The presentation this week by PDG Alma Reynolds, District 9815 Foundation Chair, was very clearly presented and very informative.
A very important starting point is the fact that The Rotary Foundation (TRF) is a very trusted charity. Evidence for this is that the Charity Navigator, a US organisation that monitors the operation of charities, has given TRF the highest rating of four stars for 15 consecutive years. TRF is always in the top 10 rated charities in the world and is the most highly rated secular charity.
The reasons for the confidence in Rotary Foundation projects are:
- Low administration costs, always less than 10%
- Projects are based on community assessments, where the NEED of the target community is assessed rather than just a perception of what is needed
- Projects are designed to be sustainable, so that they are delivering long term community outcomes
- There is Rotarian engagement in the planning and technical support of projects
- There is the opportunity for matching grants from District Designated Funds, so there is a multiplying effect for club money
- There is good stewardship with strict reporting processes in place
There are four funds into which donations to TRF can go:
1. Annual Fund – funding projects and scholarships. Most club and personal giving would go into this fund.
2. Endowment Fund – for larger donations or bequests, the money held here accrues interest which helps support the District Designated Funds
3. Polio Fund – funds specifically directed to continuing the campaign to eradicate polio from the world, which has been a major project of Rotary for around 40 years.
4. Disaster Fund – enabling grants of up to $US25,000 for rapid disaster response.
Information was also given regarding the grants process, when TRF money is distributed to be used for Rotary projects. Our club has received a District Grant this year, for the Kiriwina Boat Motor Project, which is currently underway. Alma was also able to give some advice regarding the requirements for submitting a Global Grant application, which is also in the pipeline thanks to the efforts of Alan and Marg. Alma stressed how important it is to ‘tell the story’ of these projects on the Club website, so that the value of TRF is evident.
This was a very useful presentation and we are very grateful to Alma for making the time available to be with us.
