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 November
4, 2006
Closing Banquet
PRID John Eberhard
address to closing banquet Population
and Development – a Rotarian Action Group, conference – New
York
PP Frank (Devlyn),
Chairman Salem, MC Brian, Rotary Friends and members of RFPD.
Thank you and greetings from the great white north – Canada,
that is!
I am privileged to
say a few words about an incredible new development within
Rotary – you are all an important part of it!
July 1, 2005
marked the first Rotary day in a new century of service. As
a result, our beloved organization is poised to offer new and
imaginative ways to “do good in the world”. For 100 years Rotary
has recognized our clubs and districts as the means of
implementing RI policy through world community service.
Let me say at the out set, that I am one who firmly believes
that without strong and vibrant clubs, we would have little
chance of making an impact on a world in need!
The longest serving g/s of Rotary – known as the “builder of
Rotary” Chesley R Perry
1957 (extract from ‘the Rotary life of Chesley Reynolds Perry’
©Rotary/one foundation 2006)
“Each club is a link in the
great chain of Rotary. When one club does a service for its
community, every club glows with the reflected radiance.”
Rotary clubs provide a bridge of hope to a world in need.
Our forth avenue of service is the core of Rotary’s profile
worldwide! The Rotary network of local clubs is a powerful force
for good and essential to any worldwide initiative!
The RI Board has called for an innovative approach to WCS.
For the first time in our history, Rotary now recognizes a new
program that relies on groups of individual Rotarians, all
sheltered under a registered service name, to engage in
international service programs in the name of Rotary.
These groups, while encouraged to work through the club and
district networks, are not club centered. They work in
harmony with Rotary international and its policies.
They are made up of knowledgeable and focused individual
Rotarians who come together under the name of a Rotarian Action
Group ------ or RAG, for short!
Rotary has a new
program category called “global networking groups (GNG’s).” It
includes the traditional as well as the
growing class of service-oriented fellowships with an
administrative structure that will better support the work that
is their primary focus ----- that is very exciting!
The code of policy describes the service programs of Rotary
international.
Rotary code of policies
40.10.
Program terminology
The following
terminology and definitions shall be used for RI programs:
Special program of RI
- Polio Plus is a special
program of Rotary international and has highest priority over
all other programs until the certification of eradication is
achieved.
Structured
programs
– organized activities recommended by the RI Board for clubs and
districts that include a policy framework and guideline. These
include: XE "Programs, RI:structured" rotary
community corps,
Rotary volunteers,
world community service,
youth exchange,
interact,
rotaract,
Rotary youth leadership
awards, Rotary friendship exchange.
Menu of service
opportunities
-
issues and concerns identified by RI as recommended service
priorities for clubs and districts for a specified period of
time. These include: children at risk, disabled persons, health
care, international understanding and goodwill, literacy and
innumeracy, population issues, poverty and hunger, preserve
planet earth, urban concerns
XE "Programs,
RI:menu of service opportunities"
The code of policy was changed (effective July 1, 2005) to now
allow for a fourth program classification:
Global
networking groups
–
groups of individual Rotarians organized to focus on shared
topics of interest on an international basis.
A Rotarian Action Group (RAG) is one of these
Like a “RAG rug” to which many people and resources
contribute, we see emerging a beautiful and functional mosaic.
Imagine a simple RAG rug – consisting of:
·
A significant tapestry of warm materials,
·
Lovingly contributed and
·
Stitched together by many people.
·
Colours and patterns resonating with each
other
·
Goods from diverse sources –
·
Carefully pattered by skilled hands –
·
Experts focused passionately on a particular
service initiative!
The result is a stunning art form of love and service –
providing comfort and functionality in a pattern of order and
sustainability!
By definition, a
Rotarian Action Group is a voluntary association of
Rotarians who unite themselves for the
purpose of conducting
international service projects that advance the object of
Rotary.
The November 2006 R.I.
Board meeting will act on a report submitted by the RAG’s study
committee that met in August. We do not know the results of
these deliberations but it is hoped that RI will continue to
support and enhance the inspired potential of this new program.
It is my hope that the Board will specifically address issues
that include:
·
Limiting
the number of RAGs ensuring high quality programs and
·
Ensuring
the capacity and internationality of a RAG by a rigorous
recognition process
·
A
presidentially appointed R.I. resource (or committee) group
structured in a way that includes Rotarians knowledgeable in
international development and with longer staggered terms
made-up so as to ensure consistent policy recommendations to the
Board.
·
A
recommendation that will foster a close working relationship
between RAGs, TRF, clubs and districts on funding and human
resource potential
·
Enhanced
opportunities for cooperative relationships with kindred
organizations both government and NGO.
At the moment, Rotarian
Action Group activities must be conducted independently of RI,
but must be in harmony with RI policy, including the use of the
Rotary marks.
This is consistent with
our historic position that Rotary is not used to promote
religious beliefs, political issues, or simply raise money for
other organizations.
Let it be said that Rotary acts from time to time in a
revolutionary way that Paul Harris said was:
“Essential for the growth and continuing relevance of our
evolving organization”
The creation of the GNG’s is a fundamental shift from our
1922 policy affirming the autonomy of clubs. It is a
revolutionary and I dare say, visionary step for RI.
It provides for a new paradigm of service delivery, to be
sure. It is consistent with Rotary’s strategic plan.
Perhaps, inadvertently, RI has defined the action groups
delivery vehicle in the context of the strategic plan's
objectives adopted at the 2004 COL. of:
·
Refining our governance,
·
Sharpening our program focus,
·
Enhancing our public image and
·
Approaching a new corporate program.
Some fellowship groups have migrated from the fellowships
category to the action category:
Excellent examples include:
§
Humanitarian service resource fellowship- a
Rotarian Action Group
§
Fellowship for mine action – a Rotarian Action
Group
§
Rotarian dental volunteers – a Rotarian Action
Group
We have heard Rotary leaders extolling the virtues of
“cooperative relationship” and “partnering” in its broadest
sense for many years now. There is a detailed statement of how
these relationships are supposed to evolve in the Rotary code of
policies.
But it took the fellowships groups to give meaning to this
expression!
Of the dos and don’ts of partnering, the Rotary
code aspiration has often, arguably, been in conflict with the
Board’s resolve. Some have suggested that the conflict has
paralyzed corporate Rotary into inertia.
The dynamic leadership coming from our service fellowship
groups have “taken action”!
They have not been deterred by the overly cautious
“nay-sayers”. They have done something about it! I don’t have
to tell this audience how meaningful and significant these
initiatives have been!
RFFA is a good example:
·
Rotarians from over 60 countries with a focus
on OVC (orphans and vulnerable children)
·
Focusing on club activity in many countries but
major partnerships in the countries of sub-Sahara Africa.
Working partnerships with:
·
USAID - $ and reporting requirements
·
Hope worldwide – on the ground NGO support
working with local Rotary clubs
·
Emory university – monitoring and evaluation
·
Coca cola Africa – corporate resources
·
CRCID – clubs and financial support from Canada
Clearly, Rotarian Action Groups will use the Rotary network
to implement their programs with many clubs and districts in the
world. RAG’s will fill a market niche – they will be much more
programmatic in their application of the 4th object
of Rotary.
They will have far greater capacity then individual clubs
with significant international contact with long-term leadership
and expertise that enable them to compete in their specialized
fields while assisting clubs and districts to engage their
members in meaningful localized related service initiatives.
And,
we will see many new service infinitives emerge that implement
these impartment partnering principals.
An
example of the way a major RAG program can function is seen in
the Rotarians Against Malaria – a Rotarian Action Group!
The Board recognized this group last year.
Taking the lead from Rotary 2006 Copenhagen
convention keynote speaker Dr. Jeffrey Sachs’ “the millennium
promise group” has encouraged the “nothing but nets” program.
This a recently formed partnership the current members of which
include the action group along with:
·
UN foundation,
·
The United Methodist
church,
·
Sports illustrated
magazine and
·
The National
Basketball Association.
The “Nothing But Nets”
partnership seeks to create awareness of malaria and malaria
control efforts and to raise money for malaria control.
Donations to date have been added to the measles and malaria
campaigns seeking full coverage of vulnerable populations in
sub-Saharan Africa with insecticide treated mosquito nets.
And in the best of all
worlds this group of specialists will use the club and district
network to mobilize Rotarians and local partners on the ground
to implement their programs.
The Rotarian Action
Group has established a donor advised fund at the Rotary
Foundation that is able to receive donations made to the Rotary
Foundation for the cause of malaria control.
In the end it is all about results!
We all have the priority interest of insuring that Polio Plus
is successfully completed.
If and when RI decides on a new corporate program to follow
Polio Plus, I believe the Rotarian Action Groups will have
evolved to an operational quality that the trustees will see as
being worthy of support.
Indeed, the Rotary world will be looking at them with great
interest.
While undertaking a major sectoral medical action plan, for
example, the Rotary leaders need to be mindful that their RAG
carries the reputation of all Rotarians with it. It necessarily
follows that each recognized RAG has an enormous responsibility
to bring the considerable business and professional expertise
that Rotarians apply in the “other lives” to build the necessary
credibility for their action groups.
This will take careful planning, hopefully under a corporate
umbrella (which is encouraged by the RI Board) to ensure:
·
Consistency in management,
·
Planning,
·
Implementation,
·
Accountability,
·
Evaluation and
·
Reporting of the specific long-term sustainable
program activity for which the group is formed.
Only in this way will the Rotarian Action Groups acquire the
reputation and credibility that accompany the best known of the
international NGO’s which these groups have the potential of
emulating.
Our best partner should be the Rotary Foundation of Rotary
international. I believe that in the not distant future, this
will happen.
The Rotary Foundation’s ability to raise funds from
non-Rotarian sources would be enhanced significantly. It is well
known that it is far easier to raise charitable dollars when a
specific and worthy cause is targeted.
The Foundation is not structured to raise money for such
programs and until RI recognizes new corporate programs, there
will be little interest in private foundations or governments to
simply give money to the Rotary Foundation to support the
educational and humanitarian program delivery mechanism that
Rotarians have been supporting since 1947.
The RAGs have it right. But the RI Board must
give up some central control and find an appropriate way in
which a RAG can raise money for its own programs in a way that
does not prejudice the operation of the foundation. This is not
rocket science. As the RAGs mature, the Board and the foundation
will assume much more confidence than has been evident in the
recent past in these Rotary entities.
The relationship with TRF may well be on the radar scope if
the Trustees want to reach out and engage these groups as
examples of how the synergies of RAGs, clubs and districts can
work with other cooperating agencies in the delivery of larger
and more efficient world community service initiatives.
It is not inconceivable that the service being done by a RAG
is of such note as to think that the Rotary Foundation will
regard them as an attractive potential service partner:
·
A matching grant perhaps?
·
A restricted fund?
·
3-H grant
·
A policy even that could allow for funds raised
in the name of Rotary by the RAG might flow through the
foundation and allow for the engaging of staff professionals who
are tasked to manage or work on specific programs initiated by
the action group?
Why not? This would be a win-win for both and make the
balance sheet of the foundation look that much better.
Unlike most clubs, a RAG has the capacity within their
memberships of individual Rotarians with specialized interest
and expertise!
Through the strategic planning process, new ways of
identifying partners will evolve. Rotarian Action Groups will
play a key role in this vision of invigorating clubs with
meaningful WCS.
These groups of Rotarians will be “on the ground” and capable
of recognizing local needs and priorities. These will be seen in
the context of locally recognized strategic interests and
relationships with local governments and NGO’s operating in the
framework of Rotary’s programmatic interests.
Rotarian Action Groups are already seen as functioning at a
high level of competence in program writing, planning,
transparent reporting and management skills ---- assisting clubs
to do more sustainable world community service.
The degree of guidance to be provided by the RI Board over
the next few years will be a function of the quality of
organization that develops in each Rotarian Action Group. The
level of acceptable “behavior” and organizational integrity of
these emerging groups of Rotarians will predict the extent of
the oversight required.
At the same time, I
predict that R.I. presidents will want to appoint a high level
committee to assist the Board in dealing with RAGs. Indeed,
perhaps in the not distant future, the COL will direct that a
standing committee be appointed with the necessary continuity
for policy development and monitoring.
RI task forces in the field of WCS will be
obsolete. Resource groups should deal with strategic issues and
assist the RI Board with policy suggestion for guidelines in
sectoral service areas.
At a well-attended workshop at the recent centennial
convention participants cited a primary goal of having action
groups undertake WCS programs that are consistent with the
Rotary areas of emphasis and the millennium goals.
International development experts all agree that the
development of organizational and managerial capacity is a
necessary starting point.
Rotary does not need one-year task forces. We need enduring
professional entities that can implement the Rotary model in
diverse humanitarian outreach just as we have done with the
Polio Plus program.
Undertaking a programmatic approach to international
development is preferential to a project-by-project approach.
Hand-in-hand the Rotary club-to-club model fits usefully into
the RAG model!
The measurable results must necessarily tie into the poverty
reduction strategies of the countries and the sectors in which
the action group is focusing its attention.
The Rotarian Action Groups have the potential to “behave”
like operational NGO’s and perform in a much more effective
manner because of the relationships that can be built through
the club and district networks with congruent guidance from the
international RAG entity.
In a way, we are on the verge of re-inventing ourselves!
Rotary is on the cusp of a new adventure in service! But care
and business prudence is necessary as we move forward.
Rotary has spent 100 years cultivating an internationally
recognized reputation for humanitarian projects and valuable
intellectual property.
Care must be taken in
the oversight of these emerging groups to ensure consistency of
the operational integrity and compliance with the time tested
object of Rotary. The Board will necessarily have to closely
monitor the implementation and recognition of each applicant
action group to ensure a business plan that understands the need
to observe Rotary’s fund raising and cooperative relationships
policies as well as the principals of high quality, effective
international development.
There are many other Rotary related groups that will now be
able to find a home under the RI policies. These include
non-club organizations that are not registered but functioning
outside the policies of multi-district activities or
administrative groups.
These independent not-for-profit organizations with loose
Rotary affiliation (in many cases started by Rotarians) are
often incorporated in their own jurisdictions for tax and
liability reasons. Many have been benignly functioning for a
long time and may or may not wish to come under the umbrella of
the official Rotarian Action Group program. Some of the many
include:
-
Rotoplast
-
Shelter
Box
-
Thirsting to Serve
-
Water
Aid
-
Hunger
plus
-
Aquabox
-
Free the
Children
-
The
Growing Connection
-
Earthbox
-
Etc.
And then there are
multi-district organizations (some of which are functioning
pursuant to Board policy) doing service work similar to that in
some of the RAGs. They may wish to take advantage of the new
program classification and become a RAG. Included in the group
would be:
-
Australian Rotary corporate alliance program
-
Australia WCS
-
Disaster
relief programs such as the TRF donor advised funds
-
Programa
rotablind del Rotary Club Santiago, Chile”
-
CRCID
-
Etc.
Paul Harris mused to himself as recounted
in his book (this Rotarian age, p. 37)
"If one standing on the promontory of time
could have donned his metaphysical spectacles revealing thoughts
and deeds standing out in the affairs of men, as stately trees
stand out in landscapes, he would have observed a memorable
struggle for existence - persistent and irresistible "will to
be" of an ideal, which eventually found expression in
Rotary----." )
Rotary represents the simple idea of people sharing a common
belief - seeing what has to be done and doing something!
Paul Harris said of vision:
"The yearly, daily, hourly spirit of Rotary should be the
spirit of renaissance. We need men of microscopic visions who
will explore the molecules, atoms and electrons, but we also
need men of telescopic vision who will explore the unknown".
A new dawn of service delivery has risen on the Rotary world.
– A world on which the sun never sets. Rotary has indeed
taken a giant leap of faith into the future of Rotary service
delivery –
We have set our course. It is now up to the Rotary world to
do its best with the tools it has and don’t look back!
Rotary international -- service above self
-- fellowship and service!
We cannot do everything but
As individuals, we can do some thing
It is perhaps trite to say:
We will each be known forever by the tracks we leave,
·
You will
be remembered
for having shared the Rotary spirit with others!
·
You will
leave a legacy
in
good works and in helping others through the TRF
I am reminded of al sharps poem:
Isn't it strange that paupers and kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And common folk like you and me
Are builders of eternity?
To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass - a book of rules.
And each must build ere life has flown
A stumbling block or a stepping stone
RAGs are stepping stones!
Remember what Winston Churchill said:
As
an individual: “That you make a living by what you get –
you make a life by what you give!”
Your Rotary entity and this conference are contributing
greatly to the growing professionalism increasingly required to
implement effective international development.
Population and Development – a Rotarian Action Group is:
“Leading the way”
And, is providing an enviable example to all other RAGs of
that which a world in need expects of Rotary International.
For that, I congratulate you and thank you for what you are
doing for the future of our beloved organization!
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