Use New Member Project Tour 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-012 · New Member Project Tour
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 effective projects, early service exposure, access planning and informed participation; they do not constitute Rotary International endorsement of the named New Member Project Tour initiative or this local design.
Primary references consulted
Developing Effective Projects(Rotary International) Used for: Rotary provides official resources for planning, implementing and evaluating service projects.; Effective project work should connect community need, planning, implementation, communication and reflection.
Engage Emerging Leaders(Rotary International) Used for: New members should be invited to meetings, service projects and events so they can discover what interests them.; Clubs should make introductions and check regularly that new members are finding their place.
Hosting Accessible and Inclusive In-person Meetings and Events(Australian Human Rights Commission) Used for: Accessible meeting planning should consider the venue, invitations, communication, technology and practical support before the event.; Hosts should invite participants to share access requirements and provide clear contact details for making arrangements.
Candidate District material consulted
These records remain draft evidence and still need a human source decision.
Theme 2 - Sub Theme 1 - Onboarding and Induction.docx Related New Member Club Tour concept,Visits to project sites and introductions to project leads and partners,Understanding how the club operates and where a member can contribute,One-to-two-week preparation and one-to-two-guide draft capacity assumptions,Club orientation guide and project overview sheet supporting-document concepts
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
Developing Effective Projects Supports: The 2 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.
Hosting accessible and inclusive in-person meetings and events Supports: The 71 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: Accessibility or inclusion conformance, the needs or preferences of any person or community, cultural authority to act, the suitability of a format or venue, or local approval.
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
Obtain project-lead and community-partner approval for every stop, visitor activity, story, image and piece of information to be shared.
Complete local risk, insurance, transport, venue, emergency, screening and personal-protective-equipment checks for the exact route and audience.
Confirm accessibility and an equivalent alternative before invitations are issued.
Approve confidentiality, photography, child-safety and vulnerable-person safeguards wherever the project setting requires them.
Still an internal draft: source interpretation, local suitability, accessibility, governance and editorial approval remain open checks.
Why a club might use this
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.
Use it when
Consider New Member Project Tour when new members receive different welcomes or are unsure what happens after joining.
Clubs with several active projects that are difficult to understand from meeting reports alone.
New members who learn by seeing people, places, materials or project decisions in context.
Project teams able to host a short visit without disrupting service delivery or community partners.
Before the club starts
Two or three host projects selected for variety, readiness and relevance, with project and community-partner permission where required.
A tour brief for each stop covering the community-identified need, project stage, partners, member roles, risks and current evidence of progress.
A route and participation plan covering travel, site access, weather, personal protective equipment, emergency contacts, photography and an online or desk-based equivalent.
A menu of bounded next steps with realistic time, skill, screening and support requirements.
Capacity guide
Likely cost
Low; mainly welcome materials, refreshments and coordinator time.
Lead time
About two weeks to prepare the pathway and brief club contacts.
People
Three to five people, including an onboarding coordinator, club contact and relevant project lead.
A useful club conversation
Questions worth asking
What did the project team learn from the community before deciding what to do?
Which part of the work is visible on the tour, and which essential work or relationship remains out of sight?
What contribution would be genuinely useful, bounded and supported for somebody in their first 90 days?
Common traps
Trying New Member Project Tour when Visits to confidential, unsafe or culturally sensitive settings where a newcomer has not been properly briefed or authorised.
Proceeding with New Member Project Tour when A tour designed mainly to fill roster gaps or present unfinished ideas as guaranteed community impact.
A new member is pressured into the project carrying the largest workload gap. — Offer multiple bounded choices, disclose time and screening needs, include a no-action option and complete a 30-day fit review.
A practical 90-day path
Three milestones for New Member Project Tour
When
What the club does
Evidence to keep
Days 1–30: Agree the local design
Choose two or three projects that together show different kinds of service, and confirm with each project lead and affected partner what visitors may see, hear, ask, photograph or record. Prepare a one-page stop brief stating the community need and voice, intended outcome, current stage, partners, volunteer roles, resources, risks and one honest unresolved question.
Approved project stops and visitor permissions Source-checked project stop briefs
Days 31–60: Run and adjust the first version
Ask participants about mobility, sensory, transport, language, timing and format needs; issue the route, costs, clothing, safety and privacy information and offer an equivalent virtual or tabletop option. At each 20-minute stop, let the project lead or partner explain the need and current work, show one real decision or tool and invite questions without exposing beneficiaries or confidential information.
Accessible participant information and adjustment plan Completed project stops and participant questions
Days 61–90: Review the evidence and decide
Hold a short reflection comparing what participants noticed, what evidence remains unclear and which participation option, if any, fits their interests and availability. Make any requested introduction within seven days, provide a clear task brief before work begins and check after 30 days whether the choice was useful or should change.
Member-chosen follow-up preference Warm introduction, task brief and fit review
Fit it to the club you have
Small club
Visit one project in depth and use a tabletop map for others; let the same host describe several roles but keep each next step bounded.
Larger club
Run small rotating groups with a trained host at each stop, stagger travel and use one consistent project-brief template so participants can compare choices.
Regional or rural club
Cluster stops geographically, plan for distance, weather and seasonal access, reimburse or share transport where possible and provide phone or video interviews with remote partners.
Metropolitan, hybrid or online club
Combine one accessible physical stop with live or recorded partner briefings, captioned project walk-throughs and an online question channel that receives the same follow-up.
Learn, adapt and know when to stop
Evidence worth keeping
Tour participants who receive complete access, safety, cost and privacy information before deciding to attend.
Project stops that explain the community need, current stage, partner role, evidence and unresolved question rather than only activities.
Requested introductions completed within seven days and bounded task briefs supplied before any contribution begins.
Change course when
The visit disrupts service delivery or treats community participants as exhibits. — Obtain project and partner permission, set visitor limits, exclude sensitive activity and use a simulated or partner-approved briefing where a live visit is inappropriate.
Participants encounter physical, travel, environmental or task hazards without adequate preparation. — Complete a site-specific risk check, provide safety and access information in advance, supply required equipment and keep an equivalent non-site option.
Photos, stories or beneficiary information are captured or shared without authority. — State photography and confidentiality rules at each stop, use only approved materials and provide a clear no-camera default in sensitive settings.
How to put it into practice
Detailed implementation steps for New Member Project Tour
Step
Action
Suggested owner
Timing
Evidence or output
1
Choose two or three projects that together show different kinds of service, and confirm with each project lead and affected partner what visitors may see, hear, ask, photograph or record.
Service projects chair
Three weeks before the tour
Approved project stops and visitor permissions
2
Prepare a one-page stop brief stating the community need and voice, intended outcome, current stage, partners, volunteer roles, resources, risks and one honest unresolved question.
Each project lead
Two weeks before the tour
Source-checked project stop briefs
3
Ask participants about mobility, sensory, transport, language, timing and format needs; issue the route, costs, clothing, safety and privacy information and offer an equivalent virtual or tabletop option.
Tour coordinator
Ten days before the tour
Accessible participant information and adjustment plan
4
At each 20-minute stop, let the project lead or partner explain the need and current work, show one real decision or tool and invite questions without exposing beneficiaries or confidential information.
Project lead or authorised partner host
During a 60-to-90-minute tour
Completed project stops and participant questions
5
Hold a short reflection comparing what participants noticed, what evidence remains unclear and which participation option, if any, fits their interests and availability.
Tour facilitator
Final 15 minutes
Member-chosen follow-up preference
6
Make any requested introduction within seven days, provide a clear task brief before work begins and check after 30 days whether the choice was useful or should change.
Onboarding coordinator and relevant project lead
Seven- and 30-day follow-up
Warm introduction, task brief and fit review
Controls and safeguards
Check the idea with the people affected and confirm its purpose, owner and practical limits before putting it into use.
Protect member choice and privacy, make participation accessible, and do not infer belonging or satisfaction from attendance alone.
The visit disrupts service delivery or treats community participants as exhibits. — Obtain project and partner permission, set visitor limits, exclude sensitive activity and use a simulated or partner-approved briefing where a live visit is inappropriate.
Participants encounter physical, travel, environmental or task hazards without adequate preparation. — Complete a site-specific risk check, provide safety and access information in advance, supply required equipment and keep an equivalent non-site option.
Photos, stories or beneficiary information are captured or shared without authority. — State photography and confidentiality rules at each stop, use only approved materials and provide a clear no-camera default in sensitive settings.
A new member is pressured into the project carrying the largest workload gap. — Offer multiple bounded choices, disclose time and screening needs, include a no-action option and complete a 30-day fit review.
Obtain project-lead and community-partner approval for every stop, visitor activity, story, image and piece of information to be shared.
Complete local risk, insurance, transport, venue, emergency, screening and personal-protective-equipment checks for the exact route and audience.
Confirm accessibility and an equivalent alternative before invitations are issued.
Approve confidentiality, photography, child-safety and vulnerable-person safeguards wherever the project setting requires them.
What to measure
After 90 days, review New Member Project Tour. Look for agreed early steps being completed, at least one useful club connection and every promised follow-up being delivered.
Tour participants who receive complete access, safety, cost and privacy information before deciding to attend.
Project stops that explain the community need, current stage, partner role, evidence and unresolved question rather than only activities.
Requested introductions completed within seven days and bounded task briefs supplied before any contribution begins.
Participants reporting at the 30-day check that they better understand how the club's projects work, including those choosing no immediate role.
Follow-up: At the 90-day review, compare the recorded measures with the starting point, resolve the listed governance holds and tell participants whether New Member Project Tour 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
Project Tour Stop Brief
Help each host explain the project accurately, ethically and consistently without overstating impact.
