E-022 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Member Matchmaker Coffee Pairings

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-022 · Member Matchmaker Coffee Pairings
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 member-led connection, introductions, choice and belonging; they do not constitute Rotary International endorsement of the named Member Matchmaker Coffee Pairings initiative, its matching criteria or this locally designed conversation process.

Primary references consulted

Make Connections (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary encourages clubs to ask what people care about and create connections around interests, skills and service.; The guidance supports relationships that let members share skills across generations rather than merely receiving a list of activities.
Engage Emerging Leaders (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary encourages personal connection, useful introductions and regular check-ins as members find their place.; Clubs should learn what inspires a member rather than pushing a predetermined pathway.
Enhancing Belonging and Engagement at Rotary (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary states that it values contributions from people across different backgrounds, abilities, experiences, ideas and beliefs.; Belonging and engagement require club practices that make space for different ways of participating and contributing.

Candidate District material consulted

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

Club Playbook - Theme 2
The related Member Matchmaker Tool concept,Pairing members around shared hobbies or professions for coffee or a get-to-know-you lunch,Peer support and connection as draft outcome intentions,A matching form as the proposed starting resource

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

Engaging Younger Professionals: Make Connections
Supports: The 32 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.
Enhancing Belonging and Engagement at Rotary
Supports: Belonging, accessibility, respectful participation and equitable access principles for renewal and club experience.
Does not establish: That a particular meeting model, membership pathway, leadership process or club culture is inclusive without testing with affected people.

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 conduct, concern and escalation route before inviting pairings, including responsibility for any activity represented as a club event.
Contact details and preference information may be shared only for the accepted pairing and under an approved privacy and deletion arrangement.
The coordinator must not pair people for grievance resolution, pastoral care, safeguarding, professional advice or complaint handling.
Any subsidy, venue booking, alcohol service, transport or insurance arrangement requires the responsible club officer's approval.

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 Member Matchmaker Coffee Pairings 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 Member Matchmaker Coffee Pairings
Step	What we will do	Who could lead it	Our date	How we will know it is done
1	Ask a small mix of members which connections are currently hard to make and whether coffee, a walk, a phone call or an online conversation would feel useful and safe.	Connection coordinator	Three weeks before the trial	A participant-informed purpose, format menu and stop conditions
2	Invite opt-in preferences using only the information needed for this round, including interests, conversation goals, format, availability and any access support requested.	Connection coordinator	Two weeks before the trial	A minimum matching list with clear permission to use the responses
3	Create proposed pairs using the written criteria, check each proposal separately and share contact information only after both people accept.	Connection coordinator with privacy contact	Within five days of expression-of-interest close	Mutually accepted pairs or a private rematch and waitlist record
4	Send a simple introduction covering the reason for the match, agreed format, cost boundary, access arrangement, three optional prompts and the no-fault cancellation route.	Connection coordinator	At introduction	A shared pairing brief that both members can correct
5	Hold one 30- to 45-minute conversation, let each person choose what to share and end by naming one optional introduction, activity or follow-up rather than forcing another meeting.	Paired members	Within two weeks of introduction	A privately chosen next step or a completed one-off connection
6	Check separately whether the match was comfortable and useful, respond to any concern, and let each person continue, pause, rematch or finish without disclosing the other's feedback.	Connection coordinator	Within seven days of the conversation	A de-identified trial review and a private outcome for each participant

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.
Confirm venue, accessibility, safety, incident, cancellation and follow-up arrangements for the actual audience and setting.
A person feels unable to decline a senior, well-connected or socially influential proposed match. — Check each proposal separately, use a no-reason-needed decline route and never tell one member why the other declined or requested a rematch.
The matching process relies on stereotypes or shares unnecessary personal information. — Use member-stated goals and format preferences, collect the minimum data and share only the reason for the accepted match and agreed contact details.
Venue cost, alcohol, food, transport, disability or connectivity creates an avoidable participation barrier. — Offer cost-free and non-café formats, ask about access privately and confirm the chosen format before making the introduction.
A difficult interaction is dismissed because the initiative is described as informal. — Provide a named concern contact, conduct boundary and prompt response process, and pause further matching while any safety or conduct issue is addressed.
The club must approve the conduct, concern and escalation route before inviting pairings, including responsibility for any activity represented as a club event.
Contact details and preference information may be shared only for the accepted pairing and under an approved privacy and deletion arrangement.
The coordinator must not pair people for grievance resolution, pastoral care, safeguarding, professional advice or complaint handling.

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 Member Matchmaker Coffee Pairings. Look for suitable matches, regular check-ins and progress against goals chosen by the participating member.
Proposed pairs accepted by both people before contact details are exchanged.
Accepted pairs completing a conversation in the agreed accessible format within two weeks.
Participants reporting that the match was comfortable, purposeful and free of pressure to continue.
Participants choosing a next introduction, activity, rematch or clear conclusion after the conversation.

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.

Pairing Preference and Consent Form

Collect the minimum information needed for a mutually accepted and accessible introduction.

Open supporting document

Coffee Pairing Conversation Card

Give both people a light structure without turning the meeting into an interview or obligation.

Open supporting document

Match and Follow-Up Register

Let the coordinator track consent, access and closure without retaining conversation content.

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