Visiting Rotarians

Bell Ringers

• It is YOUR OWN CLUB’s FOUNDATION – charitable project and program support decisions are made here by Kitchener Rotary members.
• Kitchener Rotary established this Foundation 56 years ago to help fund Kitchener Rotary Club’s local and international charitable projects.

• KRCCF is a formally registered charity that develops, executes and facilitates charitable projects mostly in association with the Rotary Club of Kitchener
• Because KRCCF is locally controlled, its projects can respond to our own charitable priorities (local, regional or international.)
• Potential to provide a “fast response to needs.”
• The KRCCF is managed by your locally elected Board – primarily Kitchener Rotary members.

• Rotary International’s “The Rotary Foundation” (commonly called TRF) is separate and distinct from the KRCCF. It does great work supporting projects around the world.
• The TRF International Board operates a detailed adjudicated world wide competition between Rotary Clubs. It decides what gets supported on the basis of its assessment of the formal applications and TRF’s current priorities.
• You are already supporting TRF through your annual club fees! (Every Rotarian, Every Year.)
• The KRCCF is not a competitor to or replacement of TRF. We would like it to become one of your annual charitable donation priorities so we can support our own locally determined charitable needs.

• KRCCF Board oversees the management and use of its charitable invested funds.
• It and its standing committees operate in compliance with its formally defined policies:
  • Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Statement of Charitable Purposes
  • Grants Protocol
  • Investment Management Policy
• On the basis of its Investment Management Committee’s (IMC) review of several investment management firms, the Board retained the services of private wealth management firm RaeLipskie to manage its investments.
• The IMC has regular access to fund performance information. The Board annually reviews funds performance and authorizes RAWEF operation expenditures.
• The performance of the investment fund managers is subject to periodic review by the IMC and the Board.

• KRCCF funding has helped establish & support KidsAbility, the KW Art Gallery, work in Nogales & Caborca Mexico, African and other local projects.
• Right now most of KRCCF’s annual investment income is dedicated to supporting the great work of the Rotary African Women Education Fund -RAWEF.

• Need: Build up invested funds to provide annually guaranteed baseline income for financial support for OUR locally identified charitable priorities.
• Be able to “fill in the gap” when circumstances restrict our Club’s fundraising success.
• Encourage charitable giving by providing taxable donation receipts.
• Reduce some annual fundraising pressure on club members.

• The sustained scale of RAWEF success was only possible through Audrey Wipper’s generous bequest and the Foundation’s ability to have a well-managed tax sheltered investment fund.
• The Promise is to build an income flow from investments to fund the significant annual charitable needs we identify.
• BUT - We have not yet met the promise by building sufficient other invested funds to permit sustainable support of other charitable activities.
• A senior Rotary Club such as ours should perhaps have a little more “money in the bank” to really achieve The Promise.

• In 2003, The Rotary club of Kitchener in J B Moore’s presidency donated seed funds to KRCCF to set up a new general purpose “Permanent (Endowment) Fund” to eventually meet The Promise.
• Over subsequent years, largely through “Birthday," memorial, and other occasional donations the Permanent Fund grew slowly.
• The impact of COVID on fundraising and the more challenging context of today’s charitable fundraising led the KRCCF Board to identify a heightened priority to build this general purpose endowment fund.
• To provide clarity it renamed it “Your Forever Fund” and established a campaign committee to Achieve the Promise. (Chaired by Louise Gardiner.)

• Rotary African Women’s Education Fund
• The Fund is administered through the Kitchener Rotary Club Charitable Foundation (KRCCF)
• The Fund is used to provide bursaries for selected women in East Africa to attend university
• The students are generally quite poor and without these bursaries, would not attend university
• Currently, we are supporting students in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania

• Initiated in 2009
• Key people from:

• Rotary Club of Kitchener – Dave Martindale, Ray Taylor
• Rotary Club of Kitchener-Conestoga – Bill Carter
• Centre for International Governance – Irene Sage, John English

• Knowledge, interest and experience in Africa
• Incredible generosity of Kitchener Rotary member Audrey Wipper – initial
• donation of $500K; plus balance of her estate…now around $1.35M

• RAWEF partners with 4 agencies
• Beautiful World Canada (Kampala, Uganda)
• Caring Partners Global (Matangwe, Kenya)
• School Sisters of Notre Dame (Nyalienga, Kenya)
• Rotary Club of Usa River/Jifundishe (Arusha, Tanzania)
• Agencies provide applications from potential candidates
• The RAWEF Committee reviews and recommends students to be awarded bursaries, monitors our overall budget
• The RAWEF Committee also maintains contact with the agencies, students, monitors their progress

• 119 students funded to date
• 70 university graduates
• 43 students in progress
• 11 new students approved in 2023
• Student funding in 2023: $73,500
• Students are in a wide variety of programs including Science, Business, Education, Engineering, Computer Science, Statistics, Agribusiness, Animal Science, Law, Medicine

• Raise $20,000+ to bring the fund to $100,000 and beyond
• Continue the giving year over year to grow the fund allowing for ongoing community support
• The emphasis is on ongoing monthly and/or annual giving
• Distribution by KRCCF of 2.5% annually ($2000 on our $80K balance)
• Future focus on local and international projects that require acute and/or critical funding
• One-time funding opportunities for projects with organizations with which we have an ongoing relationship
• Building Your Forever Fund gives us the ability to respond quickly  to support local and international needs that follow Rotary International’s 7 Areas of Focus

• A monthly credit card donation through www.krccf.org/give

• An annual donation by:
  •   Cheque payable to Kitchener Rotary Club Charitable Foundation   and mailed to KidsAbility or given to Treasurer Ray
  •   E-transfer to etransfer@krccf.org
  •   Credit card through www.krccf.org/give

• Small $5-$10 donations make a difference especially if on a monthly basis!
• Birthday money directed to YFF annually or monthly
• Memorials & Remembrances for family and loved ones
• Special Occasion to celebrate successes
• Bequest in your will

• Corporate
• Individual
• For a special cause

• A Better Tent City
• Indigenous Community – Aunties & Uncles, Family & Children’s Services
• Support for the Ukraine
• Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society – building expansion
• House of Friendship – including the Women’s Addiction Centre
• Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery
• KidsAbility
• Nutrition for Learning
• Toasty Toes

• Nogales and Caborca projects (specific funding requests)
• RAWEF (specific funding requests)
• Support for victims of various international disasters – ( hurricanes, earthquakes, , floods, tsunamis, fires, droughts) responding to coordinated Rotary International campaigns or through other relief organizations such as Shelter Box
• Peace initiatives

• 2.5% = $2000 available to distribute
• Member Survey to follow - it’s all of our decision!

• Donate to those that have the same values as you
• 100% of the money is used for Kitchener Rotary charities
• Annual tax receipts
• $5 monthly makes a difference
• Larger donations are truly appreciated
• Recognition pins for accumulations of $500 – wear it proudly!
• The Victoria Park Band Stand will be completed in 2024 – time for something new
• This is only the beginning…..with a larger fund comes larger donations!
• YFF is your favourite charity!

Closing Remarks & Reminders