Rotary

What is Rotary?

Rotary is a global network of community volunteers. Rotary members are business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Some 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries carry out service projects in their local communities and abroad to address such critical issues as poverty, health, hunger, illiteracy, and the environment. Rotary clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds. As signified by the motto Service Above Self, Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotary clubs participate in a broad range of humanitarian, intercultural, and educational activities designed to improve the human condition. Rotary’s humanitarian grants support club projects that provide health care and medical supplies, clean water, food, job training, youth development, and education to millions of people in need — particularly in the developing world. In addition, Rotary provides more than 200 grants each year to fund the work of Rotary volunteers, who travel to parts of the world where their technical expertise and knowledge are most needed to alleviate hardship and solve problems.

Guiding Principles

Object of Rotary

First: The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster.

Second: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as opportunity to serve society.

Third: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life.

Fourth: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.


Avenues of Service

Based on the Object of Rotary, the Avenues of Service are Rotary’s philosophical cornerstone and the foundation on which club activity is based:

Club Service focuses on strengthening fellowship and ensuring the effective functioning of the club.

Vocational Service encourages Rotarians to serve others through their vocations and to practice high ethical standards.

Community Service covers the projects and activities the club undertakes to improve life in its community.

International Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary’s humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace.


The Four-Way Test

The test, which has been translated into more than 100 languages, asks the following questions:

Of the things we think, say or do
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?