The Organization of Rotary

Rotary is essentially a grassroots organization,
with most of its service efforts being carried
out at the club level. The district and international
structure is designed to support the
clubs and help them provide more service in
their local communities and abroad.

Clubs: Rotarians are members of Rotary
clubs, which belong to the global association
Rotary International (RI). Each club elects
its own officers and enjoys considerable
autonomy within the framework of Rotary’s
constitution and bylaws.

Districts: Clubs are grouped into 531 RI districts,
each led by a district governor, who is
an officer of RI. The district administration,
including assistant governors and various
committees, guides and supports the clubs.

RI Board: The 19-member RI Board of Directors,
which includes the RI president and
president-elect, meets quarterly to establish
policies. Traditionally, the RI president, who
is elected annually, develops a theme and
service emphases for the year.

The Secretariat

Rotary
International is headquartered
in the Chicago suburb of Evanston,
Illinois, USA, with seven
international offices in Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, India, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland.
The office for RI in Great Britain and Ireland
(RIBI), located in England, serves clubs and
districts in that region. The Secretariat’s chief
operating officer is the RI general secretary,
who heads a 740-member staff working to
serve Rotarians worldwide.

  What is Rotary? 

Rotary International, the world’s
first service club organization,
is made up of 33,000 clubs in
more than 200 countries and
geographical areas. Its members
form a global network of business,
professional, and community
leaders who volunteer their
time and talents to serve their
communities and the world.

Rotary’s motto, Service
Above Self, exemplifies the humanitarian
spirit of the organization’s
more than 1.2 million members.
Strong fellowship among
Rotarians and meaningful
community and international
service projects characterize
Rotary worldwide.

Rotary enjoys a rich and
sometimes complex tradition
and organizational structure,
with many programs that can
be confusing to new and even
not-so-new members. The
following pages offer a basic
Rotary education — the fundamental
knowledge that will
make every member better informed
about Rotary and proud
to be a Rotarian.