Changing Rotary 

Rotary is indeed a fascinating organization which has withstood the tests of time including 2 world wars over last 120 years. It has grown in multiple proportions in terms of contribution to Rotary Foundation and obviously service to society. I am a Rotarian for nearly 30 years and along with Rotary I have also evolved over a period of time, more so after I was nominated as Governor in 2015-16.
Rotary’s brand identity has undergone a significant change in the last 10-12 years. Rotary updated its logo to feature the word “Rotary” alongside a refined wheel, with bold design and color choices. The emergence of annual presidential themes, each with distinct logos, continued until 2025–26, when the practice was officially discontinued to maintain consistency in global branding. The Brand Center has become Rotary’s go-to resource for branding guidelines, templates, and promotional assets—emphasizing uniformity and professionalism.
Rotary embraced inclusive Leadership and Jennifer Jones became the first woman Rotary International President in 2022–23—marking a significant milestone in gender inclusion. Rotaract, which was previously a program for young adults, was elevated to a fully recognized membership type as of 2020, giving young people a greater voice and presence in Rotary’s governance.
Focus on Membership and Strategic planning came to the fore. Rotary set ambitious growth goals—targeting 1.25 million Rotarians and 125,000 Rotaractors by 2030, while aiming to charter thousands of new clubs. By early 2025, over 165,000 new Rotary/Rotaract members had joined, with 425 Rotary clubs and 545 Rotaract clubs established. New platforms like the Service Project Center and enhanced Learning Center, including a mobile app, are helping members plan, share, and learn more efficiently.
Rotary expanded its global reach with Programs of Scale, such as a $2M initiative in India supporting sustainable agriculture and water access across several states. The Rotary Foundation raised over US$57M in global grants and more than US$27M in district grants, strengthening its funding base and impact.
India benefitted from the availability of CSR funds, in 2018-19, we,  in RID 3131, could raise about a crore of rupees in CSR and last year it went up to 18 crores setting new milestones. The Foundation contribution likewise has increased from 2.02million usd in 2021-22 to 3.13 million usd in 2024-25. The Annual Fund jump has been from 6.28 lakhs usd in 2021-22 to 9.5 lakhs usd in 2024-25. We did projects worth 100 crores in 2018 -19 and last year we did projects worth 200 crores. These figures are indeed very staggering and RID 3131 stands to serve better with the kind of funds that are availed now. It also indicates the mind set of Rotarians – they are more than willing to generously contribute for a meaningful cause.
Rotary in India is growing and we are today 2nd in the world after USA to contribute to TRF and amongst the top 3 in membership growth. We are indeed a strong force today and I am sure within no time we should scale to Numero Uno in the wold. However, the only situation of discomfort is that we are missing the hugely passionate Rotarian who used to eat drink and breathe Rotary. We surely have miles to go before we sleep but Long Live Rotary……
 
PDG Dr.Shailesh Palekar 
Rotary Club of Panvel