About Rotary

Rotary is an organisation of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. In more than 160 countries worldwide, approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 30,000 Rotary clubs.

Rotary club members meet regularly to plan service projects, discuss community and international issues and enjoy fellowship. Clubs are non-political and open to every race, culture and creed.

The main objective of Rotary is service in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotarians develop community service projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment, illiteracy, and violence. They also support programs for youth, educational opportunities and international exchanges for students, teachers, and other professionals, and vocational and career development. The Rotary motto is Service Above Self.

PolioPlus is Rotary's flagship program. By the time polio is eradicated, Rotary club members will have contributed US$850 million and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than two billion children in 122 countries. Rotary is a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and the U.S Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International  is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and others who share its vision of a better world. Since 1947, the Foundation has awarded more than US$1.1 billion in humanitarian and educational grants, which are initiated and administered by local Rotary clubs and districts

Administration

Rotary is organized at club, district, and international levels to carry out its program of service. Clubs are grouped into 530 Rotary districts, each led by a district governor who is an officer of Rotary International. A 19-member board of directors, which includes the international president and president-elect, administers Rotary International.

The Object of Rotary

The 4-Way Test

 One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The 4-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. This 24-word code of ethics for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:

Of the things we think, say or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"

Rotary International Mission Statement

The mission of Rotary International is to support its member clubs in fulfilling the Object of Rotary by:

• Fostering unity among member clubs;
• Strengthening and expanding Rotary around the world;
• Communicating worldwide the work of Rotary; and
• Providing a system of international administration.

Rotary Milestones