About Rotary
What Rotary is
If you are only just getting to know Rotary, here you will find the essentials — what the organisation is, how it works and what unites its members all over the world.
In short
People of different professions doing something useful together
Rotary is an international organisation of people of different professions and nationalities who combine their experience, knowledge and contacts in order to act for others. Local clubs choose for themselves the initiatives they want to support, and carry them out together with their members and partners.
Being a Rotarian is a chance to act and to bring about real change, and at the same time a source of personal satisfaction and of friendships for life.
Rotary's mission is service to others and the spread of international understanding, goodwill and peace — through better health, and through the fight against illiteracy and poverty.
Service Above Self.
Our motto. In Polish: Służba na rzecz innych ponad własną korzyść.
Since 1905
Where Rotary came from
The first Rotary club was founded in Chicago, in the state of Illinois in the United States, in 1905 by the lawyer Paul Harris. Harris wanted to gather a group of professionals with different experience and skills, to exchange ideas and build friendly relationships.
In August 1910 sixteen Rotary clubs in the United States formed the National Association of Rotary Clubs, known today as Rotary International.
In 1912 Rotary extended its work to two further countries, and by July 1925 Rotary clubs were active on six continents.
Today Rotary has more than 1.2 million members working in over 45,000 clubs around the world.
The name Rotary was chosen by the first Rotarians because the meeting place rotated — the gatherings were held in turn at the offices of the individual members.
Three levels
Club, district, Rotary International
Three words you will hear at every meeting. This is exactly what they mean:
The club
The basic unit of Rotary and the only one you actually belong to. A club decides for itself whom it helps and runs its own projects. Our club has been active in Warsaw since 2001 and carries Rotary International number 56514.
About our club →District 2231
Clubs of one country or region form a district. The district coordinates their work, and a new governor heads it each year. Poland is District 2231 — 89 clubs and 1,654 Rotarians (as of 22.08.2024).
Rotary in Poland →Rotary International
All the clubs of the world together: more than 45,000 clubs in over 200 countries. This is where the shared rules, the motto and the large programmes come from — such as the fight against polio, running since 1985.
rotary.org ↗The aims of Rotary
The ideal of service as the basis for action
The aim of Rotary is to support and develop the ideal of service as the basis of worthy professional and business activity, and in particular:
First
To develop personal relationships as an opportunity for service.
Second
To keep to high ethical standards in professional and business life; to recognise the worth of all useful occupations and to treat each Rotarian's own profession as an opportunity to serve society.
Third
For every Rotarian to apply the ideal of service in personal, professional and community life.
Fourth
To promote international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world community of business people and members of different professions, united by the ideal of service.
Rotary's principles
The Four-Way Test
Rotarians all over the world check their decisions with the same test, written in 1932. Four questions about the things we think, say and do.
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Want to see it up close?
The best way to get to know Rotary is at a meeting. Write to us, come along on a Wednesday or join online, and see what our Club is like in practice.