All Star Tidbits

The Rotary year is coming up on the half way mark and what has been your contribution to your club the first half of the year?  It is not too late to get involved!  December is a special month for so many reasons.  We have another opportunity to gather with special friends and family.  We have an opportunity to give to those charities that are close to us.  We have an opportunity to make new goals for the upcoming year.  So much opportunity and how do you want to end this year? 

There are a few deadlines approaching for early bird registrations so don’t miss out!  Register for District Conference now at http://www.jimbruce.org/District6920/District_Conference/2017/conference_home.php and take advantage of the early bird registration! The hotel registration is also available through the Westin on the conference webpage.  The deadline for International Convention 2017 has been extended since the website was down for two days. So register for Atlanta before December 17^th before registration will go up an additional $75.

Did you know there are more than 15,000 companies that match gifts to the Foundation?  Double the impact of your gift by asking your employer to match your contribution.  To look up to see if your employer participates go to www.rotary.org/matchinggifts to see if they are listed. 

Have you signed up for your gift to the Foundation to be a recurring gift.  Did you know you can sign up and have it charged to a credit card monthly, quarterly or annually.  You can simply fill out a Rotary Direct form or call them.  To get more information on this easy process please visit the web page https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/take-action/give/ways-give and look under Rotary Direct.

The end of the calendar years brings many deadlines for some, but it also exciting to bring in the new year! 

We are still taking applications for Group Study Exchange Team!  Applications are available  at http://www.rotarydistrict6920.net/group_study_exchange.php

Applications are still being taken for a graduate student to study abroad for a year with a scholarship worth over $35,000.  Contact Nancy Shumaker.  http://www.rotarydistrict6920.net/scholarship.php

Applications are still being taken for a college student to study for the summer at the University of Oslo.  Email me or your Georgia Rotary Student Program Trustee for more information.  Deadline for this application is at the end of December.

Let’s finish 2016 with a BANG!
 

Broken Shackle Ranch

Congratulations to clubs that have had Broken Shackle Ranch as a program.  Augusta South, Centerville, Warner Robins, Byron, Dublin, Macon, Wrightsville, Augusta West, Reidsville, Hinesville, Glennville, Savannah Sunrise, Perry, Jesup, McRae,  and Tennille. There is still time to get points for having them as a program at your club.  Contact Brad May at 478-552-6915.

Installation Ceremony Photos

Dear Rotaractors, Rotarians, and friends of Rotary!

Thanks to Armstrong's official photographer Katherine Arntzen, we have lovely photographs of the Installation Ceremony to share with our family and friends. Please follow this link to access the photos.

http://photos.armstrong.edu/Special-Events/2016-Rotaract-Ceremony/

Prepare for Year-End Giving

As we approach the end of Rotary Foundation Month, Rotarians worldwide are energized by the Rotary Foundation centennial message. Annual Fund giving worldwide is up 11% through the end of October. And, on the heels of World Polio Day, giving to the PolioPlus Fund has increased nearly 22% from this time last year, as Rotarians are responding with urgency to the call to eradicate Polio.

Year-end stock & IRA roll-over gifts
As the end of the tax year approaches, now is a great time to promote gifts of appreciated securities and other gifts from investments prior to the new year.

• Gifts of appreciated securities can benefit donors by receiving a potential tax deduction for the market value of gift and avoiding unnecessary capital gains tax on the appreciated stock. Learn more about making gifts of appreciated securities. 
• In the US, individuals who are 70 ½ and older can now make tax-free charitable gifts directly from a traditional or Roth IRAs. 

Online Gift
Consider making an online gift to the Foundation and encourage Rotarians in your district to do the same. This is a great tactic to help clubs reach their centennial giving goals. Once you give, use the new Facebook frame to show that you're a proud donor.

TRF awarded World's Outstanding Foundation for 2016
The Rotary Foundation earned top marks from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. “The award honors organizations that show philanthropic commitment and leadership through financial support, innovation, encouragement of others, and involvement in public affairs. Some of the boldest names in American giving.” Read more on rotary.org.

End-of-Year Giving Deadlines
Make sure to share the calendar year end giving deadlines.

• Online contributions need to be authorized by midnight, 31 December 2016 CST
• Credit card contributions made via fax (847-328-5260), phone (866-976-8279), and mail must be received prior to the close of business (5pm CST) on Friday, 30 December 2016
• Check contributions must be postmarked by 31 December and must be received by 5 January 2017.
• Securities must be received in The Rotary Foundation’s gifted securities account by Saturday, 31 December 2016.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I hope everyone's holiday season is off to a wonderful start!

Best wishes,
Erin
..................................
Erin Groble
Annual Giving Officer for Zones 33 & 34 | The Rotary Foundation

ROTARY'S WORLD POLIO DAY EVENT CONTINUES TO GROW

Participation in this year’s World Polio Day live-streamed event continued the growth registered since it began in 2014.

Rotary, the world’s leading advocacy organization on polio eradication, held this year's program on 24 October at the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The event brought some of the biggest names in the campaign together to highlight the progress that has been made and to discuss what further action is needed to end the disease for good.

Here is a summary of this year’s World Polio Day event, by the numbers:

· The streamed program was viewed 100,131 times -- an 86 percent increase over last year’s viewership.

· New this year, more than 170,000 viewers watched a series of Facebook Live videos recorded on-site throughout the day, featuring U.S. Paralympian and polio survivor Dennis Ogbe, Time Editor at large Jeffery Kluger, and Rotary International President John F. Germ.

· Rotary members around the globe registered a total of 1,460 local World Polio Day events at endpolio.org.

· Media coverage doubled compared with last year, with stories in National Geographic, Time, the Wall Street Journal, and People, and on “The Today Show” television program and National Public Radio.

· End Polio Now online donations the week of the event increased by 8 percent over last year, to more than $209,000.