Rotary is about people. People who give and people who need. Rotary is made up of nearly 1.4 million business and professional men and women in leadership positions within their respective vocations. They are people that make decisions and get things done. A true Rotarian is a unique individual. Some have called these individuals the "movers and shakers" in their community.
The Rotary "Classification Principle" allows only a specific number of individual members in any vocation to belong to an individual club, thereby promoting a broad base of ideas and respect for each vocation. The current membership approves each individual who might wish to join a Rotary club.
A "Commitment" to attendance is required. Since the classification system restricts the number of members in a vocation, a member who does not attend is preventing another person in the same profession from joining. If a member misses four meetings in a row, they have effectively resigned their membership and must relinquish the "loan" of the classification. Members can "make-up" meetings within six days before or after their regular meeting by visiting another Rotary club anywhere in the world.
"Service Above Self." Rotary is a service organization, not a "leads" group. The weekly meetings provide fellowship, guest speakers, and a place for members to share ideas. While Rotarians frequently do business with other Rotarians from a "network" basis, you will not see Rotarians passing out their business cards at a Rotary meeting or openly promoting their business.
World wide programs. Rotary International provides millions of dollars in funding for student exchange programs, humanitarian projects, health issues, and cultural exchange. These monies come from the support and activities of the millions of Rotary club members and Rotary supporters around the world. There are more than 28,000 Rotary clubs in 158 countries around the world.
Local community programs are implemented by local Rotary clubs in thousands of communities. More than 28,000 Rotary clubs around the world facilitate millions of dollars in time, resources, and money into the communities where Rotarians live and work.
