Endowment / Major Gifts
WHAT WE DO: The goal of your team of Endowment/Major Gift Advisers is to support/assist districts in fund development for The Rotary Foundation, specifically major gifts and bequests. We work collaboratively with TRF Major Gifts Officers, RRFCs, Area of Focus Major Gifts Initiative committees, and district leaders in identification, cultivation, solicitation, and donor stewardship.
HOW WE CAN HELP: Your Endowment/Major Gifts Advisers support/assist districts in developing fundraising committees and identifying strategies for encouraging major gifts, planned gifts, and bequest commitments. We do this through on-site training of district teams, support of district initiatives, events, and interaction with individual donors within the districts.
Marge Cole | Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor
Marge Cole is a native Californian who grew up in the Los Angeles area. She graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara and earned a master’s degree at Syracuse University in New York. She returned to California to teach high school and served as a Principal and Director
of Student Services before retiring in 2004. She joined the Santee/Lakeside Rotary Club in District 5340 in 1996, serving as club president in 2002–23.
Marge has held many different District positions including, GSE Team Leader and Chair; District Rotary Foundation Chair; Ambassadorial Scholar Sponsor; District Governor (2009–10); Council on Legislation Representative; Youth Service Chair; Rotary Grants Committee Chair; District 5340 Major Gifts/Bequest Society Committee; District Rotary Friendship Exchange Committee Chair; and Advisor for the City Heights Rotaract Club. At the Zone level, Marge chaired the Southern California/Nevada PETS (now Southwest PETS) in 2011. She served on several committees for Far West Zones Institutes and served as Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator (RRFC) for Zone 26 from 2016 to 2019.
Steve Lewis | Endowment / Major Gift Adviser
Steve will tell you that mentoring Rotary Clubs to become Bigger, Better and Bolder is one of his passions.
He joined Rotary in 1995 and served as president of his then 118member Carson City, Nevada club that was later recognized as Club of the Year!
Steve served District 5190 as Governor in 2010-2011 and later as their DRFCC during the successful transition years of ‘Future Vision’. Steve remains active in various leadership roles on the Rotary Zone Institute committee and continues to serve as faculty for both GNATS & GETS and numerous ‘Big West’ PETS. Additionally, he’s previously served as Zone 27’sRegional Rotary Foundation Coordinator(‘RRFC’)and is looking forward to serving another 3-year assignment as Zone 27’s Endowment/Major Gifts Adviser, or, ‘E/MGA’.
A charter member of both District 5190’s Paul Harris Society and ‘Triple Crown’ Donors, Steve and his wife Ginny are both Major Donors and members of our Foundation’s Bequest Society. Steve is the proud recipient of The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service in recognition of his ongoing commitment to educate fellow Rotarians on unique ways to Make Dreams Real through the various programs of our Foundation, which he fondly calls our legacy of hope!
Steve is the ‘active’ owner of Sterling Air, Ltd., an aviation company based in Carson City, NV that specializes in the sales, service and management of various types of personal and corporate jet aircraft
Assigned Districts: 5020, 5030, 5080, 5100, 5110, 5130, 5150, 5160, 5180, 5190, 5390, 5400, 5420, 5440