11/12 -The Rotary Foundation – Transforming Gifts into Service Projects
This week’s program highlights how The Rotary Foundation turns contributions into life-changing humanitarian projects worldwide. Through its global network, Rotary funds initiatives that provide clean water, fight disease, support education, and promote peace. Every dollar donated is leveraged to create sustainable solutions—whether it’s building wells in rural communities, supplying medical equipment to underserved areas, or empowering local leaders through training programs.
Our speaker will share inspiring examples of how these projects transform lives and demonstrate the power of collective giving. Join us to learn how your support makes a tangible difference across the globe. Paul Harris Fellow acknowledgements will be made and if a member needs a new Paul Harris Fellow pin, pins will be available at the meeting.
Program Chair – Dawn Bostwick
Meeting Location: Cedar Hall, Main Salem Alliance Building
President’s Message
Your Rotary Elevator Speech Just Got $154,500 Worth of Answers
When you tell family and friends that you are a Rotarian and specifically a member of the Rotary Club of Salem, do they ask you for more information? Do they say, what does Rotary do? Do they say, what is your club’s big, signature project or ongoing activity in your community? Do you have an “elevator” speech that provides a concise and well thought out answer?
When we consider our membership in the Rotary Club of Salem, we must also consider our responsibility to and stewardship over the Salem Rotary Foundation (SRF). We are all members of SRF.
The financial picture of the Rotary Club of Salem is focused on revenue from membership dues. The club’s expenditure obligations include membership dues we pay to District 5100 and Rotary International, plus meeting location expenses, committee expenses, website and e-blast expenses, meal cost for speakers and students of the month, and conventions and training expenses for club leadership. The extent of the club’s annual budget is $50-$60,000 of revenue with a like amount of expense.
What we do as a club to improve life for others locally, in our district, and globally through Rotary-focused efforts (Peace, Disease, Clean Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Maternal and Child Health, Education, Local Economies, and our Environment) can be measured by our Hands-On activities and by Club Good Works distributions of financial support from SRF.
Our 2025-26 DISTRIBUTION BUDGET for Club Good Works from SRF amounts to $154,500 as follows:
- Major grants (fully developed grant application and award process) = $50,000
- Small grants (fully developed grant application and award process) = $30,000
- World Community Service (support of global, district and club projects) = $24,000
- Literacy grants (fully developed grant application and award process) = $17,000
- Additions to the SRF corpus ($100 weekly speaker recognition plus 10% of annual fundraiser net revenue) = $13,000
- Exchange student(s) support (in bound and out bound students) = $6,600
- Contribution to Rotary International (support for global and district grants) = $5,000
- Duval Scholarship (fully developed selection process through Chemeketa CC for a student from our area) = $3,000
- RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) (fully developed screening and selection process for 18-32 year olds) = $2,400
- Other (miscellaneous/spontaneous events that warrant our financial support) = $3,500
The $154,500 of BUDGETED REVENUE that supports these distributions during 2025-26 includes the following:
- Net revenue from the Club’s annual fundraising event (January 31, 2026) = $80,000 PLAN TO ATTEND!!
- Allocation from the SRF corpus (5% of the average corpus over the past 4 years) = $72,000
- Interest earned on invested Club Good Works funds = $2,500
How are you involved in these Rotary Club of Salem activities? How could you be involved in one or more of these activities? How are you a Rotarian In Action? Please check in with any of our Club or Foundation board members to see where there is a need and how you could use your talents to become a Rotarian in Action.
Your elevator speech about Rotary’s investments in our community is about to become real.
See you on Wednesday!
President Doug Parham
Rotary Club of Salem
2025-2026
