Rotary Matters
This Month's Issues of Interest
Legacy Giving Day
“What Rotary will be one hundred years hence, none living can imagine. There is nothing impossible to Rotary now.”— Paul Harris, The Rotarian, February 1915
The beauty of Rotary is that we never stop building upon the work of previous generations to make the world a better place. For more than 110 years, Rotary members have taken action to improve people’s lives and solve humanity’s toughest challenges.
Rotary’s impact is evident in the lives we touch around the world. It’s the smile of a child going to school because they no longer need to spend hours walking to get clean water. A pregnant woman receiving treatment from a mobile health clinic. An older couple in a safe temporary shelter after losing their home to a devastating flood. A farmer growing drought-resilient crops to earn a better income and feed the community. A mother celebrating her child’s first birthday after finding better medical care for herself and her infant. A grandfather and grandson fishing together in a clean river.
But there is always more work to be done.
This Friday, 13 September 2024, is International Legacy Giving Day, when nonprofits worldwide ask supporters to consider making a charitable gift in their wills and estate plans. Outlining your wishes in a will is a powerful way to continue supporting causes you’re passionate about and make an impact for years to come. Wills can be structured to allow you to take care of your family and also leave a gift that will advance Rotary’s mission to build a better world for all.
The beauty of Rotary is that we never stop building upon the work of previous generations to make the world a better place. For more than 110 years, Rotary members have taken action to improve people’s lives and solve humanity’s toughest challenges.
Rotary’s impact is evident in the lives we touch around the world. It’s the smile of a child going to school because they no longer need to spend hours walking to get clean water. A pregnant woman receiving treatment from a mobile health clinic. An older couple in a safe temporary shelter after losing their home to a devastating flood. A farmer growing drought-resilient crops to earn a better income and feed the community. A mother celebrating her child’s first birthday after finding better medical care for herself and her infant. A grandfather and grandson fishing together in a clean river.
But there is always more work to be done.
This Friday, 13 September 2024, is International Legacy Giving Day, when nonprofits worldwide ask supporters to consider making a charitable gift in their wills and estate plans. Outlining your wishes in a will is a powerful way to continue supporting causes you’re passionate about and make an impact for years to come. Wills can be structured to allow you to take care of your family and also leave a gift that will advance Rotary’s mission to build a better world for all.
The heartfelt choice that you make today is a gift to the future. A gift to The Rotary Foundation Australia in any amount contributes to generating millions of dollars in Rotary’s Endowment that will help Rotary members implement life-changing service projects. With the Foundation’s four-star rating from Charity Navigator, you can trust that we will put your donation to good use.
Leaving this kind of gift to Rotary extends your lifetime of generosity and builds a better future for those in need. There are many ways to give, including leaving money or real estate assets to the Foundation or make a gift to establish a named fund that leaves a lasting legacy that inspires philanthropy in future generations.*
If you feel moved to give a gift to the future through Rotary, or if you’ve made a commitment but not yet documented it with us, please complete this form about your donation or contact Mark Anderson, mark.anderson@rotary.org or Anke Timm, anke.timm@rotary.org on our philanthropy team. You can get more information about how to personalise your gift and review the Your Legacy, Rotary’s Promise brochure to find inspiring stories from members like you.
Thank you for all that you do to support Rotary.
If you feel moved to give a gift to the future through Rotary, or if you’ve made a commitment but not yet documented it with us, please complete this form about your donation or contact Mark Anderson, mark.anderson@rotary.org or Anke Timm, anke.timm@rotary.org on our philanthropy team. You can get more information about how to personalise your gift and review the Your Legacy, Rotary’s Promise brochure to find inspiring stories from members like you.
Thank you for all that you do to support Rotary.
Rotary Presidential Theme
ROTARY NEWS……Important changes to presidential messaging
As part of Rotary’s ongoing commitment to adaptability and increasing our impact, the annual presidential theme is evolving into a strategic presidential message tied directly to our Action Plan. This change will take effect 1 July 2025. The RI president will still promote an annual message.
What will be different:
• A presidential message aligned with the Action Plan
• New approval process with a broader group of stakeholders, led by the Executive Committee of the Board
• No separate presidential logo
• Message of future president-nominees previously determined by the Board
What will stay the same:
• The big annual reveal at the International Assembly by the president-elect
• Presidential materials: year colors, scarves, ties, and more
• The president’s inspirational message for Rotary members each year
The Board of Directors unanimously approved three years’ worth of messaging at their May 2024 meeting. President-elect Mário César Martins de Camargo will unveil the first of these messages at the 2025 International Assembly.
End Polio Now
Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.
Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
More information can be found at https://www.rotary.org/en/our-causes/ending-polio
