Membership: As of July 1, 2019, there are 1.2 million Rotarians in 36,000 clubs around the world. In addition, there are 183,000 Rotaractors in 10,000 clubs and 566,000 Interactors in 25,000 clubs.
Service: A special report prepared by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies estimated that Rotarians volunteer nearly 47 million hours in a typical year, providing about $850 million worth of community service.
Priorities: One of Rotary’s top priorities is diversifying our membership to ensure we fully reflect the communities we serve, both at the club level and in the Secretariat. To underscore our commitment to this goal, the Board of Directors adopted a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement: “As a global network that strives to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”
Areas of Focus: The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Board of Trustees approved changes to Rotary’s areas of focus to offer greater clarity on global grant eligibility criteria, to allow for additional project types, and to enable clubs to undertake more activities focused on the environment. We now articulate Rotary’s signature causes as: 1) Peacebuilding and conflict prevention, 2) Disease prevention and treatment, 3 Water, sanitation, and hygiene, 4) Maternal and child health, 5) Basic education and literacy, and 6) Community economic development.
Action Plan: In June 2018, RI and TRF leaders approved four new strategic priorities and objectives that will be the foundation of our next strategic plan. This plan sets the framework for our future so we can continue to thrive as a respected, dynamic organization that advances communities worldwide. Over the next five years, our priorities are to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt.
Endowment Funds: The Rotary Foundation plays a critical role in fulfilling this purpose. In 2018-19, the Foundation raised over $395 million, surpassing our $380 million goal. We made great progress toward building our Foundation’s Endowment to $2.025 billion by 2025.
The Rotary Foundation Finances for the Year: Total expenditures were $335 million. Of that total, $151 million went to Polio Plus, $87 million to Global Grants, $43 million to District Grants, Peace Centers and other grants. The remaining funds supported Operations, Fund Development and General Administration.
RI Dues and their Use: Our members pay $64 in membership dues to Rotary International. These funds are used to support our members, clubs, and districts. Here’s how membership dues are allocated: $22 for programs and member services, $14 for IT, operations and administration, $11 for communications. The rest of the total was used for international operations, governance, finance, HR, etc.
Interested in details on the highlights above? Read the entire Annual Report at www.rotary.org/en/annual-report-2019.
By John White
