扶輪社員有許多機會透過扶輪社與地區，參與他們感興趣的服務計劃。然而，過去有些扶輪社員想要集中力量在某項特定的目標，因此促成其他扶輪社與地區贊助或支持的組織、基金會、與計劃的誕生。

Rotarians have many opportunities to get involved in service activities that interest them through their clubs and districts. Historically, however, some Rotarians have wanted to focus more energy on one specific cause, leading to the birth of other organizations, foundations, and programs sponsored or supported by clubs and districts. 

因扶輪而成立的組織最早的例子是國際殘障兒童協會，1920年由扶輪社員「老爹」艾倫(Edgar F. “Daddy” Allen)成立，英國的扶輪社員為想要保持活躍、不與社會脫節的退休專業與事業領袖成立Probus社團。這個構想在英國、澳洲、紐西蘭各地蔚為風行。今天，這樣的社團全球大約有4,000個，社員估計有30萬人。

The earliest example of a Rotary-inspired organization is the International Society for Crippled Children, started in 1920 by Rotarian Edgar F. "Daddy" Allen and now known as Easter Seals. In the mid-1960s, Rotarians in England developed Probus clubs for retired professional and business leaders who want to remain active and connected. The idea caught on throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Today, there are approximately 4,000 such clubs worldwide with an estimated 300,000 members. 

瑞典扶輪社員想要提供全球低收入國家足夠醫療保健的想法，促成「瑞典醫師銀行」(Swedish Doctor Bank)於1988年誕生。該組織派遣當醫生、牙醫、與其他醫療專家的扶輪社員，到開發中國家為人治病。1974年由美國扶輪社員發起的「挽救生命之禮」(Gift of Life)計劃，將重病兒童帶到美國接受其祖國無法進行的救命手術。

Swedish Rotarians' desire to provide adequate health care worldwide in low-income countries led to the creation in 1988 of the Swedish Doctor Bank, which sends Rotarian doctors, dentists, and other medical specialists to treat people in the developing world. Gift of Life, a program initiated in 1974 by U.S. Rotarians, brings desperately ill children to the United States for lifesaving surgery unavailable in their own countries. 

瑞士有些扶輪社員關心世界各地地雷擴散的問題，遂於1995年成立「掃雷」(Mine-Ex)，目的在宣導全球禁止使用殺傷性的地雷，教育兒童認識地雷的危險，並培養義肢技師。

Swiss Rotarians concerned with the deadly effects of the proliferation of land mines throughout the world formed Mine-Ex in 1995, a program designed to promote a global ban on antipersonnel mines, educate children about the dangers of mines, provide artificial limbs to victims, and train prosthetic technicians.