As a follow up to the District Mini-meeting on Endowment on November 21, an article by Senior Major Gifts Officer, Carolyn Ferguson, of The Rotary Foundation.
What is your Rotary legacy?
As you consider your vision for the future, Rotary can help you take action to nurture causes that are meaningful to you.
Naming Opportunities are available if you make a gift or future gift commitment of US $25,000 or more to Rotary’s Endowment. Your fund will bear your name or that of a loved one and will carry on your Rotary legacy. Annual financial updates available to your district will let Rotarians of the future know that your generosity supports their projects. It also provides the opportunity for family and future generations to know and see your Rotary legacy of service in action. This example may even inspire them to contribute in the future, to the Rotary named endowed fund that you have started, growing the impact and reach of your legacy.
Our Endowment. Rotary strives to increase the value of your gift by preserving and investing your initial contribution and spending only a portion of the earnings. This strategy supports important causes today while generating funds that will further the work of future Rotarians committed to Doing Good in the World. Our goal is to build our endowment to $2,025 Billion by the year 2025, which includes both outright gifts and future gift commitments. This will ensure a strong future for how we can serve in our world.
Funding your gift to our Endowment. If you wish to see your named endowed fund in action while you are living, you can make this possible by considering an outright gift or a pledge gift over two or three years for a total of US $25,000. This may be facilitated via cheque, credit card, or gift of publicly traded securities; and for our US based Rotary family, via a life income agreement.
For a future gift via an estate plan, always good to consult your accountant on what is most advantageous for your unique situation but options include a named gift in a will or adding a codicil to an existing will, life insurance beneficiary, retirement plan beneficiary, and for our US based Rotary family- a donor advised fund or Charitable Remainder trust. (Note: Canadians named their estate gifts to the Rotary Foundation (Canada) and Americans to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International)
Your district 7040 is home to seven named endowed funds from members, collectively valued at just over US $1 Million. At a Trustee approved spending rate of 4.5% annually, this potentially returns $45,000 back into action each year, directed towards the programs selected by these seven donors. It continues in perpetuity and will only grow as a result of being an endowed gift. How truly remarkable!
Learn more about how a personal named endowed gift through Rotary can change our world for the better.