In his second letter to all Rotarians, Ron Burton, Past President of Rotary International and this year's Chair of the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation, talks about the importance of the Endowment Fund and our new goal to have $2.025 billion US in the Fund by 2025. He also challenges us by saying," Without you, Rotary is nothing. The Foundation needs your presence, your input, and your creative mind just as much as it needs your generous financial backing." He challenges all of us to be engaged, work our projects with District Dedicated Funds in mind, and to do a community assessment. He asks, "How can we all use our resources to create a positive change, right in our own communities?" Here is his letter.....
Dear fellow Rotarians,
Without The Rotary Foundation’s Endowment Fund, our efforts would be for naught. The endowment is the backbone of Rotary’s efforts around the world, providing access to the time, talent, and resources needed to make a difference. Our goal of building the Endowment Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025 and this year’s fundraising goal of $380 million are surely some of the most important tasks at hand for our organization.
Your financial support has made possible every single thing that Rotary has done over the years. But what’s equally essential – and might sometimes be in danger of being overlooked – is your participation.
Without you, Rotary is nothing. The Foundation needs your presence, your input, and your creative mind just as much as it needs your generous financial backing. Your Rotary club needs you to be there at meetings – not to warm a chair, but to engage, to inspire.
I shared last month how my relationship with Rotary changed when I went from being a tepid (at best) seat-warmer to a committee chair who was engaged and focused. You don’t need to wait for someone to ask you to chair a committee or be a club officer to begin to transform your Rotary journey. There’s a place in Rotary for all of you to step up and become people of action.
Be engaged. Working with your club on service projects that qualify for District Designated Funds is one way to participate and use your voice to make a real difference. If your club has no service projects that interest you, work on getting some new ones underway. Carry out community assessments to find out how we can best use our resources to create positive change.
This month, I invite you to transform the way you think about your involvement with Rotary. Consider every meeting a chance to discover new channels for your energy and to brainstorm with like-minded Rotarians about how you can work together for a better world.
Ron D. Burton
FOUNDATION TRUSTEE CHAIR