April 2024
The 2023–24 RI Board of Directors met on 8–10 April 2024 at One Rotary Center in Evanston, Illinois, USA and reviewed 10 committee reports and recorded 42 decisions.
Administration
The Board
- strongly encouraged clubs to set three-year rolling goals; and zones to develop three-year rolling regional plans to help the clubs reach their goals; and further encouraged districts and zones to support these three-year regional plans;
- approved two new strategic initiative in 2024-25:
- The Club Experience, aims to enhance club activities and increase member satisfaction through consistent, cross-functional efforts that will bring enhanced products and tools to best meet member needs;
- Evidence-based Decision-making, aims to improve decision quality, enhance innovation, optimize resource allocation, mitigate risk, and enhance accountability by transitioning towards an evidence-based approach to decision-making processes.
Clubs and Districts
The Board
- received updates on and discussed the status of the regionalization pilots in Zone 8 (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands) and in Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland.
Meetings
The Board
- to more thoroughly engage, energize, and connect Rotary members and participants with Rotary content that they value most, requested the development of a strategy for digitally capturing and distributing content from in-person Rotary events, such as the International Assembly and the International Convention;
- received an update on the 20-22 February 2025 Presidential Peace Conference in Istanbul, Turkey to celebrate Rotary’s contribution to peacebuilding and to coincide with the first cohort of Rotary Peace Fellows studying at Rotary’s newest Peace Center in Bahçeşehir University. Planned plenary topics include: Peace in a polarized world; Making peace last; Technology, media, and peacebuilding; and Environmental issues in peacebuilding.
January 2024
The 2023–24 Rotary International Board of Directors met in conjunction with the International Assembly in Orlando, Florida, USA on 12-13 January 2024 and reviewed 12 committee reports and recorded 47 decisions.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- approved the 2024–25 Rotary International Committee appointments, including for the following:
Standing Board Committees
- Executive (Chair: Dan Himelspach)
- Participant Experience (Chair: Henrique de Vasconcelos)
- Administration (Chair: Raju Subramanian)
- Board Council on Legislation Advisory (Chair: Raju Subramanian)
RI Committees
- 2025 Calgary Convention
- 2026 Taipei Convention
- Constitution & Bylaws
- Districting
- Election Review
- Membership Growth
- RI Finance
- RI Programs
- Youth Advisory Council
Joint Committees with The Rotary Foundation
- Audit
- Communications
- DEI Advisory Council
- Learning
- Operations Review
- Strategic Planning
- Technology
- agreed that Rotary International will have an active presence in World Expo 2025, in Osaka, Japan;
- approved a 2024-25 district governor funding budget of US$9.3 million.
Club and District
The Board
- as part of its effort to transition Rotary’s culture from one focused on training its members to one that is participant-centered and focused on member learning, changed the titles and event names of the following:
Original Name >> New Name
Governor-elect training seminar (GETS) >> Governor-elect learning seminar (GELS)
Governor-nominee training seminar (GNTS) >> Governor-nominee learning seminar (GNLS)
GETS general trainer >> GELS facilitator
GETS team leader >> GELS team leader
International Assembly Learning Facilitator >> Rotary International Learning Facilitator
International Assembly seminar trainer >> International Assembly seminar leader
Council trainer >> Council on Legislation learning leader
- amended its policy regarding actions taken against governors who do not comply with financial reporting requirements to preclude such governors from receiving Rotary assignments, including district elected or selected roles of assistant governor, vice-governor or interim governor, COL representative, district Rotary Foundation chair (DRFC), or the district treasurer.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- approved 81 recipients of the 2023–24 RI Service Above Self Award;
- selected recipients for the 2023–24 Alumni Association of the Year Award and the Rotary Alumni Global Service Award, to be announced at the 2024 Rotary Convention in Singapore.
Meetings
The Board
- tentatively selected Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA to host the 2029 Rotary International Convention.
October 2023
The 2023–24 RI Board of Directors met on 16–18 October 2023 at Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, IL, USA and reviewed 13 committee reports and recorded 48 decisions.
Club and District
The Board
- adopted a worldwide membership growth goal for Rotary clubs of 1,250,000 members by 1 July 2030 in celebration of Rotary's 125th anniversary;
- approved the creation of a new region to serve districts in Korea, effective 1 July 2025.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- reaffirmed its decision that upon the certification of polio eradication, to advocate in preselected countries for implementation of the polio post-certification strategy, as developed by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative;
- approved a new strategic partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme;
- renewed Rotary's service partnership with Ashoka;
- changed the name of the Rotary Citation to the Club Excellence Award, effective 1 July 2024.
Meetings
The Board
- agreed to President-elect Urchick's plan to hold a Presidential Peace Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, in February 2025;
- accepted the preliminary program of events and activities for the 2025 RI (Calgary) International Convention.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- elected Ann-Britt Åsebol, Ching-Huei "Frank" Horng, R. Gordon R. McInally, and Ijeoma "Pearl" Okoro, to be Trustees of The Rotary Foundation, beginning 1 July 2024 to serve terms of four years;
- agreed to sunset new presidential initiatives starting with Rotary year 2025–26 and encouraged future presidents to follow a designated process for any proposed new programs;
- agreed to eliminate the creation of an annual presidential theme and logo starting in Rotary Year 2025–26;
- approved a framework by which a set of multi-year Action Plan-led presidential messages are proposed by the Communications Committee and Strategic Planning Committee and approved by the Board, starting in Rotary Year 2025–26;
- approved a process of setting three-year rolling targets and three-year rolling regional plans for the club, district, and zone level beginning in 2024–25;
- agreed to the registration of "Rotary Australia New Zealand Asia Pacific" (or a similar name) as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee in Australia to facilitate the Zone 8 regional pilot operations.
- agreed to submit to the 2025 Council on Legislation enactments to:
- remove the requirement to hold an annual district conference;
- remove mandatory reports from the Rotary Institute in order to make Institutes optional;
- provide for a uniform process for removing officers and committee members for cause;
- provide that disputes must be appealed to the Council on Legislation to exhaust all remedies in the constitutional documents;
- amend the process for removing a governor for cause;
- amend the process for determining per capita dues;
- amend the titles of president-elect training seminar and district training assembly;
- increase per capita dues and amend the process for determining per capita dues;
- eliminate challenges in the election process;
- amend the criteria for determining the composition of zones;
- received the preliminary draft audited financial statements and report on Rotary International's financial results for 2022–23
May and "July" 2023
The 2022–23 RI Board of Directors met on 25 May 2023 and reviewed six committee reports and recorded 28 decisions. The 2023–24 Board met on 2 June 2023 to adopt various operational decisions before taking office on 1 July, with such decisions being effective only on 1 July.
Administration
The Board
- made several amendments to its policy regarding Rotary institutes to increase their overall effectiveness as learning events and to provide for regional flexibility to best meet local Rotarian needs;
- agreed that the top six candidates for president identified by the Nominating Committee for RI President will be funded to travel to One Rotary Center for in-person interviews;
- amended its policy regarding “non-compliant” clubs to include any club where 30 percent or more of its members are not paid subscribers to a Rotary magazine;
- approved a US$0.50 subscription price increase per issue of Rotary magazine;
- in recognizing that consistent brand messaging and visual identity are critical to improving awareness and understanding of Rotary,
- urged that “visual identity” be part of Rotary training for club presidents, district governors, and public image coordinators;
- agreed that Rotary public image coordinators and district governors are responsible and accountable for maintaining brand fidelity in their districts/regions;
- encouraged a culture of brand champions among club leaders;
- added Rotary image and brand compliance goals to the Goal Center on Rotary Club Central to foster brand compliance accountability among Rotary club leaders;
- requested that only those clubs (or Rotary-affiliated entities) that are brand compliant be featured in Rotary media outlets;
- agreed that all Rotary events be “on brand” compliant and requested the general secretary to enforce this brand compliance.
Clubs and Districts
The Board
- placed the clubs in Belarus into non-districted status and extended “additionally-supported” status to District 2232 (Ukraine);
- encouraged districts to organize district-wide “prospective member” information meetings and orientation events for new members.
Meetings
The Board
- reminded 2025 Council representatives to consider the impact any proposed legislation at the Council may have on Rotaract.
Finances
The Board
- approved a 2023–24 budget of US$125,346,000 total revenue, $128,073,000 total expenses, and funding from reserves of $2,895,00.
- approved use of $123,952,000 from unrestricted contribution for the 2023–24 Rotary Foundation programs budget;
- approved the 2024–26 PolioPlus Communications spending plan, totaling $2 million, of which 50 percent shall be allocated to The Rotary Foundation.
Decisions from the first meeting of the 2023–24 Board
The Board
- approved director Pat Merryweather-Arges as the 2023–24 Rotary International vice president;
- approved director Drew Kessler as the 2023–24 Rotary International treasurer;
- agreed that Zones 1A, 3, 14, 18, 22, 29, 32, and 34 shall select committees in 2023–24 to nominate RI directors to serve on the Board beginning 1 July 2026
- adopted the following 2024–25 annual goals for Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation:
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 1 – INCREASE OUR IMPACT
1. Eradicate polio, highlight Rotary's role, and plan for a polio-free world.
2. Increase the overall giving to The Rotary Foundation and build the Endowment Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025.
3. Encourage community assessments and measurement of projects and programs at the club, district, and international level.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 2 – EXPAND OUR REACH
4. Advance actions to cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion in our clubs and the family of Rotary.
5. Strengthen existing relationships and develop new partnerships that align with our Action Plan.
6. Establish and nurture innovative clubs and new participant engagement channels.
7. Increase awareness and understanding of Rotary and our members' impact in communities locally and globally.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 3 – ENHANCE PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT
8. Enhance member engagement tools that support clubs in meeting their members' needs and increasing member retention.
9. Increase collaboration and connection among participants, particularly Rotary and Rotaract clubs.
10. Highlight opportunities offered through Rotary to foster professional connections and build leadership skills.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 4 – INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO ADAPT
11. Support regional adaptability by testing innovative approaches to foster greater collaboration and operating efficiencies.
12. Support diversity, equity, and inclusion in our leadership and governance.
April 2023
The 2022–23 RI Board of Directors met virtually on 10–12 April 2023 and reviewed 6 committee reports and recorded 37 decisions.
Administration
The Board
- approved a new Member Code of Conduct, which revised and consolidated the various codes of conduct previously found throughout the Rotary Code of Policies.
Clubs and Districts
The Board
- agreed to fund the Zone 8 regionalization pilot through 2023–24 from RI reserves and further agreed in principle to fund the pilot through 2025–26 subject to annual review and requested the general secretary to negotiate a memorandum of understanding between RI and the Zone 8 Regional Council;
- agreed to fund the Great Britain and Ireland regionalization pilots from RI reserves and requested a progress report at the Board's October 2023 meeting;
- agreed, as part of the regionalization pilot approved by the 2022 Council on Legislation, that district conferences in Great Britain & Ireland are no longer obligatory meetings, provided that all necessary legislative and governance matters be conducted at the GB&I District Council;
- extended the District Election Pilot for all districts in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Sri Lanka until 30 June 2026.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- at the Trustees request, and in accordance with the Rotary Foundation Bylaws, approved establishment of a new Rotary Foundation program: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Corporate-funded Grants;
- in its continued evaluation of whether specific RI efforts and resources are aligned with Rotary's Action Plan, requested the general secretary to review the strategic alignment evaluations of New Generations Service Exchange and the Affinity Card program and eliminate resources for these programs when appropriate, based on change management activities and existing contracts.
Meetings
The Board
- updated the travel guidelines for governors-elect attending the 2024 International Assembly to provide that
- international governors-elect arrive in Orlando on 6 January;
- domestic governors-elect arrive in Orlando on 7 January;
- tickets be booked only through a Travel Services-designated RITS agency;
- for any participant who does not book their travel through a Travel Services-designated RITS agency by the published deadline, Rotary will only fund 50 percent of the lowest, logical economy-class fare, to be paid at the time of ticketing;
- personal stay extensions are solely the responsibility of the participant;
- travel purchased locally without approval from Travel Services will not be reimbursed.
- amended its policy regarding fundraising at the Rotary International convention to provide for Rotary Fellowships, Rotary Action Groups, and club and district projects to fundraise for The Rotary Foundation from their convention booth space;
December 2022 and January 2023
The 2022–23 RI Board of Directors met on 19 December 2022 virtually and 14 January 2023 in Orlando, FL, USA and reviewed 6 committee reports and recorded 42 decisions.
Administration and Finance
The Board
- approved the 2023–24 Rotary International Committee appointments, including for the following:
Standing Board Committees
Executive (Chair: Jeremy Hurst)
Participant Experience (Chair: Lena Mjerskaug)
Administration (Chair: Patrick Chisanga)
Board Council on Legislation Advisory (Chair: Raju Subramanian)
RI Committees
2024 Singapore Convention
2025 Calgary Convention
Constitution & Bylaws
Districting
Election Review
Interact Advisory Council
Membership Growth
RI Finance
RI Programs
Youth Advisory Council
Joint Committees with The Rotary Foundation
Audit
Communications
Learning
Operations Review
Strategic Planning
Technology
- approved creation of a joint DEI Advisory Council that will advise the Board and Trustees on the implementation of a diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan;
- elected President Jennifer Jones to a four-year term as a Trustee 0f The Rotary Foundation beginning 1 July 2023;
- reaffirmed that incoming regional leaders should be provided the opportunity to attend a learning event for their specific role to orient them on that role and build capacity based on the skills the role requires;
- agreed to move District 3450 (Hong Kong) from Zone 9 to Zone 10C, effective 1 July 2023;
- approved 2023–24 district governors funding budget of US$9.4 million.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- approved 101 recipients of the 2022–23 RI Service Above Self Award;
- selected recipients for the 2022–23 Alumni Association of the Year Award and the Rotary Alumni Global Service Award, to be announced at the 2023 RI (Melbourne) Convention;
- in evaluating whether specific RI efforts and resources are in alignment with Rotary's Action Plan, agreed that RYLA and Member Leads are in alignment, while Virtual Reality is not.
Meetings
The Board
- tentatively selected Manila, Philippines, to host the 2028 Rotary International Convention on 3–8 June 2028;
- tentatively selected Chicago, IL, USA, to host the 2030 Rotary International Convention on 25–29 May 2030;
- rescinded its COVID-19 protocols for the 2023 RI (Melbourne) Convention.
October 2022
The 2022–23 RI Board of Directors met on 17–19 October 2022 at Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, IL, USA and reviewed nine committee reports and recorded 34 decisions.
Club and District
The Board
- authorized clubs in Zone 8 to proceed with further development of a regional governance model.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- renewed Rotary’s partnership with the Global Partnership for Education.
Meetings
The Board
- accepted District 3110’s proposal to host the 2024 RI (Singapore) Convention on 25–29 May 2024 and accepted the preliminary program of events and activities at the convention;
- discontinued the International Institute held in conjunction with a Rotary convention.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- elected Rotarians Carlos Sandoval Delgado, Chun-Wook Hyun, and Dennis Shore as Trustees of The Rotary Foundation, beginning 1 July 2023;
- approved the name, purpose, composition, responsibilities, and reporting structure for the following joint committees with TRF: Audit, Communications, Learning, Operations Review, Strategic Planning, Technology, and DEI Task Force—to be effective immediately, except for the committees’ composition, which shall be effective 1 July 2023;
- at the Trustees request, and in recognition of The Rotary Foundation’s newest area of focus, agreed to designate April a special observance month for the Environment;
- discontinued the RI Award of Honor, effective immediately;
- along with the RI Board, adopted the following joint 2023–24 joint goals:
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 1 – INCREASE OUR IMPACT
1. Eradicate polio and highlight Rotary’s role.
2. Increase the overall number of clubs and individual Rotary members giving to The Rotary Foundation whilst increasing contributions to the Annual Fund and PolioPlus and building the Endowment Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025.
3. Enable and measure effective club, district, and international programs and projects particularly in Rotary's Areas of Focus.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 2 – EXPAND OUR REACH
4. Strengthen existing and develop new partnerships to elevate Rotary's global profile.
5. Establish and nurture new, innovative clubs and participant engagement channels.
6. Raise awareness and understanding of Rotary and Rotary members as People of Action.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 3 – ENHANCE PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT
7. Enhance member engagement tools that support Rotary's core values through personal growth, leadership development, service, and networking opportunities.
8. Reduce the number of new members leaving within their first year of membership.
9. Increase collaboration among participants particularly Rotary and Rotaract clubs.
10. Further Rotary's commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within our clubs, our leadership and throughout the family of Rotary.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 4 – INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO ADAPT
11. Review Rotary's programs and offerings to ensure their relevance and effectiveness.
12. Support and encourage the use of virtual connectivity to optimize in-person meetings, training, fund-raising, and service projects.
13. Continue to review Rotary's service delivery and volunteer leadership structure to improve effectiveness, responsibility, and accountability.
The Board also engaged in thorough discussions on:
- current RI membership data and trends
- regionalization
- Rotary’s external relevance
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Possible legislation for the 2025 Council on Legislation
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
January, February, and March 2022
The 2021–22 RI Board of Directors met on 26 January‡, 22–24 February, and 8–9 March* 2022 at the Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA and virtually. At these meetings, the Board reviewed 7 committee reports and recorded 48 decisions.
Club and District
The Board
- approved in principle, a pilot proposal for a new regional governance structure for Zone 8 (Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands), provided that the clubs and districts in the Zone indicated their approval to the Secretariat by 1 October 2022, and further contingent upon final Board review of the costs to conduct the pilot.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- selected the winners of the 2021–22 Rotary Alumni Global Service Award and Rotary Alumni Association of the Year Award, which will be announced at the 2022 RI (Houston) Convention;
- extended Rotary’s service partnership with Habitat for Humanity International.
Meetings
The Board
- at a special January session, affirmed its commitment to the health and safety of all Rotary members and agreed that all registrants must provide proof of their full vaccination status, or provide a negative rapid antigen test result from a test administered by a medical professional or a certified testing agency no more than 72 hours before arrival at the convention, and further that all registrants must follow all established health and safety protocols; ‡
- requested the general secretary to solicit proposals to host the 2030 RI Convention in Chicago, IL, USA.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- elected Greg E Podd to The Rotary Foundation Trustees, beginning 1 July 2022;
- considered 12 items adopted at the 2021 Council on Resolutions that requested Board action;
- continued deliberations on the proposed new structure and terms of reference for Rotary committees;
- approved a 2022–23 district governor funding budget of US$9,405,236;
- approved the 2022–23 Melbourne convention budget of US$12,581,000;
- revised its proposed enactment to the 2022 Council regarding increasing per capita dues.*
The Board also engaged in thorough discussions on:
- current RI membership data and trends
- regionalization in Rotary and Shaping Rotary’s Future
- 2022 Houston Convention expenses
- 2022 Council on Legislation*
November 2021
The 2021–22 RI Board of Directors met on 15–16 November 2021 at the Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA and virtually. At this meeting, the Board reviewed 12 committee reports and recorded 42 decisions.
Club and District
The Board
- amended its policy to provide for Rotaract clubs to sponsor new Rotary clubs;
- endorsed a strategy to advance gender diversity in Rotary;
- requested the general secretary to develop a comprehensive plan for establishing Rotaract as a distinct membership type.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- created a new membership award called the Sylvia Whitlock Leadership Award to honor one Rotary member per year who has actively worked to advance women in Rotary;
- agreed that all training positions in Rotary should be filled based on an individual’s training and facilitation skills, not on seniority or position, and further agreed that all trainers for the Governor-nominee and Governor-elect Training Seminars shall participate in a Train-the-Trainer session before conducting live training;
- requested the general secretary to develop Interact-specific resources to grow clubs, attract new members, and develop sustainable service projects led by young people.
Meetings
The Board
- agreed to hold the 2022 Council on Legislation as both an in-person and virtual event and further agreed that all in-person Council participants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and attest to this status by 1 February 2022 in order book travel;
- recommended that the intended audience for Rotary Institutes be broadened beyond incoming, current, and past officers, to encourage participation from other Rotary members in a zone, and further noted that increased Institute attendance can be attained by offering online access to the event;
- tentatively selected Taipei, Taiwan as the site for the 2026 Rotary International convention;
- agreed, on a three-year pilot basis beginning in 2023 at the Melbourne convention, to more fully integrate Rotaract’s active participation in the Rotary convention in place of a separate Rotaract preconvention;
- established a new Digital Events and Engagement Task Force to study how to best engage Rotary members and other participants in the delivery of future RI virtual and hybrid events and programming.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- following the nomination by President-elect Jones, elects Alberto Cecchini, Martha Peak Helman, Holger Knaack, and Bharat Pandya to be Trustees of The Rotary Foundation beginning 1 July 2022;
- re-elected John Hewko as Rotary International general secretary, for an additional three years through 30 June 2026;
- noting that the decision to vaccinate is a civic and humanitarian imperative, adopted a COVID-19 position statement;
- agreed to designate a COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers Recognition Week (exact week to be determined) in appreciation of the care and lifesaving work they have done throughout this pandemic and encouraged all Rotary and Rotaract clubs to plan events or other efforts to promote this week of recognition;
- agreed in concept to the implementation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion action plan for Rotary that will aim to cultivate an inclusive culture at Rotary.
September and October 2021
Board minutes - September and October 2021
August 2021
May, June, and July 2021
Board minutes - July 2021
Board minutes - June 2021
Board minutes - May 2021
The 2020–21 RI Board of Directors met virtually on 7 and 21 May and on 10-11 June. At these meetings the Board recorded 35 decisions.
In addition to reviewing reports from the general secretary, Board treasurer, Rotary Foundation Trustees, COVID-19 Task Force, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, the Board reviewed reports from the following committees: Audit, Constitution and Bylaws, Districting, Election Review, Finance, Leadership Development and Training, and Strategic Planning.
The 2021–22 Board met virtually on 18–19 June and recorded 12 decisions.
Club and District
The Board
- designated the conveners and sites for the 2021–22 Director Nominating Committees in Zones 4, 6, 10C, 12, 15, 24B, 26, and 30 and further authorized conveners to conduct all or a portion of the meeting virtually;
- reaffirmed its policy that no in-person Rotary meeting or event shall be mandatory for any participant who may feel uncomfortable attending because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- made several changes to its policy regarding the president’s representative program to strengthen the requirements for serving as a representative, increase representative training, and to better provide for feedback on how the program can best provide value to Rotarians;
- amended its policy to allow for the use of the Rotary Marks in the promotion of the Programs of Scale projects by Programs of Scale awardees.
Administration and Finances
The Board:
- considered several opportunities to adjust its travel costs and agreed:
- the Operations Review Committee will only meet virtually and its chair’s report to the Board will be presented virtually;
- the Strategic Planning Committee will only meet virtually;
- the Shaping Rotary’s Future Committee will only meet virtually;
- the International Assembly Committee will only meet virtually;
- the Young Past Governors Committee will only meet virtually;
- to adjust 2021–22 directors’ allocation budget by an additional 10 percent;
- to adjust the president’s 2021–22 airfare budget—including the president’s special representatives budget—by 17 percent;
- to adjust the president-elect’s 2021–22 airfare budget—including the special representatives of the president-elect’s budget—by 21 percent;
- to adjust the 2021–22 president’s representatives to district conferences budget by 10 percent;
- to adjust individual regional leader and assistant coordinator allocations by 10 percent;
- the training planning meetings for 2021–22 Regional Leaders Global Institute (RLGI) will be virtual;
- to better guide Rotarians in their Rotary-related travel as pandemic threats continue to change and more communities adjust their pandemic restrictions, and to ensure the safety of all participants in Rotary programs, meetings, and events, made several amendments to its travel policy, including:
- agreeing that virtual or hybrid meetings should continue to be implemented;
- encouraging districts to appoint a COVID-19 adviser with a public health background for assistance in monitoring local guidance with respect to meetings, events, social distancing, vaccination progress, and masking protocols;
- agreeing that all RI/TRF committee meetings shall be conducted virtually (and not in person) through 30 September 2021;
- agreeing that no personal travel shall be approved in conjunction with any Rotary-funded travel through 30 September 2021;
- agreeing that governors-elect and governors-nominee may be reimbursed by their district governor funding to attend GETS/GNTS and that governors may use district governor funding to attend Rotary Institutes;
- adopted a new commitment statement to replace its diversity, equity, and inclusion statement as follows:
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
At Rotary, we understand that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is essential to realizing our vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.
We value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, across age, ethnicity, race, color, disability, learning style, religion, faith, socioeconomic status, culture, marital status, languages spoken, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as well as differences in ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs.
Recognizing that individuals from certain groups have historically experienced barriers to membership, participation, and leadership, we commit to advancing equity in all aspects of Rotary, including in our community partnerships, so that each person has the necessary access to resources, opportunities, networks, and support to thrive.
We believe that all people hold visible and invisible qualities that inherently make them unique, and we strive to create an inclusive culture where each person knows they are valued and belong.
In line with our value of integrity, we are committed to being honest and transparent about where we are in our DEI journey as an organization, and to continuing to learn and do better.
- recommended that districts appoint an optional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion District Committee;
- made several changes to the Nominating Committee for RI President procedures to help ensure that the committee has the proper tools and training to select the best qualified Rotarian to be RI president.
From the 2021–22 Board’s first meeting:
The Board
- noted with approval President Mehta’s selection of Valarie Wafer as the 2021–22 Rotary International vice president;
- noted with approval President Mehta’s selection of Virpi Honkala as the 2021–22 Rotary International treasurer;
- agreed that assistant regional Rotary Foundation coordinators, assistant Rotary coordinators, and assistant Rotary public image coordinators may be funded to travel per the COVID-19 Travel Policy;
- confirmed the fiscal year 2021–22 RI budget, reflecting US$116,063,000 in revenues, $3,047,000 in RI reserve use, $1,600,000 in convention reserves use, and $120,104,000in expenses, resulting in an excess of revenues, reserve use, and convention reserve over expenditure of $606,000.
Following the business session of this meeting, the Board entered into a discussion on several topics that President Mehta plans for the Board to focus on in 2021–22, which resulted in the Board creating six working groups to study the following topics:
- Empowering girls
- Regionalization
- Valuing our organization
- Improving Rotary’s stature
- Rotary Marks Use
- Growing Membership
19 March and April 2021
Board minutes – April 2021
Board minutes – March 2021
The 2020–21 RI Board of Directors met virtually on 19 March* and 19–20 April 2021. At these meetings, the Board reviewed 14 committee reports and recorded 34 decisions.
Administration
The Board
- upon receiving the resignation of Director Kyun Kim, and, following the nomination by President Knaack, elected Past Governor Chang-Gon Yim to fill Director Kim’s unexpired term as Rotary International director;*
- recommended that future RI presidents consider authorizing committees to meet virtually rather than in-person when possible;
- recognizing that younger Rotarians can best make an impact at the committee level where policy recommendations are discussed and generated, established a three-year pilot project beginning 1 July 2021 to engage and cultivate young leaders and help inform the Board of the thoughts and perceptions of younger members, whereby the president annually appoints an adviser (giving special consideration to younger past governors and Rotaractors) to up to three select committees.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- agreed that in light of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic districts may not conduct long-term or short-term Rotary Youth Exchanges until 1 July 2022, and then only provided that the participating district:
- confirms understanding of Rotary’s Youth Exchange program certification requirements;
- agrees to administer the program in accordance with these requirements;
- follows additional safety measures before administering any exchanges, as determined by the Board;*
- approved a three-year renewal of Rotary’s service partnership with the Peace Corps;
- encouraged district Rotaract chairs and district membership chairs to develop strategies that encourage current and former Rotaractors to join an existing Rotary club or help form a new Rotary club in the future;
- agreed to implement enhancements to the district conference president’s representative program, including enhancing minimum representative requirements, increasing representative training, improving program evaluation methods, and incorporating regular program reviews.
Districts and Clubs
The Board
- adopted a new membership development recognition program called Membership Society with an initial component to recognize those members with the highest number of sponsored new members (as recorded in Rotary’s database);
- took several steps toward developing a strategy for increasing the number of women in Rotary and women in leadership positions, including creation of a cross-functional working group, with representation from the Membership Committee, Communications Committee, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force to further develop the strategy.
January and March 2021
The 2020–21 RI Board of Directors met virtually on 27–28 January and 2–3 March* 2021. At these meetings, the Board reviewed eight committee reports and recorded 54 decisions.
Administration
The Board
- elected Marcelo Demétrio Haick to fill the unexpired term of Hipólito S. Ferreira as a Trustee of The Rotary Foundation, effective immediately;
- approved President-elect Mehta's recommendations for the 2021–22 Rotary committee appointments, including Board committees with Director Peter Kyle as Executive Committee Chair, Director Suzi Howe as Administration Committee chair, and Director Katerina Kotsali-Papadimitriou as Programs Committee chair;
- reviewed nine requests from the 2020 Council on Resolutions;
- in addressing the impact COVID-19 has had on club and district meetings:
- encouraged district leaders to conduct club visits virtually;
- requested the general secretary to monitor and support clubs to improve their virtual efficiency, including considering providing resources for the implementation of virtual hubs at the zone level;
- to ensure the safety of all Rotarians, agreed, through the remainder of the 2020–21 Rotary year, to
- conduct all RI Board and committee meetings virtually;
- suspend all funded travel;
- advise regional leaders, district governors, club presidents, and others to hold meetings virtually;
- not reimburse directors, trustees, district governors, assistant district governors, and other leaders for any expenses related to attending in-person meetings being convened from 1 February through 30 June 2021;
- agreed to provide diversity, equity, and inclusion training for incoming, current, and past RI officers and to create a comprehensive DEI policy, including a code of conduct and protocols for when that code is not adhered to;*
- in an effort to increase Rotary's impact and value to local communities, encouraged districts and zones to host online seminars on topics of community interest such as diversity, equity, and inclusion matters, and on the importance of including young leaders and women in local decision-making, events, and activities.*
Programs and Awards
The Board
- approved 134 recipients for the 2020–21 RI Service Above Self Award and also approved the recipient of the 2020–21 Rotary Alumni Global Service Award—both awards to be made at the 2021 RI Convention;
- agreed to recognize the Rotary Action Group for Menstrual Health & Hygiene and encouraged the group to collaborate with WASH Rotary Action Group.*
Meetings
The Board
- in the interest of the health and safety of Rotarians and host cities, agreed to cancel the in-person 2021 RI (Taipei) Convention;
- approved the creation of a draft program for a virtual 2021 RI Convention;
- tentatively selected Honolulu, Hawaii, USA as the site for the 2027 RI Convention;
- approved a draft program for the 2021 Virtual Convention;*
Finances
The Board
- approved the 2021–22 district governor funding budget of US$9.1 million;
- approved the transfer of $7.5 million from The Rotary Foundation's operating reserve to the World Fund to fund global grants in 2020–21 and further approved the use of up to $7.5 million from 2020–21 RI funds to the World Fund to fund global grants in 2020–21.
October, November, and December 2020
Board minutes - November & December 2020
The 2020–21 RI Board of Directors met virtually on 26 October and 18–19 November 2020. At these meetings, the Board reviewed nine committee reports and recorded 27 decisions.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- clarified its September decision removing the past governor qualification for serving in the positions of Rotary coordinator or Rotary public image coordinator to further stipulate that such a non-past governor must have “strong relationships with the district and zone leadership” to qualify for serving in these positions;
- agreed, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to restrict long- and short-term youth exchanges through 30 June 2021;
- amended the Standard Rotaract Club Constitution to encourage a recommended number of 12 charter members to start a new Rotaract club;
- recognized the Rotary Action Group for Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Migration.
Meetings
The Board
- agreed that the 2021 International Assembly is to be held virtually between 1–11 February 2021 and further agreed that subject to the 2021 RI Convention being held onsite in Taipei, Taiwan, to hold a two-day, in-person event in Taipei as a continuation of the Assembly program;
- recognizing the successful shift of Rotarians’ use of online training resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recommended that after the pandemic clubs and districts adopt a flexible training approach that uses a combination of online and in-person learning options;
- extended the current Taipei convention registration fee structure for all registration categories through 15 February 2021.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- following the nomination by President Knaack, elected Hendreen Dean Rohrs to fill the unexpired term of Jennifer Jones as a Rotary Foundation Trustee;
- reviewed President-elect Mehta’s 2021–22 committee structure, which includes four Board committees: Executive, Administration, Programs, and Council on Legislation Advisory; and 12 standing committees: Audit, 2022 Houston Convention, 2023 Melbourne Convention, Communications, Constitution and Bylaws, Districting, Election Review, Finance, Membership, Operations Review, Rotaract, and Strategic Planning. President-elect Mehta further planned five other committees to advise the Board: 2022 International Assembly, Interact Advisory Council, Leadership Development and Training, Shaping Rotary’s Future, and Young Past Governors;
- continued its discussion of a possible new structural model for Rotary and requested the Shaping Rotary’s Future Committee to continue developing this structure in discussion with Rotary senior leaders and with feedback from Rotarians and Rotaractors via virtual focus groups;
- encouraged districts to adopt and use, where beneficial, virtual and virtual/in-person district conferences, for efficiency, efficacy, cost-savings, and inclusiveness;
- in its ongoing response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, continued restrictions on Rotary-funded travel through 31 March 2021;
- adopted the 2021–22 annual goals for Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation as follows:
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 1 – INCREASE OUR IMPACT
1. Eradicate polio and highlight Rotary’s role.
2. Increase contributions to the Annual Fund and PolioPlus while building the Endowment Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025.
3. Improve and effectively communicate the measurable impact of:
a. Service projects by clubs;
b. District grants, global grants, programs of scale, PolioPlus and the Rotary Peace Centers.
4. Build new partnerships, including opportunities with government agencies, to enhance the global foot print of humanitarian projects.
5. Focus our program efforts to increase our impact.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 2 – EXPAND OUR REACH
6. Grow Rotary membership to 1.3 million by:
a. Emphasizing “Each One, Bring One” as the call to action for attracting new and more diverse members into our existing clubs;
b. Increasing and diversifying participant base by starting new and innovative clubs and participant engagement channels.
c. Increasing the coordination and accountability of the directors, regional leaders and district membership chairs.
7. Strengthen Rotary’s brand and image including increased focus on social media.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 3 – ENHANCE PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT
8. Enhance engagement with an emphasis on leveraging technology among Interact, Rotaract and Rotary club members and other Rotary participants.
9. Increase collaboration between all participants, in particular between Rotary clubs and Rotaract clubs.
10. Use our core values as a focus for engagement.
11. Enhance engagement through business networking opportunities amongst Rotary participants.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 4 – INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO ADAPT
12. Support and encourage the use of virtual connectivity to optimize in-person meetings, trainings, fundraising and service projects.
13. Review our volunteer leadership structure and improve responsibility and accountability.
14. Support regionalization of governance and service delivery.
September 2020
Board minutes - September 2020
The RI Board of Directors meeting was held virtually on 28–30 September 2020 At this meeting, the Board reviewed 8 committee reports and recorded 32 decisions.
Club and District
The Board received a report on membership trends that included, as of 1 July 2020, a membership total of 1,174,890 Rotarians (down 14,576 members from 2019) and a total of 36,159 clubs (up 269 clubs from 2019).
Programs and Awards
The Board
- to promote diversity in Rotary leadership positions agreed, effective with the next recruitment cycle, to remove the past governor qualification from all regional leader positions and that one gender should not constitute more than 60 percent of the speakers at Rotary International and zone meetings;
- agreed to the development of a three-year detailed implementation plan for a new Rotary committee structure that streamlines Rotary committees, eliminates overlap of committee duties, adds more joint committees with The Rotary Foundation, and provides numerous changes to committee terms of reference, among other structural changes;
- approved creation of an Interact Advisory Council, comprising current Interactors, recent Interactor alumni, and a director liaison—on a one-year pilot basis—to advise the Board on Interact-related matters;
- encouraged those districts certified to participate in Rotary Youth Exchange that are planning to resume short-term Youth Exchange in October 2020 and/or long-term Youth Exchange in January 2021 to use the Developing a Crisis Management Planand further encouraged districts certified to participate in Rotary Youth Exchange to explore options to conduct virtual exchanges in accordance with the virtual Rotary Youth Exchange guidelines;
Meetings
The Board accepted the proposal of Districts 5830, 5890, and 5910 to host the 2022 Rotary International Convention on 4–8 June 2022 in Houston TX, USA.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- elected Larry Lunsford, Mark Daniel Maloney, and Akira Miki to be Rotary Foundation trustees beginning 1 July 2021;
- agrees that, in light of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, to qualify as “Rotary-funded travel” for the remainder of calendar year 2020, the travel must be essential to Rotary’s business operations and defined essential travel as travel that is mission-critical for Rotary business and
- cannot be conducted without in-person interaction or without visit(s) to a specific location(s);
- for which the purpose and intended outcomes are dependent upon the presence of the funded traveler(s) at the in-person meeting/location;
- and further agreed that Rotary-funded, essential travel includes:
- travel by the president, president elect, trustee chair, and their spouses;
- travel related to the Polio global initiative;
- travel by volunteers whose attendance is required where the meeting/event cannot accomplish its goals or be successful without the in-person presence of that traveler (for example, travel by a convener to an event is essential, while travel by a particular speaker to an event is not essential; spouse or partner travel to an event, other than the convener’s, is not considered essential);
- travel by students and Rotary Peace Fellows who have secured proper documentation to enter their intended destination country or to return home;
- travel by a director within his or her own country to the extent permitted by applicable local governmental regulations;
- travel by a governor within his or her district to the extent permitted by applicable local governmental regulations;
- agreed that personal travel shall not be allowed in conjunction with any Rotary-funded travel through 31 December 2020.
July 2020
The 2020–21 RI Board of Directors met virtually on 7 and 22 July 2020. At these meetings, the Board recorded 15 decisions.
The Board
- noted with approval President Knaack’s selection of Johrita Solari as the 2020–21 Rotary International vice president;
- noted with approval President Knaack’s selection of Bharat Pandya as the 2020–21 Rotary International treasurer;
- participated in a facilitated discussion led by Director Urchick and Dr. Gilo Kwesi Logan, an expert in the diversity, equity, and inclusion field and discussed such topics as identity issues, cultural competence, inclusive leadership, DEI efforts at other global organizations, and survey results of members and potential members regarding their ideal organization, among other topics. The Board agreed to establish a task force, comprising regionally diverse members who have professional diversity, equity, and inclusion experience to draft an ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan that drives meaningful action and creates measurable, lasting change throughout Rotary;
- endorsed the concept of assigning Trustees to represent zones to provide RI directors with a primary contact to The Rotary Foundation and its regional leaders;
- confirmed the fiscal year 2020–21 RI budget, reflecting US$123,483,000 in revenues, $913,000 in RI reserve use, $1,000,000 in convention reserves use, and $120,694,000 in expenses, resulting in an excess of revenues, reserve use, and convention reserve over expenditure of $4,702,000.
June 2020
The 2019–20 RI Board of Directors met via video conference on 8 June and 23–26 June 2020. At these meetings, the Board reviewed 14 committee reports and recorded 50 decisions.
Club and District
The Board
- in reviewing the report of the Pandemic Response Task Force that the Board had created at its April 2020 meeting,
- encouraged governors to access district reports on Rotary’s Learning Center;
- encouraged governors to conduct a portion of their club visits virtually;
- requested the general secretary to
- conduct an evaluation of at least 50 districts regarding their experience with virtual club visits,
- provide resources on the My Rotary website for running and participating in engaging virtual meetings;
- amended its policy to accommodate clubs and districts interested in event-specific fundraising sales of limited-edition alcohol products.
Programs and Awards
The Board
- thanked the Trustees for accepting the Board’s earlier request to establish a new Environment area of focus and unanimously agreed to the addition of this seventh areas of focus;
- established the new program designation: Rotary Recommended Programs, to acknowledge data-driven, community-based projects that have proven successful across multiple regions and/or populations;
- in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, adopted several guidelines specific to Rotary Youth Exchange, including encouraging districts to
- arrange—as soon as it is determined possible and safe—for the return of students currently on exchange in countries that are or may become impacted by the pandemic;
- voluntarily suspend long-term exchanges in 2020–21 (however beginning 1 October 2020 districts may begin short-term exchanges and 1 January 2021 districts may begin long-term exchanges, provided they adhere to a list of safety measures available here);
- keep those youth who would have otherwise participated in Rotary Youth Exchange engaged through online only exchanges or other Rotary Youth programs;
- approved a PolioPlus Communications spending plan for 2021–23 totaling US$2 million.
Meetings
The Board
- agreed that Rotary will reimburse to conveners the proportionate share of any cancellation fees attributed to 2020 governor-elect and governor-nominee training seminars if the cancellation of an in-person seminar (or joint seminar with Rotary institute) occurs at least 60 days before the scheduled start of the seminar;
- acknowledging its prior decision that no in-person meeting or event shall be mandatory for any Rotarian who may feel uncomfortable attending because of the COVID-19 pandemic, nevertheless, confirmed that governors-elect and club presidents-elect are required to attend training either at their respective in-person or virtual GETS or PETS or at make-up training, and
- further reconfirmed that governors-nominee are encouraged to attend their respective Governors-nominee Training Seminars (however, if such training is provided only in-person, and a participant is uncomfortable attending, the Board encouraged participants in such cases to seek alternative methods for receiving their training);
- agreed that organizers of GETS, PETS, and other training meetings are responsible for providing make-up trainings virtually for those uncomfortable attending in person;
- agreed that a decision on whether the 2021 International Assembly will be held in-person or virtually will be taken at its October 2020 meeting.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- continued its work with the Shaping Rotary’s Future Committee in discussing a possible new structural model for Rotary;
- renamed the official Rotary International magazine from The Rotarian to Rotary, effective with the January 2021 issue or earlier;
- approved the 2020–21 RI operating budget, reflecting revenues of US$123,483,000, operating expenses of $120,694,000, use of funding from the RI reserve of $913,000, and use of convention reserves of $1,000,000, resulting in an excess of revenues, general surplus funds, and convention reserve over expenditures of $4,702,000;
- approved a 2020–21 Rotary Foundation programs budget of US$93,265,000;
- noting that the Rotary Foundation’s Disaster Response Fund has been largely depleted by Rotarians carrying out projects in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, agreed to fund any shortfall for the remaining 107 applications received by the Foundation by contributing to the Disaster Response Fund;
- reaffirmed its commitment to Rotary’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy and agreed to schedule a special Board meeting in July to establish an ongoing action plan to implement the policy.
April 2020
The 2019–20 RI Board of Directors met via video conference on 18 March and 21–24 April 2020. At these meetings, the Board reviewed 10 committee reports and recorded 36 decisions.
COVID-19 Response
25 February Executive Committee Ballot
The Board agreed to prioritize the health and safety of Rotarians during the COVID-19 outbreak and
- encouraged districts to follow local government recommendations for gatherings;
- agreed to allow districts to delay (until no later than 30 June 2020) or to convene online their training events, including PETS and district training assembly, at no cost to Rotary International, should their government recommend restricting gatherings due to COVID-19 or if district leaders feel such action is appropriate;
- recommended that those districts holding their training meetings online due to the COVID-19 outbreak, hold at least three one-hour meetings to cover 1) Rotary’s strategic plan, 2) the role and responsibility of the participant, and 3) goals for the year, and further to follow all other requirements for district training meetings;
- agreed to allow districts to delay (until no later than 30 June 2020) or cancel their district conference, at no cost to Rotary International, should their government recommend restricting gatherings due to COVID-19 or if district leaders feel such action is appropriate.
18 March Special Virtual Session of the RI Board
The Board canceled the in-person 2020 RI (Honolulu) Convention and approved refunding of registration fees and fees for RI ticketed events to registered attendees.
21–24 April Virtual RI Board Meeting
The Board
- approved holding a virtual convention on 20–26 June 2020;
- agreed to the following general principles:
- The health and safety of all participants in Rotary programs, meetings, and events is of paramount importance.
- No in-person meeting or event shall be mandatory for any Rotary participant who may feel uncomfortable attending because of the pandemic.
- All conveners and organizers of Rotary meetings are strongly encouraged to consider all health concerns in deciding whether to hold in-person meetings.
- All conveners and organizers of Rotary meetings shall fully comply with all health and safety rules in effect in that location.
- With the principles above in mind, adopted the following rules and guidance for specific Rotary activities:
- All RI Board meetings shall be conducted virtually (and not in-person) for the remainder of calendar year 2020.
- All RI committee meetings shall be conducted virtually (and not in-person) for the remainder of calendar year 2020.
- The general secretary shall develop contingency plans for interim report to the Board at its June 2020 meeting:
- to train district governors-elect for those unable to attend in-person the 2021 International Assembly and
- to conduct the 2021 International Assembly virtually in the event more than 40 percent of the governors-elect are unable to attend in-person.
- 2020 Rotary Institute conveners are strongly encouraged to conduct their institutes and governor-elect and governor-nominee training virtually. Conveners are authorized to decide whether to conduct such meetings in-person or virtually; however,
- no Rotary staff shall attend an institute, governor-elect, or governor-nominee training in person unless specifically authorized by the general secretary in exceptional circumstances;
- directors shall not be funded to attend an institute that is outside of their zone or region unless specifically authorized by the president
- In fairness to all districts, Rotary International shall not fund the expenses of any president’s representative to a district conference for the 2020–21 Rotary year. If a district requests a president’s representative, the president may appoint one at no cost to RI.
- Governors are strongly encouraged to use virtual meetings for club visits that occur during calendar year 2020.
- Regional leaders are strongly encouraged to use virtual meetings for training seminars and other events during calendar year 2020.
- The general secretary shall prepare a risk assessment of conducting the Rotary Youth Exchange Program during the 2020–21 Rotary year for report to the Board at its June 2020 meeting.
- requests the president and the president-elect to jointly appoint a nine-member Pandemic Response Task Force to comprehensively study how Rotary can optimally utilize virtual technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed that the task force’s mandate runs through 31 October 2020.
* * * * * *
Programs, Meetings, and Awards
The Board
- received President-elect Knaack’s update on holding a third preconvention event in conjunction with the 2021 RI (Taipei) Convention on Intercountry Committees;
- amended its policy on district conferences to allow for participation of non-Rotarian community leaders in a conference and encouraged governors to hold public-facing events as part of their district conferences;
- amended its policy to provide for Rotaractors to be eligible to receive the Service Above Self Award, and the Avenues of Service Award, and for Rotaract clubs to be eligible to receive the Significant Service Award;
Administration and Finances
The Board
- agreed to sunset the Rotary Global Rewards program by 1 July 2021;
- broadened the mandate of the Rotary Representatives Network beyond public relations to include helping build connection for humanitarian projects, opening doors to expertise, and helping facilitate
January 2020
The third 2019–20 RI Board of Directors meeting was held on 27–29 January 2020 at Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, IL USA. At this meeting, the Board reviewed nine committee reports and recorded 39 decisions.
Programs, Meetings, and Awards
The Board
- established an annual Rotaract per capita dues fee structure of US$5.00 for university-based clubs and $8.00 for community-based clubs, beginning 1 July 2022 and agreed that the $50 one-time chartering fee for new Rotaract clubs will be eliminated beginning 1 July 2022;
- clarifying its decision from October 2019 regarding a Rotaract age limit and in response to Rotaractor feedback and survey data, agreed that a Rotaract club may, but is not required to, establish upper age limits, provided that the club (in accordance with its bylaws) obtain the concurrence of its members and the sponsor club(s) (if applicable);
- renamed Rotarian Action Groups to Rotary Action Groups and agreed to admit non-Rotarians as members of these groups;
- to enhance Rotary's engagement with local communities, approved a non-Rotarian event concept for launch at the 2023 Melbourne convention;
- selected the 2019–20 recipients for the Rotary Alumni Global Service Award and the Rotary Alumni Association of the Year Award, to be awarded at the 2020 Honolulu convention;
- approved 147 recipients for the 2019–20 Service Above Self Award.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- agreed to cease producing the Official Directory;
- approved President-elect Knaack's proposed 2020–21 Rotary committee appointments, including his selection of Johrita Solari (USA) as vice president, Bharat Pandya (India) as treasurer, and Stephanie Urchick (USA) as Executive Committee chair;
- approved the 2020–21 district governors funding budget of US$9.3 million.
Clubs and Districts
The Board
- continued its review of a global membership test project that is not club-based;
- reviewed six resolutions that were adopted by the 2019 Council on Resolutions.
October 2019
The second 2019–20 RI Board of Directors meeting was held on 21–24 October 2019 at the Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA. At this meeting, the Board reviewed 14 committee reports and recorded 61 decisions.
Club and District
The Board received a report on membership trends that included, as of 1 July 2019, a membership total of 1,189,466 Rotarians (down 5,641 members from 2018) and a total of 35,890 clubs (up 209 clubs from 2018).
Programs and Awards
The Board
- approved a pilot partnership concept with the Global Partnership for Education, a global fund that aims to strengthen education systems in developing countries;
- agreed to a resource partnership with the Eleanor Crook Foundation that will involve a nutrition initiative with the Power of Nutrition in a sub Saharan Africa country;
- agreed to add Gavi The Vaccine Alliance as a partner to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative;
- approved the Rotary Fellowship: Rotary Peace Fellowship Alumni Association;
- in reviewing several recommendations from the Elevate Rotaract Task Force, agreed to
- allow Rotaract clubs to organize without a sponsor
- allow Rotaract clubs to organize with a Rotaract club sponsor
- remove the upper age limit of Rotaract (but maintained that the program is for young adults)
- strongly encourage Rotary districts to include Rotaractors in every district committee
- further review establishing per capita dues for Rotaractors
- eliminate the US$50 chartering fee for new Rotaract clubs, beginning 1 July 2021 (provided that a Rotaract per capita dues structure is in place)
- encourage future RI presidents to appoint Rotaractors as advisers to RI committees
- explore developing a mobile app to better facilitate Rotary and Rotaract club management and communications
- set the following goals pertaining to Rotaract:
- increase the number of reported Rotaractors by 100 percent by 2022
- increase the number of reported Rotaractors that join Rotary clubs by 20 percent by 2022
- increase the number of reported Rotaractors to one million by 2029.
Meetings
The Board
- accepted the proposal of the 12 Taiwanese districts to host the 2021 Rotary International Convention on 12–16 June 2021 in Taipei, Taiwan;
- noted that 2026 will be the first year (of a seven-year cycle) Rotary will hold its convention in a city that does not meet all of Rotary's critical criteria to host a convention and agreed to solicit proposal from Durban, South Africa; Genoa, Italy; Krakow, Poland; Manila, Philippines; Rimini, Italy; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; and Trondheim, Norway.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- elected Hsiu Ming Lin, Geeta K. Manek, Aziz Memon, and Barry J. Rassin to be Rotary Foundation trustees, beginning 1 July 2020;
- received President-elect Knaack's committee structure for 2020–21, comprising the standing committees of: Audit, Communications, Constitution and Bylaws, Conventions (Taipei and Houston) Districting, Election Review, Finance, Membership, Operations Review, Rotaract, and Strategic Planning, and "Other" committees including the International Assembly, Joint Committee on Partnerships, Leadership Development and Training, Shaping Rotary's Future, Young Past Governors, and Risk Advisory;
- strengthened its adult harassment policy and agreed that incoming and current club presidents, governors, regional leaders, and directors shall be provided annual training on Rotary's adult harassment policy, and further requested the Leadership Development and Training Committee to incorporate this training at all future President-elect Training Seminars and at the International Assembly;
- the Board adopted the 2020–21 annual goals for Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation as follows:
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 1 – INCREASE OUR IMPACT
1. Eradicate polio and highlight Rotary's role.
2. Increase contributions to the Annual Fund and PolioPlus while building the Endowment Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025.
3. Improve the measurable impact of district grants, global grants, PolioPlus and the Rotary Peace Centers.
4. Build new partnerships, including opportunities with government agencies, to enhance the global foot print of humanitarian projects.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 2 – EXPAND OUR REACH
5. Increase and diversify participation by starting new and innovative clubs and participant engagement channels, and by attracting new members in our existing clubs.
6. Increase the number of female members, members under 40, and Rotaractors joining Rotary.
7. Build awareness of Rotary and Rotarians as People of Action.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 3 – ENHANCE PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT
8. Enhance the engagement among Interact, Rotaract and Rotary club members and other Rotary participants.
9. Increase collaboration between all participants, in particular between Rotary clubs and Rotaract clubs.
10. Build new partnerships to enhance the global foot print of our humanitarian projects.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 4 – INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO ADAPT
11. Implement adjustment to our volunteer leadership structure.
12. Focus and potentially narrow our program efforts.
"July" 2019
The 2019–20 RI Board held its first meeting on 7 June 2019 in Hamburg, Germany. At the May and "July" meetings, the Board reviewed reports from three committees and recorded 27 decisions.
The Board
- welcomed the 2019–20 appointments of Olayinka Babalola as RI vice president and David D. Stovall as RI treasurer;
- agreed that Zones 1B, 3, 14, 18, 22, 29, 32, and 34 shall select committees in 2019–20 to nominate RI directors for election at the 2021 convention to serve in 2022–24;
- approved creation of a new task force to thoroughly study how best to implement the 2019 Council's approval of admitting Rotaract clubs into Rotary;
- extended its electronic voting pilot in South Asia (whereby districts are required to use electronic voting for district and zone elections) to include more countries in the region and to be extended through 2021–22.
May 2019
The 2018–19 RI Board of directors held its fifth and final meeting on 30 May 2019 in Hamburg, Germany. At the May and "July" meetings, the Board reviewed reports from three committees and recorded 27 decisions.
The Board
- modified the qualifications for the International Assembly moderator and Convention Committee chair positions to allow for more candidates, to ensure that candidates have recent Rotary leadership experience, and to clarify that the candidates must have basic English ability, among changes to ultimately help ensure the best candidates are selected for these important Rotary leadership positions. The Board also clarified who may nominate Rotarians for these positions;
- extended Rotary's service partnership agreements with Ashoka and Mediators Beyond Borders International through 30 June 2022;
- approved the 2019–20 RI operating budget, reflecting revenues of US$111,639,000, operating expenses of $87,878,000, use of general surplus funds of $572,000, and use of convention reserves of $1,215,000, resulting in an excess of revenues, general surplus funds, and convention reserve over expenditures of $3,292,000.
April 2019
The fourth 2018–19 RI Board of Directors meeting was held on 8–11 April 2019 in Evanston, IL, USA. At this meeting, the Board reviewed 11 committee reports and recorded 44 decisions.
Clubs and Districts
The Board
- agreed to implement to all districts, beginning 1 July 2021, a new district governor funding model (in pilot now through 2021), whereby RI funds governors via district accounts and governors are required to document full use of their funds, returning any unused portion to Rotary;
- amended its qualifications for serving on a district committee to allow for the selection of Rotaractors;
- agreed to continue conducting its non-club-based participant model test, which aims to create new channels into Rotary, build awareness of the Rotary brand, diversify participation in Rotary, and to increase Rotary's openness and appeal;
- approved the formation of Rotary clubs in Iraq.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- took several decisions regarding the power of the RI president, including
- requesting the president-elect to nominate no fewer than twice the number of candidates for election as Foundation trustees as there will be open positions for (not including the position to be held by an RI past president);
- agreeing that effective 1 July 2020, Rotary will not fund the expenses of a president's representative to district conferences that do not meet certain attendance requirements;
- agreeing that effective 1 July 2020, president's representatives shall not be appointed to more than one conference per Rotary year;
- regarding Rotary committees
- agreed that all Board decisions creating a new committee or task force that is to last beyond the current Rotary year must identify:
- a defined trial and evaluation period of not more than four years;
- anticipated impact on Rotary's resources for the duration of the trial and evaluation period;
- criteria by which the success or failure of the committee or task force will be measured;
- dates for interim evaluations and reports to the Board;
- a date of the final evaluation, following which the Board may adopt it as an on-going committee or task force, terminate the committee or task force, or extend the trial and evaluation period as needed;
- agreed that all Board decisions creating a new committee or task force that is to last beyond the current Rotary year must identify:
- in reviewing the Rotary brand
- requested all users of the Rotary Marks to come into visual brand compliance as soon as possible;
- agreed not to publish in official Rotary media, after 31 July 2019, any advertisements or other information that are not in brand compliance;
- agreed not to permit any exhibitions at all official Rotary events that are not in brand compliance;
- approved a five-year roadmap through 2024 as a guide for implementing the new strategic plan with specific activities and target completion dates for each of the four strategic priorities;
- extended the strategic partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace through 2022 and the project partnership with ShelterBox through 2022;
- agreed to add the African Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank to the list of organizations to which Rotary has representation.
January 2019
The third 2018–19 RI Board of Directors meeting was held on 21–23 January 2019 in La Jolla, CA, USA. At this meeting, the Board reviewed 9 committee reports and recorded 56 decisions.
Clubs and Districts
The Board
- continued its review of a global membership test project that is not club-based;
- reviewed 16 resolutions that were adopted by the 2017 Council on Resolutions;
Programs, Meetings, and Awards
The Board
- agreed to allow Rotarian Action Groups to establish separate charitable entities;
- authorized the general secretary to work with Toastmasters International to develop and launch a co-branded online product, to be made available first to Rotaract clubs, then non-club based participants and Rotary clubs;
- approved allowing content from the 2020 RI (Honolulu) Convention to be available via a livestreaming platform;
- tentatively selected Melbourne, Australia, as the site for the 2023 RI Convention;
- selected the individual and association to receive the Rotary Alumni Global Service Award and the Rotary Alumni Association of the Year Award;
- approved 75 recipients for the 2018–19 Service Above Self Award.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- approved President-elect Maloney's proposed 2019–20 Rotary committee appointments, including his selection of Olayinka Babalola (Nigeria) as vice president, David Stovall (USA) as treasurer, and Francesco Arezzo (Italy) as Executive Committee chair;
- approved a diversity, equity and inclusion policy statement for Rotary as follows:
As a global network that strives to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Rotary will cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in which people from underrepresented groups have greater opportunities to participate as members and leaders.
- updated its policy on adult harassment and requested the general secretary to provide training resources to club and district leaders regarding maintaining harassment-free environments at Rotary meetings, events, and activities;
- agreed to submit to the 2019 Council on Legislation a statement of support for Council item 19-117: "To authorize the RI Board to take appropriate action to change RI's tax status";
- approved the 2019–20 district governors funding budget of US$9.3 million;
- approved spending from The Rotary Foundation unrestricted funds to increase the World Fund match from US$0.50 to $1.00 for every $1.00 of district designated funds contributed to the PolioPlus program, and further increased the annual maximum contribution from US$5 million to $10 million.
October 2018
The second 2018–19 RI Board of Directors meeting was held on 22–25 October at the Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA. At this meeting, the Board reviewed 17 committee reports and recorded 52 decisions.
Club and District
The Board
- received a report on membership trends that included, as of 1 July 2018, a membership total of 1,195,107 Rotarians (down 7,829 members from 2017) and a total of 35,681 clubs (up 25 clubs from 2017);
- agreed to pursue registration as an overseas NGO in the People's Republic of China;
- amended the role, selection criteria, and term of assistant governors;
- encouraged regional leaders to appoint current or former Rotaract members as assistant Rotary coordinators and Rotary public image coordinators to support member development in Rotaract and to strengthen the relationship between Rotary clubs and Rotaract clubs;
- agreed that the following district committees and subcommittees should be mandatory, effective 1 July 2019:
Committees
Finance
Membership
Public Image
Rotary Foundation
Training
Subcommittees
Grants
Fundraising
PolioPlus
Rotary Peace Fellowships Stewardship
- agreed that the following district committees are optional, effective 1 July 2109:
Alumni
Community Service
Conference
Convention Promotion
Interact
International Service (DISC)
Programs
Rotaract
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Youth Exchange
Programs and Awards
The Board
- extended its service partnership agreement with Ashoka and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness through the end of June 2019;
- adopted the following initiatives for the first year of the new Rotary strategic plan:
- Rotaract—the Secretariat will research Rotaract as a channel into the Rotary experience and investigate what Rotary products and services Rotaractors are most interested in.
- Area of Focus Modifications—for the first time since the 2010 Future Vision rollout, the Foundation will evaluate whether changes to the Areas of Focus are needed.
- Governance—the Board will investigate streamlining governance throughout Rotary.
- Business Process Review—the Secretariat will undertake a system-wide review of all major business processes within Rotary to ensure efficient allocation of resources and their alignment with the new strategic plan.
- Global Membership—the Secretariat will thoroughly investigate all components of a new avenue into Rotary membership with the global membership model for possible adoption as a pilot program.
- Programs of Scale—the Rotary Foundation Trustees will investigate the further development of a new grant model that features large-scale projects.
- requested the general secretary to investigate the impact of collecting annual per capital dues from Rotaractors.
Meetings
The Board
- accepted the proposal of District 5000 (USA—Hawaii), to host the 2020 Rotary International Convention on 6–10 June 2020 in Honolulu, Hawaii;
- updated the leadership development and training cycle to combine the District Rotary Foundation Seminar, the District Membership Seminar, and the District Public Image Seminar into a new seminar called the Vibrant Club Workshop.
Administration and Finances
The Board
- elected Jorge Aufranc, Hipolito S. Ferreira, Jennifer E. Jones, and Ian H.S. Riseley to be Rotary Foundation trustees, beginning 1 July 2019;
- adopted a new privacy statement for personal data as follows:
Rotary's Privacy Statement for Personal Data
In the course of fulfilling its mission, Rotary International ("Rotary") collects personal data regarding Rotarians, Rotary clubs and others. Rotary is committed to protecting the privacy of these individuals. Personal data is defined as any information that relates to an individual who is or can be identified from the data, either alone or in conjunction with other information. Rotary will adhere to the following principles:
1. Rotary will only collect and use personal data for Core Business Purposes.
2. Rotary will strive for personal data accuracy and relevance.
3. Rotary will be transparent about how it uses personal data.
4. Rotary will act with urgency on potential breaches.
5. Rotary will adopt "privacy by design and by default."
6. Rotary will keep personal data secure.
Rotary's Core Business Purposes are purposes that are critical or closely related to Rotary's essential activities or legitimate interests. Such purposes include, but are not limited to:
• fulfilling Rotary's obligations to Rotarians and other individuals
• financial processing
• supporting The Rotary Foundation, including fundraising efforts
• facilitating convention and special event planning
• communicating key organizational messages through Rotary publications and other materials
• supporting the programs and membership of Rotary
• complying with the law or acting in good faith belief that such an action is necessary to conform with the requirements of the law.
- requested the general secretary to study and recommend a formal policy statement on gender equity for report at its January 2019 meeting.
July 2018
The 2018–19 RI Board held its first meeting on 29 June 2018 in Toronto, ON, Canada. At these meetings the Board reviewed reports from six committees and recorded 39 decisions.
RI Administration
The Board
- welcomed the 2018–19 appointments of John C. Matthews as RI vice president and Peter Iblher as RI treasurer;
- adopted the 2019–20 annual goals for Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation as follows:
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 1 – UNITE PEOPLE
1. Strengthen the process for activating leadership in clubs and districts.
2. Increase club membership by attracting new and retaining existing members.
3. Start new clubs.
4. Increase the number of female members, members under 40, and Rotaractors joining Rotary.
5. Enhance the engagement and collaboration among Interact, Rotaract and Rotary club members and other Rotary participants.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 2 – TAKE ACTION
6. Publicize the role of Rotary and Rotarians in polio eradication.
7. Increase local and international projects by fully utilizing District Designated Funds to fund district grants, global grants, PolioPlus and the Rotary Peace Centers.
8. Increase contributions to the Annual Fund and PolioPlus while building the Endowment Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025.
9. Build awareness of Rotary, and promote the People of Action campaign.
GOALS FOR PRIORITY 3 – INTERNAL/OPERATIONAL MATTERS
10. Analyze the effectiveness of our current volunteer leadership levels.
11. Focus and potentially narrow our program efforts.
- agreed that committees referenced in Article 17 of the RI Bylaws should not meet during the month of July, the first two weeks of August, and from the fourth Thursday in November through the end of December and requested future RI presidents to authorize meeting times accordingly;
- in its ongoing review of governance matters in Rotary, established a new, six-person committee to review regional leaders and structure, including the effectiveness of institutes, presidents' representatives, and regional leaders; the regionalization model; volunteer leadership layers between directors and the districts; and district matters, including the ideal number of districts, their size, leadership structure, and duties of the governor;
- approved a four-year pilot for incorporating young past governors as a resource to the RI Board as a way for including younger perspectives in the Board's decision making process.