Use First-Year Member Survey to give new members a clear first 90 days, early relationships and a useful way to contribute.
Where this idea came from
Playbook entry
E-007 · First-Year Member Survey
Theme
Theme 2: Engagement & Belonging · Subtheme 1: Onboarding & First 90 Days
Source material
Current playbook index title and category plus an internally authored detailed-guide draft
Initiative-specific development wave
How this draft was developed
The cited sources support general principles for member feedback, confidentiality, personal information handling and acting on findings; they do not constitute Rotary International endorsement of the named First-Year Member Survey initiative or this local design.
Primary references consulted
Enhancing the Club Experience: Member Satisfaction Survey(Rotary International) Used for: A club can customise and distribute a member survey, analyse results, share them and create an action plan.; Confidentiality and respect for different viewpoints should be made clear to participants and those analysing responses.
Engage Emerging Leaders(Rotary International) Used for: Clubs are encouraged to ask members for ideas, take those ideas seriously and check regularly that new members are finding their place.; Rotary directs clubs to its Member Satisfaction Survey and Membership Assessment Tools when reviewing member experience.
Chapter 3: APP 3 Collection of Solicited Personal Information(Office of the Australian Information Commissioner) Used for: Personal information collection should be lawful, fair and limited to what is reasonably necessary.; Sensitive information generally requires informed consent where the Australian Privacy Principles apply.
Candidate District material consulted
These records remain draft evidence and still need a human source decision.
Club Playbook - Theme 2 Day-90 timing,Short survey of what worked, what did not and suggestions,Board-facing themes,Improvement, voice and belonging outcome intent,Nil-budget and survey-tool starting assumption
Theme 2 source-assurance wave
What has been checked
3 current primary pages used by this guide were reopened on 9 August 2026.
6 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
Enhancing the Club Experience: Member Satisfaction Survey Supports: The 4 attributed Theme 2 claims attached to this source, limited to the implementation elements and supporting documents named in each initiative-level claim mapping. Does not establish: That the initiative is endorsed by Rotary International or District 9510, that it is permitted by the club's governing documents, that members want it, that it suits the local club, or that it will achieve the intended outcome.
Engage Emerging Leaders Supports: Member-centred discovery, mentoring, feedback, emerging-leader support and club-health review principles during renewal. Does not establish: That a person is ready for office, should be selected, has consented to a role or that a proposed renewal pathway will work locally.
Chapter 3: APP 3 Collection of solicited personal information Supports: Data-minimisation, collection-purpose, proportionality and consent safeguards where the Privacy Act and APP 3 apply. Does not establish: Whether a particular Rotary club is an APP entity or whether a proposed renewal survey, diagnostic or member record is lawful in its actual circumstances.
What still needs a person to confirm
Confirm the member, prospective-member, past-member and community needs, preferences and consent that the local design assumes.
Confirm which privacy, safeguarding, incorporated-association, charity, work health and safety, food, liquor, copyright, licensing, screening and other duties apply to the club and the activity.
Test accessibility, cultural safety, belonging, language and alternative participation routes with affected people and recognise First Nations cultural authority rather than inferring suitability from the guide.
Confirm every local fact, starting point, cost, role, current service contact, measure, stopping condition and platform capability before the club decides to proceed.
Confirm the authority and current scope of each primary source, resolve login-gated or moved-page references and keep any candidate District material attributed and unapproved until its source decision is made.
The source-verification release gate remains closed.
Checks still on hold
Confirm the club's actual Privacy Act coverage, state or territory obligations and internal privacy policy before collecting responses.
Approve the anonymity threshold, raw-data access list, secure storage location and deletion date.
Confirm who may receive and resolve an individual welfare, conduct or safety concern disclosed through the survey.
Obtain board approval for the survey commitment and response timetable before inviting participants.
Still an internal draft: source interpretation, local suitability, accessibility, governance and editorial approval remain open checks.
What could this idea change?
A consistent welcome helps people build relationships sooner and understand how they can take part.
It may suit: New and prospective members, and the club members helping them settle in.
Could this work in our club?
Consider First-Year Member Survey when new members receive different welcomes or are unsure what happens after joining.
Clubs welcoming several people across the year and needing a consistent view of their early experience.
Clubs that already make personal check-ins but want a confidential channel for concerns a member may not raise face to face.
Clubs ready to change an onboarding practice when the evidence is inconvenient as well as encouraging.
Before you start
A checked list of eligible first-year members and induction dates, using only contact details the club is authorised to use.
A neutral survey coordinator and one backup who are not responsible for assessing the members who respond.
An eight-to-twelve-question instrument, an anonymity rule for small groups and accessible phone, paper and digital response options.
A board sponsor who has reserved time to consider the findings and can assign actions, dates and owners.
At the end: At the 90-day review, compare the recorded measures with the starting point, resolve the listed governance holds and tell participants whether First-Year Member Survey 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
First-Year Member Survey Instrument
A short, neutral questionnaire that can be delivered online, on paper or by supported telephone completion.
