Rotary is a global network of more than 1.4 million members who come together to create positive and lasting change in their communities and around the world.
Rotary members are neighbours, friends, business owners, professionals, tradespeople, community leaders and volunteers united by a desire to make a difference. While we come from different backgrounds, cultures and occupations, we share a common belief that working together can achieve remarkable things.
A Global Organisation with a Local Focus
Rotary is made up of more than 36,000 clubs across over 200 countries and geographic regions. Every Rotary club is independent and chooses the projects and causes that matter most to its local community.
That means your local Rotary club can support community initiatives close to home while also being connected to one of the largest and most respected volunteer networks in the world.
Rotary Membership Opens Doors
One of Rotary’s unique strengths is its worldwide fellowship. Wherever you travel, you’ll find Rotary clubs full of people who share the same values of service, friendship and community.
Rotarians are welcome to visit Rotary clubs around the world, creating opportunities for friendship, cultural exchange and lifelong connections.
Many members join Rotary to make a difference and stay because of the friendships they make along the way.
How Rotary Gets Things Done
Rotary is driven by its members. New ideas often start with a single person or club identifying a need and deciding to take action.
Clubs work together locally, nationally and internationally to deliver projects that improve lives, strengthen communities and respond to emerging challenges.
Rotary International provides the framework that connects clubs around the world, while The Rotary Foundation helps fund projects through grants supported by voluntary donations from Rotarians and friends of Rotary.
The Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is Rotary’s charitable arm and is recognised as one of the world’s leading philanthropic organisations.
Foundation funding supports projects that improve health, expand educational opportunities, strengthen communities, promote peace, provide clean water and help communities recover from disasters.
By combining resources from Rotary members worldwide, local projects can achieve far greater impact than any single club could accomplish alone.
Rotary and the Fight Against Polio
Rotary’s most ambitious project has been the global effort to eradicate polio.
What began as a Rotary initiative has grown into one of the largest public health partnerships in history. Through decades of advocacy, funding and volunteer effort, Rotary and its partners have reduced polio cases worldwide by more than 99%.
The goal is simple: to ensure no child, anywhere in the world, ever suffers from polio again.
Service Above Self
The Rotary motto, Service Above Self, has guided generations of Rotarians.
It reflects a simple idea: when people give their time, skills and experience to help others, extraordinary things can happen.
Whether it’s supporting a local school, helping a community organisation, raising funds for a worthy cause or contributing to an international project, Rotary provides the opportunity to turn good intentions into meaningful action.