1. I need some benefactor forms
2. Can Canadians get a Canadian tax receipt for donations to The Rotary Foundation and if so how?

3. I have a question about Recognition Points:   I thought that I really had understood recognition points last Saturday, that once a member has a PHF, then any donations he/she makes after that count towards the next PHF, but can also be donated to someone else towards their PHF. But, this morning, checking our club CRS, I find 2 members DP and RF who have contributions of less than 1000, are not PHF's, but do have recognition points. So this is not consistent with the "mental model" I created for recognition pts last Sat. !!!!! Thanks JS

4. How can I make my gift to the Annual Fund?

5. Is The Rotary Foundation eligible to receive corporate matching gifts from my employer?

6. Are there FAQ on the Rotary International Website that answers questions regarding The Rotary Foundation?

The Answers:

1. I need some benefactor forms
   There are several ways to obtain the materials you want;
   
   Order Benefactor Form and/or Bequest Society Form (and any other forms you’d like) to be shipped to you: http://shop.rotary.org/catalog/default.php?cPath=52_54_60 
   
   By going to this site you can select the form(s) you want and they will be shipped to you. The forms you specified do not cost anything. This site is like many web shopping web sites in that you must select the item(s) you want and then “check out”. One thing to keep in mind is that when you select a form or brochure and add it to your cart, you must then change the quantity (unless you just want one). If you want 40, then enter 40 in the “Qty.” field and then select “Update”. Once you have finished ordering one or more forms, go to checkout and enter your shipping information. If you are comfortable doing web shopping, this is a really neat way of having access to all of the forms/brochures available from TRF.
   or
   Download Benefactor Form and print it out: http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/downloadcenter/pdfs/149en.pdf 
   
   Download Bequest Society Form and print it out: http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/downloadcenter/pdfs/098en.pdf 
   or
   Call John Colander at TRF and order from him or from the person he suggests. John’s number is (847) 866-3372. The item number of the forms you specifically want are:
   
   Benefactor Form = 149-en
   Bequest Society = 098-en
    

2. Since June 1 2005 I, Dave Prowse (Rotarian Strathroy Ontario RC), have taken on duties as full time TRF Canada Coordinator, based out of London, Ontario. Rotarians can send any tax receipt related enquiry to trfcanada@crcid.org or 519-473-3646. I will respond to and rectify concerns as quickly as possible.
   
   At present, Rotarians can expect to receive a tax receipt for contributions made to the TD Bank Toronto Lockbox account within approximately 10 to 14 days.
   
   Cheques and money orders must continue to be sent to the TD Lockbox, where they are processed by the bank and then forwarded to me in London, where I then process the donor contribution data and issue the relevant receipts.
   
   Send all cheques and m/o's to;

   The Rotary Foundation (Canada)
   PO Box 9988
   Postal Station A
   Toronto ON
   M5W 2J2
   
   Make cheques and m/o's payable to "The Rotary Foundation of Canada".  Any physical cheques or money orders sent to London cannot be processed immediately and will have to be sent back to TD in Toronto.

   YEAR END
   
   In extremely busy times such as year-end periods (tax year end and Rotary year end) the volume of contributions increases significantly, thus the turnaround time for tax receipts will increase accordingly. Therefore in peak periods (May-June and November-December) it is advised that Rotarians try to send in their year end contributions as early as possible - by June 5 and Dec 5 respectively if possible, to ensure processing will be able to be completed in time before the year-end cutoff.

   CREDIT CARDS

   Rotarians can be advised that credit card donations must at this time be continued to be made through Evanston, Illinois in US dollars.
   
   I understand this has been a source of some dissatisfaction in the past, however we still cannot process Canadian credit card contributions here in Canada at this time.  There should soon be a mechanism in place for Canadians to be able to donate by credit card in CDN dollars via TRF Direct.  This means that Canadian Rotarians will soon be able to use their credit cards for automatic monthly withdrawals in CDN funds and be able to receive a CDN tax receipt at the end of the year for the accumulated contributions. This will simplify the process from where it stands as of right now.

   CONTRIBUTION FORMS
   
   Rotarians should take care to ensure that all donor/recognition forms are appropriately filled out with names and addresses that are legible.
   
   It is also best to include appropriate club numbers, district numbers and member ID numbers. Multiple donor forms should be clear and concise in matching contributions to individual donors.
   
   This will ensure that tax receipts can be issued promptly and accurately.

   CLUBS AND FOUNDATIONS

   Please specify whether official tax receipts are necessary. If they are not, for example; “The Foundation has already issued tax receipts to donors, a single receipt for the full amount to the Foundation for our records will be sufficient,” or something to that effect, would be very helpful.

   FUTURE PLANS
   
   It is anticipated that the office will eventually expand to handling points, recognitions, and stocking/shipping awards to Canadian Rotarians. This is currently being handled out of Evanston. At present any questions in this regard should continue to be forwarded to Mitch Lowenstein in Evanston, who continues to assist Canadian Rotarians in this area. Mitch can be reached at lowenstm@rotaryintl.org or at (847) 866-3365.  Questions pertaining to club summaries etc. should be forwarded to Mitch as well.

   UPDATES
   
   Relevant TRF Canada updates for perusal by Canadian Rotarians will be posted here;

   http://www.clubrunner.ca/zprg/dxprogramhome/_programhome.aspx?zid=22&pageid=931

   This link can also be found on the left hand index of the Zone 22 website under ‘TRF Canada.’

   KATRINA FUND
   
   A DAF has been established for the Katrina effort. Earmark your cheque “Katrina Relief Fund” in the ‘Memo” field and make it payable to “TRF DAF” and send to:

   Mr. Clint McGowan, TRF DAF
   The Ayco Company
   855 Route 146, Suite 120
   Clifton Park, NY 12065
   
   Canadian Rotarians will not receive a tax receipt for this donation as it will not pass through the Canadian TD bank account.

   There may well be a Canadian DAF program in the works for future need. Updates of this nature will be posted on the TRF Canada webpage which can be accessed through the TRF Canada link on the left hand index of the Zone 22 website.
   
   Please feel free to contact me at any time.
   
   Best Regards;
   
   Dave Prowse
   TRF Canada Coordinator
    

3. Response from John Colander (847-866-3372) (ColandeJ@rotaryintl.org) TRF Service Rep in Evanston: 

   This only happens when a contribution is partially posted which is an error on our part here. Posting a contribution from someone with less than $1,000.00 in PHF recognition is a two-step process.  1.) First the money is added to the account which creates Foundation Recognition Points (FRPs) in the account and then 2.) the FRPs that the contribution creates are applied to the donor's PHF recognition. 

   If the second step in this process is overlooked then someone with less than 1,000.00 in Paul Harris Fellow recognition will show FRPs in his account.

   I have fixed these two accounts and I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this has created. Please contact me if you have questions.  Thank you for your support of The Rotary Foundation.
    

4. Contributions to the Annual Programs Fund may be made by check, credit card, or securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds). Outright gifts can be made easily via an online contribution or electronic funds transfer. Many people also contribute to The Rotary Foundation through their workplace campaigns via payroll deduction. For more details on how to submit a contribution through the mail, visit Making a Gift.
    

5. The Rotary Foundation is recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization and may be eligible to receive corporate matching gifts from your employer if the Foundation fits into the company’s giving guidelines. Many international companies may match contributions to the Foundation from employees who work in different countries. Your employer’s benefits or human resources department can assist you in determining if your gift can be matched and provide you with the required corporate matching gift forms.
    

6. There are several FAQ within the Foundation pages, a few of them are:
   Re-Annual Programs Fund: http://www.rotary.org/foundation/development/annualprograms/faq.html
   Re-Sustaining Member Program: http://www.rotary.org/foundation/development/annualprograms/sustaining.html
   Re-Donor Advised Funds: http://www.rotary.org/foundation/development/advisedfunds/faq.html