Help the club shape a project with the people closest to the issue before the club decides what to deliver.
Where this idea came from
Playbook entry
CR-066 · Community Co-Design Session
Theme
Theme 6: Club Renewal · Subtheme 6: Service Portfolio Renewal
Source material
New Club Renewal index draft plus an internally authored detailed-guide draft
Initiative-specific development wave
How this draft was developed
These sources support general principles for whole-club renewal, accessibility, privacy, safety, systems or responsible governance; they are not an endorsement of Community Co-Design Session, a finding that it suits any club or approval of its local design.
Primary references consulted
Rotary guidance for enhancing project impact(Rotary International - My Rotary) Used for: Rotary provides project-planning resources to help clubs design and manage effective projects, find partners, share practice and improve impact.
Grants(Rotary International) Used for: Rotary Foundation grants support humanitarian activities with different purposes, scales, timeframes and eligibility requirements, including sustainable and measurable outcomes for global grants.
Volunteers - WHS duties(Safe Work Australia) Used for: Volunteer activities can create work-health-and-safety duties depending on the organisation and work, so local responsibilities and risks must be checked rather than assumed.
Governance for good: A guide for Responsible People(Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission) Used for: Good governance requires understood roles, authorised decision processes, checks and balances, appropriate delegations, written decisions and oversight of finances and operations.
Candidate District material
No candidate local guide was used for this version. The current initiative identity and the attributed primary references remain separate.
Theme 6 source-assurance wave
What has been checked
4 current primary pages used by this guide were reopened on 9 August 2026.
4 attributed source claim(s) were mapped to their bounded use in this initiative.
Candidate District material remains separate and does not establish this result.
See each source's scope and limit
Rotary service-project impact resources Supports: The availability of Rotary project-planning, collaboration and impact-support resources for service-led renewal. Does not establish: That a project is feasible, authorised, funded, locally suitable, sustainable or demonstrably effective.
Grants Supports: A high-level distinction between Rotary Foundation grant types, purposes, scales and outcome expectations for renewal-related service opportunities. Does not establish: Eligibility, funding availability, approval, compliance, project quality or the suitability of a particular grant proposal.
Volunteers - WHS duties Supports: The need to identify the organisation's actual WHS position and manage volunteer physical and psychological safety proportionately during renewal activity. Does not establish: Whether WHS law applies to a particular club, who holds a duty, which jurisdictional rule applies or whether a proposed control is sufficient.
Governance for good: A guide for Responsible People Supports: Good-governance principles for renewal decisions, roles, delegation, records, accountability, financial oversight and organisational purpose. Does not establish: That a Rotary club is an ACNC-registered charity, that ACNC duties apply or that a renewal decision complies with the club's governing documents.
What still needs a person to confirm
Confirm the club's governing documents, bylaws, membership rules, decision authority, financial position and reserved decisions before changing its operating model.
Confirm which incorporated-association, charity, work health and safety, privacy, safeguarding and other duties apply to the club and this renewal design.
Test the need, accessibility, belonging, workload and alternative participation routes with current, former and prospective members rather than inferring support from the guide.
Confirm every local fact, starting point, measure, cost, owner, community need, capability claim and stopping condition before the club decides to proceed.
Resolve any candidate District-source provenance and approval decision without treating the candidate as controlled authority.
The source-verification release gate remains closed.
Checks still on hold
The controlled current Theme 6 catalogue establishes the code, title and renewal framing; the delivery content remains an internally authored draft pending full-corpus human review.
The connected Drive refresh returned an internal error on 9 August 2026. No unseen file was inferred or promoted; the 7 August intake, duplicate decisions, quarantines, rights boundaries and public-write permission hold remain in force and no sharing was changed.
Before local delivery, the club must approve the decision, participant choices, access arrangements, privacy and records plan, role boundaries, referral or escalation routes, resource limit and the specific control for this boundary: enthusiasm cannot override community evidence, partner authority, volunteer capacity, safeguarding, budget or exit planning.
Formal human review has not started. Community Co-Design Session remains an internal initiative-specific draft until all 1,000 initiatives reach the Full-Corpus Review Build and every source, editorial, local-suitability, accessibility and governance gate is resolved.
Still an internal draft: source interpretation, local suitability, accessibility, governance and editorial approval remain open checks.
Why a club might use this
The work is designed to produce a de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision; the central local boundary is that enthusiasm cannot override community evidence, partner authority, volunteer capacity, safeguarding, budget or exit planning.
Use it when
Use when the club has accumulated projects, cannot explain their current value or lacks capacity for new community priorities. Community Co-Design Session is most useful when the club is prepared to act on what it learns.
A club where the club can make one honest, authorised change at a time from a shared diagnosis, visible evidence and a scheduled continue, adapt or stop decision.
A club with a real need for a focused sustainable service portfolio and capacity to support a facilitated conversation with a published influence boundary and balanced participation.
A 90-day trial of Community Co-Design Session with a starting point, named participants, a resource ceiling and a scheduled continue, adapt or stop decision.
Before the club starts
A board-approved brief naming which project should stop, strengthen, combine or move into a bounded trial, the local authority, people affected, fixed constraints, resource ceiling, decision date and stop conditions.
A starting-point record and participant plan suited to a facilitated conversation with a published influence boundary and balanced participation, with accessible information, voluntary choices and a supported alternative route where needed.
Named delivery, evidence and decision owners, including a person authorised to pause Community Co-Design Session when a safeguard, permission or boundary is not met.
A proportionate check of governing documents, privacy, information security, accessibility, conflicts, safeguarding, work health and safety, records, finance and referral duties for the actual local design.
Capacity guide
Likely cost
Low; transition or partner commitments may require separately authorised resources.
Lead time
Six to ten weeks for the portfolio review, conversations and decisions.
People
Six to ten people across the board, service leads and partner liaison roles.
A useful club conversation
Questions worth asking
Whose experience, authority, access or safety could be missed if Community Co-Design Session is designed only by regular attendees, confident digital users or current leaders?
What would make a de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision credible enough for the club's decision, and what would still remain uncertain?
What local adaptation would still respect this boundary: Enthusiasm cannot override community evidence, partner authority, volunteer capacity, safeguarding, budget or exit planning.
Common traps
Trying Community Co-Design Session when A club with no open decision, no accountable owner, no capacity to act on a de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision or no safe way to pause the trial.
Proceeding with Community Co-Design Session when Community Co-Design Session must not be used for a rebrand without operational change, an attempt to blame current or former leaders or a programme that adds more work without stopping or redesigning anything. Enthusiasm cannot override community evidence, partner authority, volunteer capacity, safeguarding, budget or exit planning.
The same small group carries the renewal work and becomes less sustainable. — Use workload gates, role pairing, staged delivery and a stop decision when capacity is not real.
A practical 90-day path
Three milestones for Community Co-Design Session
When
What the club does
Evidence to keep
Days 1–30: Agree the local design
Write the decision brief for Community Co-Design Session: define which project should stop, strengthen, combine or move into a bounded trial, the starting evidence, people affected, local authority, resource limit, success signals and stop conditions. Invite members with varied experiences and affected community partners where appropriate, show what is open or fixed, make access practical and record trade-offs and minority views. Apply this specifically to Community Co-Design Session and record which relevant experiences or users are still missing.
An approved decision and boundary brief A participant, access and information-handling plan
Days 31–60: Run and adjust the first version
Build and test a facilitated conversation with a published influence boundary and balanced participation for Community Co-Design Session; complete the Community Co-Design Session Facilitation and Influence Run Sheet, rehearse the boundary wording and confirm who may decide, refer, pause, recover or close the work. Use a time-bounded change with named authority, capacity and stop conditions; compare evidence with the starting point and make unfinished work, unintended effects and resource pressure visible. Capture only the evidence needed to judge whether Community Co-Design Session advances a focused sustainable service portfolio.
A tested facilitation and influence run sheet and delivery pack A controlled activity and evidence record
Days 61–90: Review the evidence and decide
Compare the evidence with the starting point, validate meaning with affected participants or users, record gaps and unintended effects and prepare a de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision without overstating what the trial proves. Make and record the authorised continue, adapt, refer, scale or stop decision for Community Co-Design Session; explain the reason, complete every action, close unnecessary records and schedule the 90-day follow-up.
A de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision A published participant response, closed action register and next-step decision
Fit it to the club you have
Small club
Choose one change that releases rather than adds workload, use district or neighbouring-club help and avoid creating roles the club cannot sustain. Apply this specifically to Community Co-Design Session, a facilitated conversation with a published influence boundary and balanced participation and the club's actual capacity.
Larger club
Use a small portfolio board, clear workstream delegations and one evidence and dependency register so changes do not compete or duplicate effort. Apply this specifically to Community Co-Design Session, a facilitated conversation with a published influence boundary and balanced participation and the club's actual capacity.
Regional or rural club
Plan around travel, seasonal work, service availability and close-community privacy, and use remote district support where local capability is thin. Apply this specifically to Community Co-Design Session, a facilitated conversation with a published influence boundary and balanced participation and the club's actual capacity.
Metropolitan, hybrid or online club
Offer several participation routes and times, keep decision records accessible and ensure remote members can shape rather than merely observe the renewal. Apply this specifically to Community Co-Design Session, a facilitated conversation with a published influence boundary and balanced participation and the club's actual capacity.
Learn, adapt and know when to stop
Evidence worth keeping
Community Co-Design Session produces a de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision by the promised decision date, with evidence limitations, participation gaps and unintended effects stated.
People affected can explain the purpose, their choices, the boundary and how to raise an access, privacy, safety or governance concern.
The trial shows whether a focused sustainable service portfolio improved from the recorded starting point without shifting hidden workload, risk or exclusion elsewhere.
Change course when
The club proceeds with Community Co-Design Session without respecting this boundary: enthusiasm cannot override community evidence, partner authority, volunteer capacity, safeguarding, budget or exit planning. — Put the boundary in the brief and participant information, give the delivery lead stop authority and move any excluded matter to its responsible process.
Renewal becomes a long list of projects without a shared diagnosis or trade-offs. — Link each change to the agreed health picture, select one priority and record what will pause, stop or wait.
Consultation raises expectations beyond the authority or resources available. — Publish the decision boundary, resource ceiling and timetable and explain every accepted, deferred or declined proposal.
How to put it into practice
Detailed implementation steps for Community Co-Design Session
Step
Action
Suggested owner
Timing
Evidence or output
1
Write the decision brief for Community Co-Design Session: define which project should stop, strengthen, combine or move into a bounded trial, the starting evidence, people affected, local authority, resource limit, success signals and stop conditions.
Club board sponsor and renewal lead
Week one
An approved decision and boundary brief
2
Invite members with varied experiences and affected community partners where appropriate, show what is open or fixed, make access practical and record trade-offs and minority views. Apply this specifically to Community Co-Design Session and record which relevant experiences or users are still missing.
Club board sponsor and renewal lead with the access and privacy contacts
Weeks one and two
A participant, access and information-handling plan
3
Build and test a facilitated conversation with a published influence boundary and balanced participation for Community Co-Design Session; complete the Community Co-Design Session Facilitation and Influence Run Sheet, rehearse the boundary wording and confirm who may decide, refer, pause, recover or close the work.
Facilitator and workstream owner
Before the trial
A tested facilitation and influence run sheet and delivery pack
4
Use a time-bounded change with named authority, capacity and stop conditions; compare evidence with the starting point and make unfinished work, unintended effects and resource pressure visible. Capture only the evidence needed to judge whether Community Co-Design Session advances a focused sustainable service portfolio.
Facilitator and workstream owner
Weeks three to eight
A controlled activity and evidence record
5
Compare the evidence with the starting point, validate meaning with affected participants or users, record gaps and unintended effects and prepare a de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision without overstating what the trial proves.
Facilitator and workstream owner with an independent reviewer
Within seven days of the trial
A de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision
6
Make and record the authorised continue, adapt, refer, scale or stop decision for Community Co-Design Session; explain the reason, complete every action, close unnecessary records and schedule the 90-day follow-up.
Club board and evidence reviewer
By day 90
A published participant response, closed action register and next-step decision
Controls and safeguards
Involve community partners and people affected before stopping, transferring or substantially changing a service commitment.
Check safeguarding, permits, insurance, finances, partner agreements and Rotary approval before a pilot moves into delivery.
The club proceeds with Community Co-Design Session without respecting this boundary: enthusiasm cannot override community evidence, partner authority, volunteer capacity, safeguarding, budget or exit planning. — Put the boundary in the brief and participant information, give the delivery lead stop authority and move any excluded matter to its responsible process.
Renewal becomes a long list of projects without a shared diagnosis or trade-offs. — Link each change to the agreed health picture, select one priority and record what will pause, stop or wait.
Consultation raises expectations beyond the authority or resources available. — Publish the decision boundary, resource ceiling and timetable and explain every accepted, deferred or declined proposal.
The same small group carries the renewal work and becomes less sustainable. — Use workload gates, role pairing, staged delivery and a stop decision when capacity is not real.
The controlled current Theme 6 catalogue establishes the code, title and renewal framing; the delivery content remains an internally authored draft pending full-corpus human review.
The connected Drive refresh returned an internal error on 9 August 2026. No unseen file was inferred or promoted; the 7 August intake, duplicate decisions, quarantines, rights boundaries and public-write permission hold remain in force and no sharing was changed.
Before local delivery, the club must approve the decision, participant choices, access arrangements, privacy and records plan, role boundaries, referral or escalation routes, resource limit and the specific control for this boundary: enthusiasm cannot override community evidence, partner authority, volunteer capacity, safeguarding, budget or exit planning.
Formal human review has not started. Community Co-Design Session remains an internal initiative-specific draft until all 1,000 initiatives reach the Full-Corpus Review Build and every source, editorial, local-suitability, accessibility and governance gate is resolved.
What to measure
Review Community Co-Design Session after 90 days. Look for whether fewer weak projects drift, stronger projects show community value and volunteer effort fits real capacity, and write down one decision the evidence supports.
Community Co-Design Session produces a de-identified themes record and response register showing how participant input affected the decision by the promised decision date, with evidence limitations, participation gaps and unintended effects stated.
People affected can explain the purpose, their choices, the boundary and how to raise an access, privacy, safety or governance concern.
The trial shows whether a focused sustainable service portfolio improved from the recorded starting point without shifting hidden workload, risk or exclusion elsewhere.
Every accepted action has an owner, due date and completion evidence, and the club records a reasoned continue, adapt, refer, scale or stop decision.
Follow-up: At the 90-day review, compare the recorded measures with the starting point, resolve the listed governance holds and tell participants whether Community Co-Design Session will change, continue or stop.
Made for this initiative
Tailored supporting documents
These working documents use the decisions, safeguards and evidence needs of this initiative. Complete them with the people affected and keep the agreed version with the club's project record.
01
Community Co-Design Session Renewal Decision Brief
Connect the initiative to the agreed diagnosis, decision and capacity.
