Membership Principles

Our Ethical Drive as Leaders

Rotary’s guiding principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians worldwide with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationships with each other and the action we take in the world.

Objective of Rotary

The Objective of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

• FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
• SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
• THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
• FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Our Collective Impact

Rotary connects leaders from all cultures and occupations who want to use their distinct expertise for good. Rotary is made up of people whose sense of responsibility inspires them to give back to their communities, who step forward to tackle the toughest challenges – and persevere to create lasting changes in communities around the world.

Together, we empower youth, improve health, promote peace and advance our communities in all corner of the globe.

With 1.2 million members worldwide, our global community’s impact has never been greater – and it continues to grow.

When Rotarians come together and commit to a cause, like our PolioPlus initiative, the magnitude of our impact is clear. And, with the ongoing support of Rotarians, we will continue the fight to End Polio Now.

Join Rotary because you want to make a difference. Because you believe in our Motto: Service Above Self. Because you are committed to integrity and making change happen and because the areas that we focus on are important to you.

The Four-Way Test

The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages.