Page 5 - English Edition 2002

An Excerpt of

FOCUS FOR THE YEAR

Mother Teresa once said, “I cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the
waters and create many ripples.”
To align with the Rotary Action Plan and help us expand our reach, The Rotary Foundation
has set three priorities for the year ahead.
Our first priority is, of course, to end polio. Those of you that know me personally
understand how hard it is for me not to speak more about this topic, but you will hear more
about it later in this session.
Our second priority is to increase contributions to the Annual Fund and PolioPlus while
building the Endowment Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025. To that end, we have set a
comprehensive fundraising goal of $410 million with the following component pieces:
‧$50 million for PolioPlus, which is then matched double by the Gates Foundation to
bring the total to $150 million. If every club contributed just $1,500, we would surpass John F. Germ
this goal. Encouraging your own district to contribute 20% of its available District Foundation Trustee
Designated Funds would also provide leadership and set the pace for this program. Chair 2021-22
‧$125 million for the Annual Fund. Many of our newer members have yet to be
introduced to Rotary’s strong culture of philanthropy as embodied in our “Every
Rotarian, Every Year” slogan for the Annual Fund, so we need you to encourage every
club, and every individual in every club, to contribute to this fund.
‧We also aim to raise $95 million for the Endowment Fund in outright gifts and new
commitments.
‧And then $40 million for other outright gifts adds up to a grand total of $410 million.
By achieving our fundraising goals, we’ll help meet the increased demand for our global
grants and fund our other programs. Most importantly, remember, it’s not about the money;
it’s what the money can do.
Our third priority is to improve the measurable impact of our grants. Increasingly,
Rotarians, prospective members, philanthropists, and partners want to know the measurable
impact of our programs. While the impact of PolioPlus commitments is clear, we need to
move to the next level of quantifying the impact of our other programs.
And, with this priority in mind, Programs of Scale was introduced this Rotary year. It’s a
competitive grant program to fund promising, Rotarian-led, evidence-based programs that
have already demonstrated success in effecting change. These grants support longer-term
activities that last for three to five years and align with one or more of our areas of focus.
They integrate strong monitoring, evaluation, and cooperative learning systems into their
implementation. The grants support implementing programs that will reach an expanded
number of participants with proven interventions on a scale large enough to effect positive
community change. Through these Programs of Scale, we want to find new ways to learn
together, accomplish our mission, and demonstrate Rotary’s power to create real change.
The Rotary Foundation provides endless opportunities for Rotarians to do good in
the world, to provide Service Above Self, to make the world a better place for future
generations. Yes, the Foundation is the heart of Rotary, and each of you are the intelligent
heart of the Foundation.
Thank you for your continued involvement and support of our Rotary Foundation. God bless.

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