Regional Philanthropy Seminar at RISPPO: focus on enhanced learning and strategic fundraising planning for RRFC’s and E/MGA’s in Zones 8 and 10A for the Rotary year ahead.

Article by Anke Timm (Philanthropy Supervisor, RISPPO)

Current and incoming Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinators (RRFC’s) and Endowment & Major Gifts Advisors (E/MGA’s) meet with the Rotary International South Pacific and Philippines Office (RISPPO) Philanthropy team to plan major fundraising initiatives towards The Rotary Foundation.

Before heading into two of the busiest months of the fundraising calendar at the end of the financial year, a small group of our regional Foundation volunteer leaders came together to look ahead at the next Rotary year 2024-25 and their ambitious goals. Current Zone 10A (Philippines) RRFC Rufino L. (Penny) Policarpio III and E/MGA Virgilio Gabriel (Jun) Farcon Jr joined Zone 8 incoming RRFC David Anderson from Australia and current E/MGA Jennie Herring from New Zealand in Sydney, for an immersive 1,5-days seminar to deep-dive into all aspects of our major donors’ journeys. The stated objective of this bespoke intensive learning opportunity was to develop a localised plan, setting out major gift initiatives for the next 12 months and beyond.

Trustee Dennis Shore joined the group at RISPPO in Norwest, to update attendees on the activities of the Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees and emphasize the importance of Trustee Chair elect Mark Maloney’s “5 Magical Markers”. These markers appeared throughout the seminar sessions as guiding principles for discussions around performance and success measures:

1. Lead by example by making a contribution to the Annual Fund no later than 31 August 2024 and to the Endowment Fund no later than 31 December 2024.

2. Increase by 10% the number of donors in your district enrolled in Rotary Direct, our recurring giving program.

3. Establish or continue a district PolioPlus Society with at least 50 members by the end of 2024-25.

4. Raise awareness of the Paul Harris Society through which Rotary members generously commit to give US$1,000 to the Annual Fund every year. Increase the number of Paul Harris Society members in your district by at least 10.

5. Select a team to coordinate a legacy event in your district. This team will serve as the leadership of a million-dollar event to increase giving to the Endowment. 

Our local Philanthropy team members shared the session facilitation and established a ‘safe space’ at the beginning of Day 1, to set the scene where Chatham House Rules applied, and respectful discussions were encouraged. Colleagues Gretchen Laurel and Mark Anderson added their individual presentation styles and nuances of expertise to the sessions, creating an easy flow throughout the two days.

The seminar was mainly focussed on equipping attendees to fully understand the complete cycle of fundraising. This was the first time this event was held regionally, not centrally in Evanston, and the hope was that the facilitators could add a lot of value by maximising the time spent on collective problem-solving.

Seven individual sessions had been prepared for the program, with ample time for questions and discussions. The careful preparation of relevant regional and local topics was enhanced by the participants’ contributions of personal experiences during years of leadership in Rotary. Sharing case studies that were challenging, discussing the issues and brainstorming solutions together, opened up rare opportunities for in-person knowledge sharing and peer learning. An even better understanding of cultivation and stewardship, and of the challenges ahead for major events and effective communication were amongst the learning outcomes noted by attendees.

The two final sessions “Identifying potential strategies” and “Creating work plans”focused on developing a list of fundraising ideas, tactics, and strategies to increase major gifts, and on creating workplans utilizing immediate and longer-term impact strategies, with dates and persons responsible. All agreed that it was vital that E/MGAs and RRFCs should leave the Seminar with a concrete action plan.

A warm THANK YOU to all our committed regional leaders for making time and travelling to Sydney, to join the Regional Philanthropy Seminar and go into the next Rotary year with hopefully a renewed sense of collegiality and purposeful motivation!