Highlights of Actions Taken by the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation

October 2009

The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International met from 26-29 October 2009 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. The following are highlights of actions taken.

Administration

The Trustees elected Trustee Bill Boyd to serve as chairman-elect and Trustee John F. Germ as vice-chairman during 2010-11. The Trustees’ annual meeting will be held 25-29 October 2010 in Evanston. The chairman will decide the dates of all other 2010-11 meetings.

The Trustees voted John F. Germ to be a non-voting member of the 2010 Council on Legislation.

The Trustees adopted requirements and general criteria for packaged global grants, which are a new concept to the Foundation within the Future Vision plan. Details on these grants will be provided to Future Vision pilot districts during their training at the 2010 International Assembly.

Fund Development

The Trustees received a progress report on Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge and were advised that as of 24 October, World Polio Day, US$99 million had been raised.

Subject to further refinements, the Trustees created three levels within the Arch C. Klumph Society effective 1 July 2010, and amended the criteria for Level 4 Major Donor recognition as follows:

Level 4:    US$100,000 - $249,999.99
Arch C. Klumph Society:  US$250,000 - $499,999.99
Arch C. Klumph Society:  US$500,000 - $999,999.99
Arch C. Klumph Society:  US$1 million and above
The Trustees agreed that the goal of the Permanent Fund is to:

• assist  Rotarians in fulfilling their local and global philanthropic goals;
• support the programs of The Rotary Foundation;
• ensure a strong future for The Rotary Foundation by providing a continuing stream of income to meet the increasing demand for Foundation programs.

Programs

The Trustees:

• Approved 16 Matching Grants involving Rotary clubs and districts in Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, India, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mozambique, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United States.
• Approved PolioPlus Grants for Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, India, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan.
• Approved the list of candidates to be awarded 2010 Rotary Peace Fellowships. Agreed to allocate funds for 50 master’s degree and 50 certificate Rotary World Peace Fellowships in 2010-11.
• Agreed to use the shorter titles of Rotary Peace Centers and Rotary Peace Fellows for Rotary and public purposes.
• Thanked the Rotary Peace Centers Major Gift Initiative Committee for its success in raising approximately US$44,000,000 toward the goal of US$95,000,000
• Agreed to plan for a Rotary Peace Symposium to be held in conjunction with the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Agreed that a minimum of three years must pass between the completion date of a Rotary Peace Fellowship (certificate program) or Ambassadorial Scholarship, and the date of application for a Rotary Peace Fellowship (master’s degree), with the understanding that Ambassadorial Scholars and Peace Fellows (certificate program) are eligible to apply for the Peace Fellowship (master’s program).
• Looked with favor on the tentative draft program for the 2010 and 2011 Rotary Alumni celebrations in Montréal, Quebec, Canada, and New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
• Approved 3-H Grants involving Rotary clubs in Australia, Ghana, the Philippines, and the United States.

Stewardship

Noting a decrease in world reporting for Humanitarian Grants in the October 2009 analysis, the Trustees expect that districts will improve their reporting percentages by the semi-annual analysis in April 2010.

A Humanitarian Grants Cadre of Technical Advisors recruitment and training event will be held in Kampala, Uganda, in conjunction with the 2010 Zone 20A Rotary Institute, and a regional training seminar for cadre will be scheduled prior to the 2010 (New Orleans) International Convention.

Finance

The Trustees received The Rotary Foundation’s 2008-09 audited financial results as submitted by Deloitte and Touche. The results will be published in the Foundation’s annual report.

New investment consultants were appointed for the five-year period beginning 1 December 2009.

The Trustees noted that as of 30 June 2009, the operating reserve balance does not meet the minimum required reserve ratio. A committee of trustees was appointed to carefully monitor the situation and review methods to reestablish the reserve.

Foundation Facts (as at 30 September 2009)

Paul Harris Fellows: 1,197,108

Foundation Benefactors: 81,101

Major Donors: 11,611

(30 September 2009)