Multiply the impact of your GIVING
Our apologies! It turns out we’ve only been telling you half the story about the benefits of contributing to the Foundation’s Annual Fund.
You probably know that with the Annual Fund’s ‘Share’ feature, half of your contribution is used by the Foundation to fund programs like global grants, while the other half comes back to your district after three years as District Designated Funds (DDF). Think of DDF as a Foundation bank account that enables your district to support local initiatives, including small and large projects being pursued by local clubs.
However, we have just run the numbers and what we found surprised us. In Zone 8 (Australia, New Zealand and Oceania), for every $100 contributed to the Annual Fund, the amount that comes back to local districts is actually much higher than $100. How does that happen?
In 2016-17, Rotarians, clubs and others in Zone 8 contributed an impressive US$4.58 million to the Annual Fund, and this became available to use in 2019-20. However, the total of district and global grants in the zone last year was US$8.39 million. So, we got back over 80 per cent more than we put in – we call it an ‘Impact Multiplier’ of 1.83. This happens because:
- Rotary clubs in our part of the world are just sensational when it comes to devising and delivering high-impact projects; and
- It’s exactly these sorts of innovative projects the Foundation backs.
One district was particularly savvy, receiving grants more than 15 times the value of what they had put in.
It’s not just great stewardship and meeting real community needs that makes the Foundation an outstanding value proposition. What other charity gives back at least half of what you give – and sometimes considerably more – to empower your activities!
Multiply the impact of your PROJECT
One of the most important ways Rotarians connect globally and deliver high-impact projects is through the global grant process.
Global grants bring together Rotarians, clubs, districts and others:
- From two or more countries,
- To deliver significant and sustainable impact,
- That meets the explicit needs of the benefiting community.
That benefiting community might be in your own backyard or elsewhere in the world.
Suppose you identify an innovative way to address critical health issues in your local Indigenous community, but the funding required is $200,000.
Your club runs a fundraiser that raises $10,000 for the project, Your club president speaks to a nearby club that is a strong advocate for Indigenous health, Your district governor gets behind the project and, when she speaks with district governors in other parts of the world, finds one that is extremely supportive.
Here’s one way the required funds might be found:
- $10,000 is contributed by your club and the nearby club matches this to make it $20,000, $45,000 of District Designated Funds is contributed by your district and this too is matched by the overseas district, making it $90,000,
- That $90,000 is matched dollar-for-dollar by The Rotary Foundation as a global grant to add to the $200,000 your project needs.
- The process has provided a conduit for clubs and districts to fund your vision.
- A large grant from the Foundation has almost doubled the available funding for your project.
- $200,000 will enable you to deliver extremely significant health outcomes.
The bottom line? The ‘Impact Multiplier’ has increased your club’s $10,000 contribution by a factor of 20 and your project will soon be Doing Good in the World.