Rotary International
DISTRICT 7280
NEWSLETTER
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Rotary International DISTRICT 7280 |
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Although November was not a good month in terms of contributions to the Rotary Foundation, I am certain that contributions to the Foundation will increase in December and continue after the first of the year. Your contribution to the Foundation will provide funding for both district and international programs of Rotary International. We appreciate the ten clubs in the District that achieved the Every Rotarian Every Year status in the 2006-2007 Rotary year, but I ask your support in increasing the number of clubs that achieve the Every Rotarian Every Year goal of $100 per Rotarian contribution to the Rotary Foundation. What club will be the first in the District to achieve Every Rotarian Every Year? Let us continue to work together to remain one of the top districts in Zone 28 and thank you to all Rotarians that have made or will make a contribution to the Rotary Foundation in this Rotary Year. By the time you receive this newsletter, our GSE team will have arrived in India and we will host the GSE team from India in May. This is only one foundation program that directly impacts our district. According to our records, 27 clubs have contributed a total of $15,250.00 to the District Governor’s Project. Is your club among the 16 clubs that have not made a contribution to the District Governor’s project? The support of all clubs is essential to provide the necessary funds to support the Water Filtration Project in the Dominican Republic, the Literacy Project in Haiti and Polio Plus. Our support for these three programs will reduce the incidence of water born diseases in the Dominican Republic, provide greater opportunities for education for the children of Haiti and assist in the eradication of polio from the face of the earth. Opportunities For Service Mark Vincent and Gary Weston of the Rich-Mar Club continue to encourage Rotarians to join them to provide a team of volunteers to build homes in Mississippi for families displaced by Katrina. The date of the next trip to Mississippi is scheduled for April 20-25, 2008. A group of Rotarians from District 7280 departed for the Dominican on Thursday, January 10 and returned on January 17. In the February Newsletter, I will provide a summary of our trip and the service projects that we completed during our seven days in the Dominican Republic. I would like to encourage all Rotary Clubs in the district to participate in our eyeglasses collection program and our partnership with the Lion Clubs in Northwest Pennsylvania. These eyeglasses will be presented to the District Governor of the Lions for distribution in Haiti in cooperation with Rotarians from Philadelphia. Membership I realize that this may sound like a broken record or maybe I am preaching to the choir, but although we continue to recruit new members, our total membership has declined by 22 members as of the end of November. I encourage all Rotarians to read the interview with Ron Beaubien, Chair, 2007-2008 Membership Development Committee, (pp 42-44) in the January 2008 issue of the Rotarian. Ron emphasizes many of the ideas on membership recruitment and retention that I have stated in previous newsletters and clubs visits over the last six months. Over the last five years, Rotary membership in this district has continued to decline and we have lost 3 clubs in the district. All clubs should continue to review and update your membership recruitment and retention programs. Does your club have a new member orientation program or a mentoring program? If not why not? The Mercer Rotary Club will be sponsoring a New Member Orientation Program in March and I encourage not only new members, but all interested Rotarians to attend this seminar. You will be receiving additional information in the coming weeks. When a Rotarian resigns, do you follow up to find out why he or she resigned from your club? Does your meeting time meet the needs of potential Rotarians that cannot meet a noon or in the evening because of work or family commitments? Should we organize a morning or a cocktail hour club, if there is sufficient interest? In order to grow, we must think outside of the box. I am convinced that the only way this district can grow is by the formation of new Rotary Clubs, either in communities where we have existing clubs or by organizing new Rotary Clubs in communities not currently served by Rotary. In previous newsletters, I discussed some of the recent resolutions passed by the Council on Legislation designed to assist clubs in recruiting new members. Please refer to the September Newsletter for details on these new membership programs. As I stated at PETS and during my club visits, the strength of all Rotary Clubs rests in its membership. If anyone has any suggestions as to communities that would benefit from the establishment of a Rotary Club, please contact me. IMPACT TOMORROW ASK SOMEONE TO JOIN ROTARY TODAY AND SERVE THE WORLD. On Saturday, January 5th, we interviewed three students interested in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Interest in this program has been declining for several years and there may be number of reasons, including the existing international situation, for the apparent lack of interest in students spending a year studying in another country. I am asking all clubs to discuss this program among your members and with local school officials as to why we are having problems recruiting outbound students. I would appreciate information from Rotarians in the District as to how we can increase the interest among high schools students this excellent youth exchange program. Last May, we organized a Rotary Foundation Alumni Association but we have not had a response from former GSE Team Members and Ambassadorial Scholars. We need your assistance in obtaining the current addresses of these Foundation Alumni. Those GSE Team Leaders who have kept in contact with their team members, please provide us with the current addresses of their team members. This would be a great help in updating our data base. Also, if anyone knows the current addresses of our Ambassadorial Scholars, please provide these to the district. Upcoming Events District Conference May 9-11 at the Radisson in West Middlesex with the Golf Tournament at the Former Sharon Country Club Course. The District Conference Committee is currently working on developing an interesting program for our District Conference. The theme of this year’s conference is Neighbors Serving Neighbors Here and Abroad. The opening plenary session will be on the application of the 4-way test in business and professional activities and our speaker that evening will be the Al Mathis the Grandson of H.L. Taylor who wrote the 4-way test. The title of Mr. Mathis talk is My Grandfather Wrote The 4 Way Test He Made It So Easy Even a Cave Man Can Do It. Pat and I enjoyed attending the special activities of Rotary Clubs during Holidays. In the meantime, always keep in mind the 4-Way Test as the Ethical Code for all Rotarians and our motto of “Service Above Self.” Thank you for being a Rotarian and be prepared to Serve – The World Awaits. Fred J. Brenner Secretary’s Corner Either you or your Club President has just received a large white envelope containing your SAR, or Semi Annual Report, that represents your club’s roster and semi-annual invoice. Please be sure to work on this report now and you will have the option of making the changes on the report for each member or better yet, go to www.rotary.org and enter the Member Access portal to make the changes on line. Whichever way you choose, you MUST still return the completed invoice with all pages attached to the RI Collection Center. You should also send a copy to DG Fred Brenner. If you have a problem calculating your revised invoice amount please call me at 724-482-2916. Please note the new manner in which incoming members will be billed. You will find this change on the second sheet in your package. Yours in Rotary, Peter Richdale, Co-Secretary/Treasurer
Summer Holiday Exchange Program Club Presidents or YEO's: Please contact your local newspapers (which can be done by e-mail) and ask them to put the following Press Release in their paper. Please leave my name and phone number in the write-up, but add the name and phone number of either the club president or YEO as an alternate local contact. Since the end of March is the deadline for applications, this should go in your newspapers as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the Summer Program, please call me. I have all the applications, handbook and insurance forms that can be e-mailed to you or the students as necessary. Subject: Public Service Press Release Students sought for overseas Rotary International Summer Exchange Program Would you like to spend part of your summer in a new and different culture? Local Rotary clubs are searching for high school students to travel overseas this summer as part of the Rotary International Youth Summer Exchange Program. Eligible students should be of good character, possess a warm friendly personality, have above-average academic ability, be between the ages of 15-18, and be able and willing to travel on their own to complete the exchange. A proficiency in a foreign language is not required. The Rotary Summer Exchange Program is a true exchange experience, with students exchanging time in each of the matching country's student's homes. Participants will live with host families in their selected country, usually for three to six weeks in the summer, under the sponsorship of their local Rotary Club. A local interview is required before an exchange match is made. Student expenses are estimated at approximately $220.00 plus the cost of travel. Each hosting home provides room and board during the exchange. Applications are available now and due no later than March 15th. More information is available by contacting Rotary District Summer Exchange Coordinator Diane McCall at (814) 437-2072 or email her at djm1@peoplepc.com . Thank you, Diane McCall, District Summer Exchange Coordinator.
New IRS Club Reporting Requirements From Club and District Support - Pan America Department What follows is not tax advice, but general information, which may be useful. Questions regarding any tax matters need to be referred to local counsel, your tax adviser or to the IRS. (http://www.irs.ustreas.gov or 1-800-829-1040) On 13 May 1958, the Internal Revenue Service declared that Rotary International (RI) and its clubs and districts are entitled to exemption from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. While Rotary districts and clubs are exempt from paying federal income tax, the law does require Rotary clubs and districts to file an annual information return on IRS Form 990, on or before the 15th day of the 5th month following the close of the annual accounting period (15 November). – Certain organizations, other than private foundations, that do not normally receive more than $25,000 in gross receipts in each taxable year are not required to file Form 990. NEW! Starting in 2008, clubs or districts with gross receipts of $25,000 or less will be required to file Form 990-N, which is an electronic e-Postcard report. This report is required annually starting 15 November 2008. Failure to meet the annual filing requirement for three consecutive years will result in revocation of the tax-exempt status of the club or district in question. To learn more about this requirement, and to obtain the necessary e-Postcard report form, visit the US Treasury website at: www.irs.gov/eo, or call the toll-free number: (877) 829-5500. Numbers: RI's Group Exemption Number (referred to as "GEN" on Form 990), is 0573, which applies to RI as well as all USA and Puerto Rico clubs and districts. At the same time, every club and district in the US and Puerto Rico is required to have its own Employer Identification Number (EIN). This 9-digit number is essentially a tax ID number, and has nothing to do with whether the club or district has any employees. As RI must report annually the EINs of all districts and clubs in the USA and Puerto Rico, the RI secretariat maintains a list of those EIN tax numbers for reference. New Rotary Clubs, however, must apply directly to the IRS for an EIN number to be assigned to the new Rotary club. In District 7280, PDG Lee Ahlum has been provided a listing of EINs for all the clubs in the district. Tax Deductible Status: Though clubs and districts do not have to pay federal income tax, donations to clubs and districts are not tax deductible as a charitable contribution. However, such deductible status is possible for a contribution to any club or district charitable fund that has been independently classified by the IRS as qualifying under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Membership dues may be deductible for some Rotarians as a business expense. Please contact the IRS or your tax consultant or attorney for guidance on this issue. Other Taxes: Federal Social Security and withholding taxes, and local state income taxes may be required from a club or district that has one or more paid employees. Please contact the IRS or your tax consultant or attorney for guidance on this issue. The laws of individual states vary in regard to state income tax, sales tax, other taxes and special licenses. The 501(c)(4) status applies only to federal income tax and does not necessarily have any bearing on state or local taxes. IRS interpretation of its Code also can vary slightly in different US Treasury districts. November 2007. IMPORTANT
CLUB INFORMATION: This report is printed here to alert your club’s Board
of Directors to take immediate action to be sure that you are in compliance
with this new law. If you do not know your club’s EIN you must call either
of us at once so you can provide it to the person or persons who handle
your club’s accounting. District Governor’s Project Update
Pat and I have just returned from the Dominican Republic working on the district’s pure water project which is funded from this money and I must tell you the need is over whelming. Please support these projects. DG Fred Lessons in Rotary Geography § Would you guess that the meetings of the Rotary Club of Portland, Maine, are farther south than those of the clubs in London, England? § Can you imagine that the Rotary Club of Pensacola, Florida, is west of the Detroit, Michigan, club? § The Rotary Club of Nome, Alaska, lies west of the club in Honolulu, Hawaii. § The Santiago, Chile, club is located east of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. § Rotary geographers will know that virtually every Rotary club meeting in Australia is east of the Hong Kong Rotary Club. § What do the Rotary clubs of Quito, Ecuador; Libreville, Gabon; Singapore, and Kampala, Uganda, have in common? You guessed right if you said they all meet approximately on the equator.
(Source: The ABCs of Rotary by Cliff Dochterman) December Attendance and Membership Report
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