2015-16: The Gift that will keep on giving

Posted by DGN Bob Halagan (Bufalo), District Fundraising Chair  
 
District 5950 is unique in the Rotary world for its approach to fundraising for The Rotary Foundation (TRF). We have long been recognized as one of the most generous districts in the world, regularly ranking in the top 10% for giving to TRF.
As this Rotary year ends, we celebrate:
  • Total giving to the Annual Fund has risen from $559,000 in 2011-12 to $780,000 in 2014-15.
  • Average per capita giving has grown from $204 in 2011-12 to $274 in 2014-15.
  • The District’s PHS membership has increased from 110 donors in 2013-14 to 228 currently.
  • Last year was capped off with an anonymous $1 million gift to TRF on behalf of our District. This generous donation was used to match the District’s Global Grants for water, maternal health, child nutrition and disease prevention projects in Guatemala, Honduras, India, Panama, Bolivia, Jamaica, Congo and the Dominican Republic.
  • As of May 2016, the Global Grants Committee had approved nine global grants involving 30 clubs from District 5950. Thirty clubs contributed $110,550 toward the nine grant projects.
  • The District Grants Committee again received 50% of this year’s District Designated Funds (DDF) from The Rotary Foundation and helped fund 22 club projects, co-sponsor a Polio Survivors Conference with Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute and match club contributions to ShelterBox. Clubs contributed $56,000 of their own funds while securing $15,000 from non-Rotary sources.
These generous gifts keep on giving because 50% of our Annual Fund giving will be returned to District 5950 in three years (2019-20) to be reallocated via our DDF (District Designated Funds) and Global Grants programs.