E-020 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Mentor Identification Badges

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-020 · Mentor Identification Badges
Theme: Theme 2: Engagement & Belonging · Subtheme 2: Mentoring & Pathways
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 mentoring connections, welcoming culture and accessible participation; they do not constitute Rotary International or Australian Human Rights Commission endorsement of the named Mentor Identification Badges initiative, its wording, artwork or this locally designed duty model.

Primary references consulted

Enhance Your Club's Culture (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary recommends connecting members with mentors who match their interests, skills or professional background.; The guidance treats mentoring as a relationship-building practice that can benefit both people.
Engage Emerging Leaders (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary encourages clubs to make introductions to established members who can be useful connections.; Clubs should check in as members take on roles or projects rather than assuming they know where to find help.
Hosting accessible and inclusive meetings and events (Australian Human Rights Commission)
Used for: Inclusive meetings should consider accessible invitations, venues, materials, communication and requests for adjustments.; Access should be designed for people whose needs may not be known in advance.

Candidate District material consulted

These records remain draft evidence and still need a human source decision.

Club Playbook - Theme 2
The related My Rotary Mentor Badges concept,Optional badge pins intended to help new members identify someone safe to approach,Induction and social events as draft use settings,Design and production as the proposed starting resources

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

Enhance Your Club's Culture
Supports: Member-centred culture review, barrier reduction, flexibility, mentoring and practical conversation about club renewal.
Does not establish: That every suggested action suits the club, that the page diagnoses the club or that a proposed cultural change has member support or governing approval.
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

The club must approve the role wording and must not imply background checking, safeguarding clearance, professional accreditation or decision authority unless separately verified.
Rotary and District marks, colours and naming may be used only in accordance with the current approved brand and licensing requirements.
The meeting or event lead must nominate referral owners for complaints, safety, accessibility, finance and governance before the badge is used.
Any record of questions must avoid unnecessary names or personal circumstances and follow an approved retention and access arrangement.

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 Mentor Identification Badges to make mentoring and personal development easier to find, choose and sustain.

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 Mentor Identification Badges
Step	What we will do	Who could lead it	Our date	How we will know it is done
1	Ask recent members and guests where they currently get stuck and whether a visible first-contact cue would help or create discomfort.	Member experience lead	Three weeks before the pilot	A short needs note and a decision on whether visible signposting is useful
2	Define the badge role in plain language, list the questions wearers can answer, and name the people or services to whom other matters must be referred.	Member experience lead with secretary	Two weeks before the pilot	An approved role-and-referral card
3	Invite volunteers, confirm that wearing the badge is optional, brief them in short scenarios and check that each person is comfortable saying they do not know.	Mentoring coordinator	One week before the pilot	A briefed duty roster with named backup
4	Create two low-cost prototypes, test readability and meaning with members who did not design them, and provide the same contact information verbally and in the event material.	Communications lead with access contact	Five days before the pilot	An accessible approved prototype and alternative contact route
5	Pilot the badge at two different gatherings, introduce the wearers without implying special status and record only the types of questions or referrals received.	Meeting or event lead	Across two gatherings	A de-identified question and referral log
6	Ask newcomers and wearers whether the cue was useful, clear and comfortable; revise the role or design before deciding whether to continue.	Member experience lead	Within seven days of the second gathering	A continue, revise or stop decision with an owner and review date

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.
The badge creates a visible hierarchy or suggests that only labelled people are welcoming. — Describe it as a temporary duty cue, rotate volunteers, remind every member of the shared welcome responsibility and avoid prestige language or special privileges.
A wearer answers a governance, safety, financial or personal matter beyond their knowledge. — Use scenario briefing, a pocket referral card and a standard response that acknowledges the question and names the correct follow-up owner.
The design excludes people who cannot see colour, read small print or recognise club jargon. — Use large plain text, strong contrast and a simple symbol; test with users and provide verbal, printed and online alternatives.
A badge wearer is unavailable, unbriefed or no longer willing, but the club continues displaying the cue. — Issue badges only for rostered occasions, collect reusable items afterwards and review the wearer list before every event.
The club must approve the role wording and must not imply background checking, safeguarding clearance, professional accreditation or decision authority unless separately verified.
Rotary and District marks, colours and naming may be used only in accordance with the current approved brand and licensing requirements.
The meeting or event lead must nominate referral owners for complaints, safety, accessibility, finance and governance before the badge is used.
Any record of questions must avoid unnecessary names or personal circumstances and follow an approved retention and access arrangement.

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 Mentor Identification Badges. Look for suitable matches, regular check-ins and progress against goals chosen by the participating member.
Newcomers who can identify at least one appropriate first contact without prompting after the welcome.
Questions correctly answered or referred, rather than improvised beyond the wearer's brief.
Wearers who report that the role, duration and backup were clear and manageable.
Users who can access an equivalent contact route without relying on the visual badge.

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.

Mentor Contact Role and Referral Card

Make the visible support role useful without implying expertise or authority the wearer does not hold.

Open supporting document

Badge Accessibility and Artwork Specification

Give the club a testable design brief for a clear, inclusive and non-status cue.

Open supporting document

Duty Roster and Referral Log

Keep coverage current and learn which questions need a better club-wide explanation.

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.

Roadmap

Use this worksheet to turn the idea into a short list of actions, dates, costs and responsibilities.

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

Progress tracker

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