“RETURN ON ROTARY”
DISTRICT 5450 INVESTS $5.9 MILLION!
District Governor Dan Himelspach
Grants Chair Carolyn Schrader
ROR Co-Chair Stephanie Bennett
The idea of promoting Rotary is new, which means many non-Rotarians don’t know what Rotary is or does. But even more amazing, “Rotary Doesn’t Know What Rotary Does!”
We have great records on how much is invested in international and local communities through the Rotary Grant Program. But there is no combined record of all the projects and efforts that Rotary Clubs do outside of Rotary Grants. In addition there is no record of the thousands of volunteer hours spent by Rotarians around the world. Our Return on Rotary Committee has set out to provide those answers for our Clubs and District.
In October of 2013 we began collecting data from Clubs about their humanitarian efforts in volunteer hours and monetary donations. Using the data collected, and applying conservative estimates and standard values, the Return on Rotary Committee estimated that during Rotary year 2012-2013 total contributions our District made to local and international communities was in excess of $5.9 million:
Cash and grants: $2,953,000
Value of volunteer hours: $2,860,000
Total: $5,913,000
This is incredible and noteworthy news for Rotarians and the public. When someone asks “What’s Rotary?” please reply: “Rotary is a world-wide service organization, and last year our District contributed $5.9 million in projects and volunteer hours to make local and international communities better places to live!”
This information which is available for each District 5450 Club will help recruit and retain members, increase Rotarian and non-Rotarian funding and participation in projects, attract sponsors for our events, and increase the awareness and prestige of Rotary.
We owe a huge thank you to Dennis Frohlich, Diana Smith and Laura Smith with the Boulder Club who gathered the data for Rotary Year 2012-13. The Return on Rotary Committee is dedicated to collecting information and developing ways to effectively use it at both the District and Club level. If you, or someone in your Club, is interested in working with this committee, please contact:
There will be a “Return on Rotary” ShowTime booth and demonstrations at the District Conference to be held on May 2-4. Register for the District Conference at www.rotary5450.org and visit their booth!
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For the third consecutive PETS (not as a PEN or PE) I have been the proverbial fly on the wall during membership breakouts. Our recent PETS had a focus on member engagement for new and seasoned Rotarians. Most of the sessions in which I sat consisted of clubs of 30-100 members.
After completing her Rotary Temple Buell Ambassadorial Scholarship to Colombia, Kristin Wegner joined the Rotary club that sponsored her - the Boulder Flatirons Rotary Club. .jpg)
