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Project Lifecycle Resources
From planning and supporting your effort to promoting and evaluating its impact, these resources can help ensure success throughout the lifecycle of your project:
Planning & organizing
Well-planned service projects are more likely to have a strong impact and create effective and transparent communication between your community and club. Every community has its own unique assets and concerns. Learn about Rotary's six causes to help address some of the world's most critical needs.
Leverage your district's local expertise
Many districts maintain networks of local experts (district resource network) with technical and project-planning expertise. Ask your district international service chair to help you get in touch with them early in the planning process and how to connect with resources to improve projects and global grants. Your district or regional experts can serve as advisors to help your club:
Align a project with Rotary's areas of focus
Obtain assistance with project design/planning and implementation
Learn about the global grant process
Conduct a community assessment
Identify international partners
Secure funding
Ensure the sustainability of the project
Establish measurement and evaluation benchmarks
You can also identify local and international experts from the Rotary family through your district service and Foundation committees, Rotarian Action Groups, or the TRF Cadre of Technical Advisors. Read how clubs are maximizing the use of local Rotary and community expertise to inspire you to build or expand your district resource network of experts to enhance the quality of global grants projects.
Exchange ideas in the online community
Share your ideas and get advice by asking the experts in our Cadre-led Area of Focus discussion groups and exploring groups facilitated by members involved in RAGs, RCCs, global grants and more.
Conduct a community assessment
Work with your community to identify a need, how best to address it, and what resources are available. A Rotary Community Corps can help you build a relationship with stakeholders.
Set service goals
Use Rotary Club Central to set and track your project's goals. If you plan to apply for a global grant to fund your project, consult the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Supplement for suggested project measures and sample project monitoring plans.
Create a project plan
A comprehensive project plan will help you manage your resources, anticipate problems, and evaluate your project’s success. Form a club service projects committee to oversee your projects.
Acquiring resources
Take advantage of crowdsourcing, grants, and fundraisers to acquire resources for your next project.
Use Rotary Ideas
Crowdsource to find the resources for your next project:
Find partners for global grants or other projects.
Obtain funding from supporters worldwide. Set suggested contribution levels to encourage donations.
Solicit in-kind donations; donated goods can be as valuable as financial contributions.
Find volunteers.
Promote your project using social media, club newsletter, website, and other channels. Check your project page regularly to see details about any contributions you have received.
Use Rotary Grants
The Rotary Foundation has grant funds available to support your projects.
Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes.
District grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address community needs.
Apply through the grant center.
Hold a fundraiser
Get tips on how to hold a successful fundraiser.
Work with partners
Make your project stronger by involving Rotaract and Interact club members, our partners or Rotarian Action Groups, Rotary Community Corps, Intercountry Committees.
Participate in a project fair
Connect with partner through a project fair in your area.
Implementing your project
Communicate
Keep volunteers, stakeholders, and partners informed and up-to-date. Transparent communication through any medium is an important part project implementation.
Share project news
Use social media channels and your club website to promote your project and to update volunteers, community supporters, and club members on your progress.
Ask questions along the way
The cadre discussion groups offer advice and guidance on implementation strategies. Ask the experts your questions and share your experiences.
Evaluating & promoting
Once your project is complete, take time to reflect on its impact, its successes, and its challenges. The lessons you learn can help you the next time around and can help others.
Update your service goals
Revisit your service goals in Rotary Club Central and see how close your estimate matches the actual resources you used. Use this information to plan even better projects in the future.
Promote your project
Rotary Showcase, your club and district service resume, is the best way to inspire others and celebrate your success with the Rotary community and the world. Remember to add photos and share the page on social media.
Find more ways to promote your club's project.
Submit the final report
If you received a global grant, submit the final report through the Grant Center. If you received district grant funding, send your final report to your district leadership.
More information
Lifecycle of a Service Project videos
Related webinars
An Introduction to Rotary's Crowdsourcing Platform (Rotary Ideas)