Understanding Rotary Foundation Recognition Points

Foundation recognition points are awarded to donors who make cash contributions to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) through the Annual Fund or PolioPlus, or who contribute to sponsorship of a Foundation grant such as a Global Grant. Donors receive one recognition point for every U.S. dollar contributed to these funds. (Contributions to the Rotary International or Club Endowment Funds are not eligible.) Donors can transfer Foundation recognition points to others to help them qualify as a Paul Harris Fellow or Multiple Paul Harris Fellow but do not qualify as contributions towards Major Donor status. Points do not count the same as actual cash contributions.

As you know, to become a “Paul Harris Fellow,” you must contribute USD $1,000. You must personally contribute a minimum of USD $500 and the remaining requirement may be matched with Recognition Points, transferred from another member. These points are not like cash.

There are members in our club and friends of our club who have accumulated many “Foundation Recognition Points” through their generous cash contributions to the Rotary Foundation, accumulating Recognition Points equal to the actual dollars they contributed to TRF. They may agree to donate a minimum of 100 points to others to encourage them to make or continue to make actual cash contributions to TRF, helping them become initial Paul Harris fellows, or to progress through the levels of “Multiple Paul Harris Fellows.” For example, we have many members of our club who contributed USD $500 cash that were matched with a gift of 500 Recognition Points literally designated by another, allowing the recipient member to become a PHF or advance through the Multiple PHF levels. It is important to understand that these points are not actual dollars. They are just points that generous members voluntarily designate to others.

Individual donors are the only ones authorized to transfer recognition points from their individual account, and club presidents are the only ones allowed to transfer recognition points from a club account. In each case, an Official Rotary Foundation Recognition and Transfer Request form must be duly filled up and submitted to TRF. Our Club Secretariat can assist in completion of the forms (TRF Form 102), which are also downloadable from this link from members signed into “MyRotary” at the Rotary web site: https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/take-action/give/recognition

Foundation Recognition Points belong to the original cash donor but expire upon the death of the donor unless previously transferred or used by the donor directly. Major donor points do not expire upon death but instead are transferred the control of a surviving spouse. So, donate points to others NOW to help encourage them to give more, especially to get all of our members to become PHF.

Designated Club leaders can view an online Club Recognition Summary, which includes the historical record of recognition amounts, recognition points, current PHF levels, and the date that level was achieved for each club member. Through your personal “MyRotary” account, you can view your own personal contribution history. You can also request a copy of your Donor History report from TRF by emailing rotarysupportcenter@rotary.org. In that summary you can see the PHF recognition that you have accumulated through your personal contributions and recognition points that you have been given by others. Available points are those that you can designate to others to help them in their ascent into base or multiple PHF.

It is important to contribute both cash to the Foundation every year, and to designate points to others to both help them attain PHF recognition and to help our club reach our Annual Fund target and maybe even to become a 100% PHF club status. Many people are surprised that the oldest club in Asia, with all of its high-profile members, has never achieved that target. If you would like to become a PHF or advance to another level, please contribute NOW. If you want assistance from points contributed by another member, just inform me or our club secretariat. We can find those who will happily make (usually) anonymous donations of Recognition Points to you. You cannot use your own points to advance yourself, but you can let us know if you are willing to donate them to others. Their only value is to help others!

Here is a summary of the recognition levels for Multiple PHF Fellows:

$1,000 to 1,999.99 – plain pin

$2,000 to 2,999.99 – one sapphire

$3,000 to 3,999.999 – two sapphires

$4,000 to 4,999.99 – three sapphires

$5,000 to 5,999.99 – four sapphires

$6,000 to 6,999.99 – five sapphires

$7,000 to 7,999.99 – one ruby

$8,000 to 8,999 – two rubies

$9,000 to 9,999 – three rubies

Cash and points can take you all the way there. However, to become a major donor, your personal cash contributions must be USD $10,000 or more. Please consider making a gift to the Rotary Foundation now. Thank you.