E-015 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Rotary Member Handbook Walkthrough

Use this as a starting point. Cross out what does not fit, add what is missing and make it your club's own.

Where this idea came from

Playbook entry: E-015 · Rotary Member Handbook Walkthrough
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

These sources support general principles for current, traceable and accessible member information; they do not constitute Rotary International endorsement of the named Rotary Member Handbook Walkthrough initiative, the local handbook or this delivery model.

Primary references consulted

Learning & Reference (Rotary International)
Used for: My Rotary presents separate routes for organisational information, policies and procedures, role resources, topic resources and learning.; The page lists and links to those official resource categories.
Policies and Procedures (Rotary International)
Used for: The page provides a dedicated route to Rotary's governance documents, including constitutional and policy materials.; It identifies official governance sources available through My Rotary.
Document Centre (Rotary International)
Used for: The catalogue lists Rotary Basics, the Standard Rotary Club Constitution and role-specific materials as distinct official documents.; It provides official routes for finding those documents.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) (Australian Government Architecture)
Used for: The page identifies WCAG as the shared accessibility standard required for Australian Government digital services.; It outlines the Australian Government's WCAG conformance expectations for those services.

Candidate District material

No candidate local guide was used for this version. The current initiative identity and the attributed primary references remain separate.

Theme 2 source-assurance wave

What has been checked

4 current primary pages used by this guide were reopened on 9 August 2026.
8 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

Learning & Reference - learn by role
Supports: The availability of current Rotary role resources and learning pathways for renewal leadership and capability development.
Does not establish: The duties, delegation, eligibility, appointment method, authority or training completion of a particular person in a particular club.
Policies and Procedures
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.
Document Centre
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.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Supports: The 3 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: The club's local need, legal position, capability, cost, safety, accessibility, suitability, likely effectiveness, authority to act or approval of the initiative.

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

The club secretary must verify alignment with the current Standard Rotary Club Constitution, club bylaws and any applicable district requirements.
The treasurer must approve all fee, dues, meal, reimbursement and payment information before it appears in a controlled version.
Complaint, safeguarding, privacy, insurance and incident pathways require confirmation by the relevant competent owner and must not be simplified beyond accuracy.
Confirm which accessibility standard and obligations the club will follow, then test every format the club promises to provide, including any linked form or member-only page. The cited Australian Government page does not itself establish a Rotary club's legal or policy duties.
No new version may be described as current until obsolete public copies have been replaced or clearly withdrawn.

Still an internal draft: source interpretation, local suitability, accessibility, governance and editorial approval remain open checks.

1. Is this worth trying here?

What we hope will change: Use Rotary Member Handbook Walkthrough to give new members a clear first 90 days, early relationships and a useful way to contribute.

What is happening in our club or community now?What is the smallest useful version we could try? What will we leave out?

Board contactPerson leading the workPerson checking what happened

2. Our 90-day try-out

What our club will do for Rotary Member Handbook Walkthrough
Step	What we will do	Who could lead it	Our date	How we will know it is done
1	Audit the handbook page by page for owner, source, date, reading clarity, accessibility and whether the information belongs in a local handbook or should link to a current official source.	Handbook editor with club secretary	Three weeks before the walkthrough	A red-amber-green content audit and a list of material held back pending verification
2	Ask a recent member to complete six practical tasks, such as finding the cost, notifying an absence, proposing an idea, joining a project, seeking an adjustment and raising a concern; observe the route without coaching.	Recent-member tester and onboarding coordinator	Two weeks before the walkthrough	A task test showing successful routes, dead ends and unclear language
3	Correct or remove failed content, add source and review labels, and produce a short walkthrough map built around 'people, participation, decisions and support' rather than the handbook's page order.	Handbook editor	One week before the walkthrough	A controlled draft handbook and a four-part navigation map
4	Run a guided find-and-do session in pairs: each new member locates information, explains what action they would take and identifies whether the answer is local guidance, a local rule or an external official source.	Facilitator and onboarding contacts	During the 45-minute walkthrough	Completed task cards and a live list of remaining usability issues
5	Personalise only the final action page with the member's chosen contacts, next activity and preferred follow-up; do not write private needs or personal circumstances into the shared handbook.	New member with onboarding contact	Final 10 minutes	A private 30-day action page linked to the controlled handbook version
6	Log every correction, publish the approved version in all promised formats, notify members of material changes and schedule the next source and usability review.	Handbook editor and club secretary	Within 14 days, then at least every six months	A versioned release, change log and dated review schedule

3. Checks before we start

Things our club needs to check
Question	What it means for us	Who will check	Done?
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.
Stale contact, fee or policy information is treated as current because it appears in a polished document. — Display version and review dates, assign section owners and remove any material that cannot be verified before the walkthrough.
A local summary is mistaken for a Rotary International or district rule. — Label content as local guidance, local governing provision or external official source and link to the controlling document where appropriate.
The handbook is technically available but unusable for members with disability, limited bandwidth or different language needs. — Test promised formats with users, provide equivalent print and non-digital routes, and complete an accessibility review before release.
The walkthrough becomes a compliance exercise and overwhelms the member with information. — Use six realistic tasks, limit the session to information needed in the first 90 days and connect every section to a person or next action.
The club secretary must verify alignment with the current Standard Rotary Club Constitution, club bylaws and any applicable district requirements.
The treasurer must approve all fee, dues, meal, reimbursement and payment information before it appears in a controlled version.
Complaint, safeguarding, privacy, insurance and incident pathways require confirmation by the relevant competent owner and must not be simplified beyond accuracy.
Confirm which accessibility standard and obligations the club will follow, then test every format the club promises to provide, including any linked form or member-only page. The cited Australian Government page does not itself establish a Rotary club's legal or policy duties.

4. What changed?

What we will keep an eye on
What matters	Where we are now	What we hope to see	How we will check	Who
After 90 days, review Rotary Member Handbook Walkthrough. Look for agreed early steps being completed, at least one useful club connection and every promised follow-up being delivered.
New members completing the six find-and-do tasks without facilitator rescue.
Essential sections carrying a visible owner, source and next-review date.
Walkthrough issues corrected, assigned or formally held within 14 days.
Members who use the handbook to make one relevant connection or begin one activity within 30 days.

After 30 days

Is it reaching the right people? Is anything unsafe, unfair or harder than expected?

After 60 days

Make one useful change based on what people have told you.

After 90 days

Compare with where you started. Decide whether to change it, continue it 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.

Handbook Content Control Register

Keep every section owned, sourced, dated and reviewable.

Open supporting document

New-Member Find-and-Do Test

Test whether the handbook supports real decisions rather than merely containing information.

Open supporting document

Handbook Change Log

Provide a visible record of material corrections and prevent uncontrolled copies remaining in use.

Open supporting document

Before your club says yes

Does the idea fit?

Talk with the people it is meant to serve and check that the need is real.

We have checked this

Who can say yes?

Name the person or group that can approve the work, spending and any safety arrangements.

We have checked this

Are people protected?

Check privacy, consent and safety. Collect only the information you genuinely need.

We have checked this

Can everyone take part?

Check the language, format, place, technology and cost for barriers.

We have checked this

Are the facts and permissions right?

Check names, claims, images, quotations, partner references and Rotary branding.

We have checked this

How will we learn?

Note where things stand now, check in at 30, 60 and 90 days, and decide what to do next.

We have checked this

Worksheets for your club

Open them online, print them or change them to suit the way your club works.

Welcome guide

Use this worksheet to prepare a practical learning or mentoring session and follow up afterwards.

Open worksheet

Are we ready to try this?

Use this worksheet to decide whether a small first try is realistic and what the club must settle before it starts.

Open worksheet

Contact plan

Use this worksheet to map each step and keep only the information the club genuinely needs.

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Progress check

Use this worksheet to note where things stand and choose a few useful signs that will help the club decide what to do next.

Open worksheet