Clubs that lead in Rotary Foundation giving reveal secrets to year-round success
In places where winter brings snow and ice, a classic Rotary club fundraiser is the polar plunge. It’s downright heroic to jump into an icy lake when the outdoor temperature is below freezing, so participants have little trouble getting their friends and family to pledge to donate. But what about when winter temperatures are far above freezing, as they usually are in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA? Do people still get excited — and open their wallets — for a less-than-icy plunge?
You bet they do.
“It’s a unique fundraiser here,” says Jeff Davis, the president of the Rotary Club of Alpharetta. “It’s not something you really think about a lot in the state of Georgia, so we usually get a segment on the local news. In 2020 we actually had snow. We’ve gotten a ton of use out of the pictures of that year’s snowy Polar Bear Plunge.”
This unconventional approach to fundraising has worked well for the Alpharetta club. Last year’s plunge raised more than US$150,000 for Rotary and other local charities, and that wasn’t the only benefit.
Last year, The Rotary Foundation received more than US$1.3 million on and around Giving Tuesday, with more than 2,600 donations made from 82 countries in less than 48 hours. More than 1,580 clubs had at least one member who gave, and the average total donated per club was US$567.
“It’s a great advertisement for Rotary,” Davis says. “Folks in the community get a better understanding of what Rotary does. It’s more visibility, which helps bring in more members and ultimately more donations.”
It’s no surprise, then, that Alpharetta was one of The Rotary Foundation’s top performers in online donations for Giving Tuesday in 2023. Observed on the Tuesday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, Giving Tuesday is a day in late November or early December when nonprofit organizations around the world solicit donations and publicize their causes.
But fundraising is a year-round activity for the clubs that raised the most money for The Rotary Foundation last Giving Tuesday. The Rotary Club of Taipei Nankong, Taiwan, asks all members to donate at least US$100 each year.
“We have a baseline for basic fundraising every single year,” says Johnny Hou, the club’s vice president and membership chair. “We also encourage members to donate to special campaigns, like polio [eradication,] and to specific projects.”
One of the club’s main projects this year was establishing a free health clinic in Changbin, a rural township in southeast Taiwan. It also collaborated with clubs in Myanmar to open a similar clinic there and is currently working to establish one in Thailand.
“We collected donations to fulfill those projects. Our members are motivated and very generous,” Hou says. “This year we might double or triple our donations compared to last year.”
Other clubs emphasize the importance of donating in November, which is Rotary Foundation Month. The Rotary Club of Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, was another of the Foundation’s top Giving Tuesday clubs in 2023, excelling in the category of donor participation. This year, though, the weak yen has discouraged members from giving very much, says Tomoaki Kurebayashi, the club’s president. Still, he and the other club leaders haven’t given up.
“During Foundation Month, we hold informational meetings about The Rotary Foundation,” he says. “And we try to announce information about giving at all our meetings. We take care to properly explain the purpose of the donation so as not to overstep the bounds of the request and force the donation.”
One of the Toyohashi club’s signature projects dates back to 1998. The club works with the Rotary Club of Bangkok Benjasiri, Bangkok, Thailand, and members of Thailand’s Indigenous hill tribes to develop housing and educational resources for tribe members. Tying donations to specific projects also has been effective for the Rotary Club of Edmonton South, Alberta, Canada, another of The Rotary Foundation’s top Giving Tuesday clubs. One of the club’s main projects is building playgrounds and supporting education for girls in Belize.
“A number of our members have traveled to Belize to build these playgrounds. Their enthusiasm rubs off on other members and creates financial support,” says Brian Rothwell, who served as the club’s Foundation chair from 2021 through this year.
The key to successful fundraising, Rothwell says, is having a strong club whose members believe in Rotary’s ideals. He notes that his club’s 53 members are diverse in age and gender.
“They’re very willing to engage with the community and support international projects,” he says. “Our meetings are lively, with many good speakers. Members want to attend, and financial support becomes a natural consideration of belonging to the club.”
Rothwell has tried to get as many members as possible to contribute even a small amount to The Rotary Foundation every year, and he found testimonials from contributing members to be useful. But he cautions against placing too much emphasis on fundraising. Instead, he says, club leaders should focus on building a strong, nurturing culture.
“Clubs should avoid a hard sell when it comes to contributions. We use a gentler approach,” he says. “If the club is strong and supportive of its members, the money will come.”
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