The Four Avenues of Service
The Four Avenues of Service, based on the Object of Rotary, are Rotary's philosophical cornerstone and the foundation on which club activity is based.
- Club Services
- Community Services
- International Services
- Vocational Services
Object of Rotary
The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
- The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
- 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;
- The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
- The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
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Club Services
Club Service forcuses on strengthening fellowship and ensuring the effective functioning of the club.
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Community Services
Community Service covers the projects and activities the club undertakes to improve life in its community.
A community, defined in its simplest terms, is a group of people who have something in common. But in real life, it is something far more complex than that. Each member — individual, group, organization, and business — draws benefits from the community in many different ways. For a community to thrive, each of its members must honor a commitment to contribute to the well-being of the whole by returning those benefits in kind.
Rotarians recognize the importance of giving back to the community. After all, Community Service is one of the Four Avenues of Service. Every Rotary club and every Rotarian assumes a responsibility to find ways to improve the quality of life for those in their communities and to serve the public interest. When those efforts are effective, they not only contribute to the greater good, they also promote Rotary's positive image.
What makes a community service effort effective? Relevance. A community service project must address a real, current community concern or issue. Rotary clubs should start by surveying their communities to find out where help is needed. Once a club has listened to its community, it can begin to envision effective responses to problems.
Service defines Rotary's character; whether local or international, it promotes Rotary's appeal and visibility in the community, and is the reason Rotary continues to grow.
Community service responds to the needs of a local community. Rotary clubs should determine top priorities for service projects by first learning about a community's needs and assets, and then developing a response that addresses them.
An effective service project:
- Responds to a real issue, not an imagined one.
- Improves the lives of community members.
- Incorporates the abilities of those who are served.
- Recognizes all participants' contributions as important and necessary.
- Comes from a realistic assessment of resources available.
- Aims for specific goals and objectives with measurable results.
- Builds a working network
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International Services
International Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary's humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace.
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Vocational Services
Vocational Service encourages Rotarians to serve others through their vocations and to practice high ethical standards.
As business leaders, Rotarians share their skills and expertise through vocational service, one of the Four Avenues of Service. Your vocational service efforts can play a vital role in improving the quality of life for those hardworking members of the community who need direction and expertise. By participating in any of a number of vocational service activities — mentoring, career days, vocational awards, business assistance, or even talking about your job at a club meeting — you can turn your experience into an invaluable resource for others.
When professionals join a Rotary club, they do so as a representative of their particular business or profession. This gives Rotarians the dual responsibility of representing their vocation within the club and of exemplifying the ideals of Rotary within the workplace.
Vocational service focuses on:
- Adherence to, and promotion of, the highest ethical standards in all occupations, including fair treatment of employers, employees, associates, competitors, and the public.
- The recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, not just your own or those that are pursued by Rotarians.
- The contribution of your vocational talents to the problems and needs of society.
- The values expressed in The 4-Way Test and the Declaration for Rotarians in Business and Professions, which promote high ethical standards in the workplace, a central theme of Rotary throughout its history.
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