and figures are there for you to work through. Then check out your own favourite charities. You may be surprised at what you find. I know I was in shock just looking at the most popular Australian Charities with admin and fundraising costs at 16% to 31% of turnover.
To be honest, the Rotary Foundation is my personal charity. The Admin and Fundraising costs are low. It is very transparent in its operation. It has a strong ethical standard. All project partners need to have skin in the game, so projects are not funded outright. Sustainability of all projects is a priority. Some donations are multiplied, for example Polio Plus donations are matched 2 for 1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, so your $1 donation becomes $3. Together we can fund projects that make a big impact by strengthening communities to create real, lasting solutions.
The final point is that it takes a lot of work to make a project fly with The Rotary Foundation funding. My money and your money is better than well spent. There are many checks and balances in place to make sure that all projects stack up and deliver the best outcome.
So if you get an email from The Rotary Foundation telling you why you should be giving them money, feel proud that our Club is already a strong supporter and pass it onto a friend, who may want to support our amazing work too. Donating to the Rotary Foundation is not just for Rotarians. People from outside of Rotary also recognise its value and donate to it.