Tom opened his comments by congratulating Lincoln South Rotary Club and our long-standing commitment to The Rotary Foundation. We have one of the highest per capita giving records in Rotary District 5650.
He shared the Mission of The Rotary Foundation: "The Rotary Foundation helps Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty."
He talked about the three funds for contributions:
The Annual Fund - EREY - Every Rotarian Every Year; the Annual Fund - often called SHARE - transforms gifts into service projects - locally and internationally.
Polio Plus - every dollar goes to polio eradication; we have been working to eradicate polio for 45 years; at the start there were hundreds of thousands affected and now it is only in two countries
The Endowment Fund - to sustain The Rotary Foundation; this creates a legacy for the future; all funds stay in perpetuity; earnings are used for grants and projects; can donate as cash donation or assigning through will, etc. Tom encouraged all of us to be a part of the Endowment Fund - creating a legacy - sustaining The Rotary Foundation well into the future.
A relatively new opportunity is the Disaster Relief Fund - a general fund to respond to disasters anywhere in the world. Grants are only available as long as there are funds.
Tom shared the member designations are given for various giving levels.
EREY member - $25 or more to the annual fund each year
SUSTAINING member - $100 to the annual fund each year
Paul HARRIS FELLOW - $1,000 member contribution to the Foundation (total contributions); multiple levels for each $1,000 contributed
PAUL HARRIS SOCIETY– Members can join by pledging and contributing $1,000 each year
MAJOR DONOR- $10,000 in total cash contributions to the foundation
ARCH KLUMPF SOCIETY– Total donations of $250,000 to the Foundation
POLIO + SOCIETY – pledge to donate $100 or more every year until polio is eradicated
Besides these member designations, clubs may be recognized when 100% of the members donate at the EREY and SUSTAINING member levels.
Specific to Lincoln South Rotary Club, Tom shared the fundraising analysis report. Of our current Rotary Club Members:
31 are Paul Harris Fellows
17 are donors to the Endowment Fund
6 are Major Donors
97% of our current active members have donated / are donating to The Rotary Foundation
27% of our current members are donating using TRF direct (auto draft payments)
$431,928.07 in all time giving for our Club to The Rotary Foundation (our club was chartered 42 years ago)
Tom reminded us of the Rotary Areas of Focus for The Rotary Foundation funded grants and projects. Rotary’s Areas of Focus - we strive to create positive and lasting change in communities worldwide. We concentrate our efforts on:
disease prevention and treatment
water, sanitation, and hygiene
maternal and child health
basic education and literacy
community economic development
the environment
BULLET POINTS FOR INTRODUCTION
• Rotary
o Past President of Suburban Omaha
o Past Chairman of Suburban Omaha Foundation Board of Trustees
o Omaha Suburban-Past Seargent-at-Arms, Fundraising Chair, Car Show Chair, Community Service
Chair
o Past Assistant Governor District 5650
o Paul Harris Fellow Plus 1
• Community
o La Vista Community Foundation Past Chairman, current Secretary
o Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce- Past Chairman, Volunteer of the Year & Excellence Award
o Charitable Gift Planners of Nebraska-VP of Marketing/Sponsorships
o Leadership Sarpy Class of 2003
o Friend of La Vista Award 2011
o Omaha Estate Planning Council
o Angels Among US Board of Directors
Tom Kerfoot joined Children’s Nebraska in January of 2016 as a Director of Development for Philanthropy. Tom
attended Bellevue University for Marketing Management and has thirteen years of experience in healthcare
fundraising, working previously for the CHI Health Foundation. Tom has a long record of successfully working with
private donors, foundations and corporate sponsors to secure funding for projects and programs. He has extensive
experience in event planning and management, and collaborated with a team to develop the planned giving program
at CHI Health Foundation.
Tom completed the Certificate in Fundraising Management through the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is
currently the Vice President – Marketing & Sponsorships for the Charitable Gift Planners of Nebraska and is a
member of the Omaha Estate Planning Council. Tom earned the designation of Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy in
2016 through a year-long program with The American College of Financial Services and the Omaha Community
Foundation.
Tom has served in leadership roles for a number of area organizations, and is Past-President for the Suburban Rotary
Club of Omaha and Past-Chairman of the Suburban Rotary Board of Trustees. Tom served on the Board of Directors
for the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce and was the Chairman of the Board in 2019. Tom has served on the
Board of Directors for the La Vista Community Foundation for the past twenty years, serving as Chairman of the
Board twice and is currently the Board Secretary.
Tom has received numerous awards and recognition for his volunteer work in the community. He was recognized as
the Volunteer of the Year in 2007, 2013 and 2014 for the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce. He received the
highest honor of Chamber Excellence Award in 2016 for the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce. He was honored as
the Volunteer of the Year in 2009 for the La Vista Chamber of Commerce. He was recognized as the Friend of La Vista
in 2011 for his work with the foundation and volunteer work in the community.