Our speaker for November 17 - Monte Widders

In honor of Rotary Foundation Month, we were treated to a very informative presentation about the Rotary International Foundation by our very own member, Monte Widders.  Rotary International President Arch Klumph presented the idea of a permanent foundation at the International Convention in 1917.  The idea was well received and the very first contribution of $26 was made with the funds leftover from the convention.

The Foundation is entirely funded by voluntary contributions.  One of the largest sources of contributions comes from the Paul Harris Fellow Awards.  Beginning in 1957, a Paul Harris Fellow was awarded for each $1,000 donation to the Foundation.  Since its inception, over one million Paul Harris Fellows have been awarded. 

Contributions to the Foundation can be directed to one of three areas:  PolioPlus, the Annual Programs Fund, or the Permanent Fund. 

The PolioPlus Fund is exactly what it sounds like, the funds go toward polio eradication.  Over the life of this program, Rotary has raised more than $900 million for polio eradication.  This does not include the generous matching donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  The Gates Foundation agreed to give RI $335 million for polio eradication if RI raised $200 million to match the Gates donation.  RI has already raised $185 million and should reach $200 million very soon.

The Permanent Fund is an endowment made up of gifts and bequests.  The actual donations themselves (the principal) remain permanently invested and only the income earned from the investments is utilized.  RI uses the investment income for projects supported by the Annual Programs Fund.  One way to make a donation to the permanent fund is to become a benefactor, meaning you pledge to give $1,000 to the permanent fund upon your death. 

The Annual Programs Fund (“APF”) is the program that provides the clubs with RI matching grants.  Each club makes an annual donation to the APF.  That donation is then invested and held by RI for three years.  At the conclusion of the three years, 50% of the original donation goes back to the district that donated it for use in local projects.  This is called the District Designated Fund.  The other 50% stays in the world fund at RI and is used for matching grants for international projects.  This is called the Share Program.  

The information presented here pertains to the RI Foundation, which should not be confused with our local Club Foundation.  

According to the 2010 RI Annual Report, there are 1,227,563 Rotarians and 34,103 Rotary Clubs worldwide.  This makes RI the world’s largest service club. 

Deborah A. Perkins