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Draft 0.1, 29 September 2026. Visible to administrators only, for review before publication.

Glossary

The acronyms and terms used in the eight modules. Definitions follow the glossaries of the Disaster Field Guide and of the community economic development guide. No figure relating to The Rotary Foundation is given: amounts, ceilings and deadlines change, so check the current Terms and Conditions on My Rotary.

Rotary structure and people

  • Club: the local Rotary club, first to know the territory and the people.
  • District: a group of clubs led by the district governor. It coordinates clubs, qualifies for Foundation grants and holds the district funds.
  • DG, District Governor: the elected leader of the district for one year. Signs grant applications and decides the district's disaster activation level.
  • DRFC, District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair: the district officer in charge of relations with The Rotary Foundation. Co-signs grant applications with the district governor.
  • DRO, District Disaster Relief Officer: the person appointed by the district governor to coordinate the district's disaster response and to link clubs, district and zone.
  • Disaster Coordinator: the club-level role in charge of preparedness and of the link with the district relief officer.
  • Zone: a group of districts. Plans at regional level and supports districts when a disaster exceeds them.
  • TRF, The Rotary Foundation: Rotary's charitable arm. Manages grants, the World Fund and the Disaster Response Fund.
  • RAG, Rotary Action Group: an independent, Rotary-affiliated group of members with expertise in one field. It advises and connects clubs and districts; it has no authority over them.
  • RAGCED: the Rotary Action Group for Community Economic Development. Its role in this programme: train communities before a disaster and help restart the local economy after one.
  • DNA-RAG: the Rotary Action Group for disaster assistance. Coordinates Rotary's disaster response and hands over to RAGCED when economic recovery begins (see Module 4).
  • WASH-RAG: the action group for water, sanitation and hygiene.
  • ESRAG: the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (climate, natural hazards, sustainable reconstruction).
  • Cadre of Technical Advisers: volunteer Rotarian experts who review and advise on Foundation grant projects.
  • Host club and international partner club: the two clubs of a Global Grant. The host club works where the project takes place; the international partner club, in another country, co-funds and co-signs.

Rotary funds and grants

  • District Grant: a small, short-term grant managed by the district.
  • Global Grant: a larger grant from The Rotary Foundation for sustainable, measurable projects in one of Rotary's areas of focus. Requires a community needs assessment and a sustainability plan.
  • Disaster Response Grant (DRG): a Foundation grant to qualified districts for immediate disaster response. It pays for the emergency, not for long-term recovery.
  • DDF, District Designated Fund: the share of Foundation funds that the district can allocate, for example to District Grants or as a contribution to a Global Grant.
  • DDRF, District Disaster Relief Fund: a reserve set up by the district to finance immediate response on its territory, fed by the clubs.
  • Stewardship: the obligation to account for the use of Foundation funds: narrative, financial and photographic reports.
  • DCA-1, DCA-2, DCA-3, Disaster Committee Activation: the three-level activation scale used by some districts. The lower the number, the stronger the mobilisation: DCA-3 is normal activity, DCA-2 a significant event, DCA-1 a full-scale operation.

Disaster management

  • Hazard: the event that can strike (earthquake, flood, cyclone, drought, epidemic, major power cut).
  • Vulnerability: what makes people, places and livelihoods fragile in front of a hazard.
  • Capacities: what a community already has to face a hazard: skills, organisations, buildings, savings, networks.
  • Preparedness: everything done before a disaster so that the community loses less and restarts faster.
  • Response: the first hours and days: rescue, shelter, first aid. Not RAGCED's role.
  • Recovery: the months and years after the emergency, when jobs, businesses and markets restart.
  • ICS, Incident Command System: a standard command and coordination system for emergencies, with clear roles (command, operations, planning, logistics, finance).
  • FEMA: the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency. Publishes free resources for individuals and communities.
  • UNDRR: the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
  • GDACS: the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System, a public alert service for major disasters.
  • EM-DAT: the international database of disasters and their impacts.
  • USGS: the United States Geological Survey, a public source for earthquake data.

Community economic development

  • CED, Community Economic Development: action carried out with a community to create income, jobs and local businesses that last.
  • CNA, Community Needs Assessment: a structured assessment, carried out with the community, of its needs, strengths and priorities. Required for Global Grants.
  • Livelihoods: the activities and resources that let a household earn a living.
  • Microfinance: small loans, savings and related services for people without access to banks, usually through a local institution.
  • MFI, Microfinance Institution: the local lender that runs microfinance. Rotary advises partnering with one rather than lending directly.
  • Savings group: a group of members who save together and lend to each other from their pooled savings.
  • Vocational training: training for jobs that exist or will exist locally.
  • Value chain: all the steps that take a product from producer to buyer, with the actors and money that move along them.
  • Cooperative: an autonomous association of people who work together for their mutual benefit and share its governance.
  • Integrated local development: working on several fronts in one place (markets, storage, workshops, training) with local leaders.
  • Sustainability: the ability of a project to continue with its own resources once external funding ends.
  • Scaling up: extending what works to more people or places, by handover or replication.

Organisations cited

  • FAO: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (farmer field schools, agricultural recovery).
  • UNICEF: the United Nations Children's Fund.
  • NGO: a non-governmental organisation.
  • OFB-EZ: a free business continuity toolkit for small businesses published by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

Programme overview

-CREATING OPPORTUNITIES BY INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES

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