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The
Object of Rotary can be considered the foundation
stone on which the Rotary house is built. This brief
statement, 106 words in its current form, is a key
element of the Rotary International Constitution.
It states the essential purpose of the organization
-- "to encourage and foster the ideal of service
as a basis of worthy enterprise" -- and then
lists four areas by which this "ideal of service"
can be fostered. They are: through the development
of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; the
promotion of high ethical standards in business
and professions; through service in one's personal,
business and community life; and the advancement
of international understanding, goodwill and peace.
This articulation of Rotary ideals began with the
first constitution of 1906 which had three objects:
promotion of business interests, promotion of good
fellowship and the advancement of the best interests
of the community. By 1910 there were five objects
in the statement and by 1915, six. The document
went through several further revisions until a final
revision in 1951 which made it a single "Object"
which is manifested in four separate ways. The "ideal
of service" is the key phrase, expressing an
attitude of being a thoughtful and helpful person
in all of one's endeavors.
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:
| FIRST. |
The development of acquaintance as an opportunity
for service;
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| SECOND. |
High ethical standards in business and professions;
the recognition of the worthiness of all
useful occupation as an opportunity to serve
society;
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| THIRD. |
The application of the ideal of service
in each Rotarian's personal, business, and
community life;
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| FOURTH. |
The advancement of international understanding,
goodwill, and peace through a worl fellowship
of business and professional persons united
in the ideal of service. |
Declaration
of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions
The
Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions
was adopted by the Rotary International Council
on Legislation in 1989 to provide more specific
guidelines for the high ethical standards called
for in the Object of Rotary:
As a Rotarian engaged in a business or profession,
I am expected to:
- Consider
my vocation to be another opportunity to serve;
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Be faithful to the letter and to the spirit
of the ethical codes of my vocation, to the
laws of my country, and to the moral standards
of my community;
- Do
all in my power to dignify my vocation and to
promote the highest ethical standards in my
chosen vocation;
- Be
fair to my employer, employees, associates,
competitors, customers, the public and all those
with whom I have a business or professional
relationship;
- Recognize
the honor and respect due to all occupations
which are useful to society;
- Offer
my vocational talents: to provide opportunities
for young people, to work for the relief of
the special needs of others, and to improve
the quality of life in my community;
- Adhere
to honesty in my advertising and in all representations
to the public concerning my business or profession;
- Neither
seek from nor grant to a fellow Rotarian a privilege
or advantage not normally accorded others in
a business or professional relationship.
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