The Citation for Meritorious Service recognizes individual Rotarians who have demonstrated outstanding active service to The Rotary Foundation for more than one year. Examples of eligible service include, but are not limited to:

• Service on Foundation committees at the club, district, or international level
• Participation in Foundation grants or programs
• Support of Ambassadorial Scholars, Rotary Peace Fellows, Group Study Exchange teams, or vocational training teams.

Financial contributions to the Foundation, however notable, are not relevant considerations for this award.

Eligibility

An individual may receive this award only once. Any active Rotarian in good standing may be nominated, with the exception of current and incoming district governors, current and incoming RI directors, and current Foundation trustees.

The Distinguished Service Award is the Foundation’s highest service recognition and is given to Rotarians
who have demonstrated exemplary service to the Foundation.

Eligibility

Recipients must have received the
Citation for Meritorious Service at least four years prior to be eligible for this award.

This Award recognizes outstanding contributions to our polio eradication efforts. Each year, up to 10 international awards are given to people whose work has had a widespread impact.

Eligibility

Requires nomination by a Rotarian for this highly competitive award.  Only 10 are honored in any given Rotary year.

The Rotary Foundation provides many opportunities for donors to express their commitment to Rotary’s work or to honor a friend or family member through a named or endowed gift.

You can direct your Annual Fund gift to SHARE, the World Fund, or an area of focus fund.

These are available for the Annual Programs Fund (outright contributions that provide immediate funding for the Foundation’s cultural, humanitarian, and educational programs) and the Permanent Fund (outright donations or endowed funds).

Individual Donors

This category includes:

• Foundation Sustaining Members

• Benefactor

• Bequest Society

• Paul Harris Fellow

• Major Donor

• Arch C. Klumph Society

The Foundation offers many ways to recognize Rotarians and friends for support.

Club Recognition

Clubs in which all dues-paying members are Paul Harris Fellows may be recognized.

The Rotary Foundation offers several ways to recognize Rotarians and friends for their generous support.

Sustaining Member

Anyone who contributes US$100 or more per year to the Annual Fund is automatically recognized as a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member.

Sustaining Members are critical to the Foundation. If every club member contributed $100 every year, Rotary could nearly double its efforts to help needy people worldwide and support the continued growth of its programs.

All gifts cumulatively count toward other Foundation Recognition Programs.

Benefactor

You may become a Benefactor by making the Permanent Fund a beneficiary in your estate plans or by donating $1,000 or more to the fund outright. Benefactors receive a custom certificate and insignia to wear with a Rotary or Paul Harris Fellow pin.

Bequest Society

Couples or individuals who have made commitments of $10,000 or more in their estate plans, such as in a will, living trust, or through whole or universal life insurance, can become Bequest Society members.  All Bequest Society members receive recognition from the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation. Donors may elect to receive an engraved crystal recognition piece and a Bequest Society pin. Unless you request to not receive recognition you will be recognized automatically upon notification of your bequest commitment.

Paul Harris Fellow

Donors of US$1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant, or people who have that amount contributed in their name, can be recognized as Paul Harris Fellows.

Read More: Paul Harris Fellow Honors and Requirements

Major Donor

The Rotary Foundation recognizes couples or individuals whose combined personal, or cumulative giving has reached $10,000. All outright contributions made to the Foundation are included in this total, regardless of the gift designation.

Donors may elect to receive a crystal recognition piece and a Major Donor lapel pin or pendant. Recognition items commemorate giving at each recognition level:

Arch C. Klumph Society

Donors whose cumulative gifts total US$250,000 qualify for the Arch C. Klumph Society. Qualifiers are invited to an induction ceremony at RI headquarters in Evanston, and their pictures and biographies are installed in the Arch C. Klumph Society interactive gallery. Arch C. Klumph Society members also receive invitations to special society events, along with membership pins and crystals that commemorate giving at each level.

Download: Arch C. Klumph Society brochure

Gift Recognition

The Rotary Foundation will

• Send letters of appreciation for all gifts

• Send emails for gift acknowledgments and tax receipts (if applicable) from gifts received from www.rotary.org or at the Foundation’s Chicago bank. Email attachments from the email address giftacknowledgement@rotary.org with the subject heading “A note of thanks from The Rotary Foundation” are legitimate and safe to open.

• Honor requests for privacy (if a donor wishes to remain anonymous, the Foundation must be notified when the gift is made)

• Subtract the fair market value of recognition items from receipts when required to do so by U.S. law

• Acknowledge major gift pledges at their full value when written documentation and an initial gift payment are received

Questions

Direct questions to the donor recognition specialist in the Foundation’s Contact Center at 1-866-9ROTARY (1-866-976-8279) or contact.center@rotary.org.   A team of Foundation specialists will answer calls Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.

There are a number or opportunities and occasions for individual clubs to be recognized for their efforts of fostering support for the Foundations various funding opportunities.

100% Paul Harris Fellow Club

Rotary clubs in which all dues-paying members are Paul Harris Fellows can be certified as a 100 Percent Paul Harris Fellow Club and are eligible to receive a one-time special recognition banner from The Rotary Foundation.

To obtain this recognition. . .

1. A club representative must contact the district governor after determining that all current, dues-paying club members are Paul Harris Fellows.

2. The district governor must confirm that all members are Paul Harris Fellows and notify: The Rotary Foundation OA400; One Rotary Center; 1560 Sherman Ave.; Evanston, IL 60201-3698 USA. Confirmation and banner requests can be made by email to: apf@rotary.org. Honorary Rotarians and former club members do not need to be Paul Harris Fellows for clubs to receive this recognition.

See: 100% Paul Harris Fellow Clubs

Read More:Paul Harris Fellow Honors

Annual Club Banner Recognition

The following recognitions are awarded annually at the conclusion of the Rotary year and are based on active dues-paying membership as of 30 June. The eligible clubs will be determined by The Rotary Foundation and the appropriate recognitions sent to the current district governor for presentation.

100% Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member Club

This recognition honors clubs in which every dues-paying member personally contributes US$100 or more to the Annual Fund during the Rotary year. Read more about individual recognition for Sustaining Members. 

Every Rotarian, Every Year Club

This recognition is awarded to clubs that achieve a minimum US$100 per capita from active dues-paying members and 100 percent participation with every active member contributing some amount to the Annual Programs Fund during the Rotary year.

Top Three per Capita in Annual Fund giving

Banners are given to the top three per capita giving clubs in each district. To be eligible, clubs must achieve a minimum $50 per capita to the Annual Fund.

Additional information

Reach the Foundation’s Contact Center at 1-866-9ROTARY (1-866-976-8279) or contact.center@rotary.org . A team of Foundation specialists will answer calls Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.

You can direct your Annual Fund gift to SHARE, the World Fund, or an area of focus fund.

Named gift opportunities are available for endowed and term gifts. Endowed gifts are invested in perpetuity with a portion of earnings spent on the intended program. Term gifts are spent in their entirety on the intended program over an agreed-to period of time.

Endowed naming opportunities

• US$1 million or more: Establishes a named fund in consultation with the donor

• $500,000 or more: Establishes a named fund that includes a specific area of focus and geographic location

• $250,000 or more: Establishes a named fund that specifies the participating district

• $100,000 or more: Establishes a named fund that includes a general Six Areas of Focus

• $25,000 or more: Establishes a basic named fund designated to the World Fund or SHARE

Term global grants naming opportunities

• $15,000 funds a one-time gift designated to an area of focus and available on a worldwide basis

• $30,000 funds a one-time gift designated to an area of focus and may be district specific

Rotary Peace Centers endowment opportunities

• US$1.5 million endows one Rotary Peace Fellow at a Rotary Peace Center approximately every year

• $1 million endows a visiting lecturer each year at one Rotary Peace Center

• $750,000 endows one two-year Rotary Peace Fellow at a Rotary Peace Center approximately every two years

• $500,000 endows one two-year Rotary Peace Fellow at a Rotary Peace Center approximately every three years

• $250,000 endows a certificate program fellow approximately every year

• $100,000 endows the annual seminar at a Rotary Peace Center approximately every year

• $25,000 and up endows a fund bearing the donor’s name and provides general support to the Rotary Peace Centers

Rotary Peace Centers term gift opportunities

• $75,000 funds a term two-year Rotary Peace Fellow at a Rotary Peace Center

• $75,000 funds up to 10 applied field internships or research projects for a class of fellows at a Rotary Peace Center

• $60,000 provides one year of funding for approximately five certificate program fellows

Read: the Rotary Peace Centers brochure (PDF).

Contact information

Those interested in a naming opportunity, contact (847) 866-3354 to be put in touch with the appropriate Major Gifts Officer.