E-025 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Project Buddy System

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-025 · Project Buddy System
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, project-based skill development and volunteer safety; they do not constitute Rotary International or Safe Work Australia endorsement of the named Project Buddy System initiative or this locally designed delivery model.

Primary references consulted

  • Engage Emerging Leaders (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary encourages clubs to learn what inspires members and check in as they take on projects and leadership roles.; The guidance presents mentoring as practical guidance, wisdom and encouragement that helps members move forward.
  • Make Connections (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary recommends putting people's leadership skills into action through service projects that draw on their interests and build skills.; Effective mentoring depends on ongoing relationships rather than a single introduction.
  • The Essential Guide to Work Health and Safety for Organisations that engage Volunteers (Safe Work Australia)
    Used for: Australian guidance recognises that volunteers are owed safety protections and that organisations should identify and control risks.; A volunteer's role, knowledge and the available ways to remove or minimise hazards are relevant to reasonable care.

Candidate District material consulted

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

  • Club Playbook - Theme 2
    Related draft concepts only: pairing a newer and existing member for participation in a service project, providing a buddy during a time-limited experience and holding a reflection conversation afterward. The candidate titles and numbering are not substituted for current E-025.

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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • The Essential Guide to Work Health and Safety for Organisations that engage Volunteers
    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: The club's actual hazards, safeguarding duties, screening requirements, food controls, cyber posture or risk tolerance; completion of a local risk assessment; or approval to proceed.

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

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 Project Buddy System to make mentoring and personal development easier to find, choose and sustain.

2. Our 90-day try-out

What our club will do for Project Buddy System
StepWhat we will doWho could lead itOur dateHow we will know it is done
1Ask the project lead to identify one useful task that can be learned in stages and completed without exposing the member to confidential, unsafe or unauthorised work.Project leadThree weeks before the supported task beginsAn approved task brief with a clear boundary, learning opportunity and end point
2Invite members to opt in as learners or buddies, explain the time commitment and limits, and collect only the information needed to make a workable match.Project buddy coordinatorTwo to three weeks before the taskA consented list of learners, buddies, availability and requested adjustments
3Propose the match privately, let both people decline without penalty, and agree how they will communicate, check progress and ask for help.Project buddy coordinatorOne week before the taskA mutually accepted match and a short buddy agreement
4Brief the pair on the project purpose, task sequence, safety and privacy requirements, then let the learner watch once, try with support and confirm what they can do independently.Project lead and buddyAt induction and the first work sessionA completed task and safety check with the first supported action recorded
5Use two short check-ins to remove obstacles, adjust the task or support level and refer any matter beyond the buddy's role to the project lead.Buddy and learnerDuring the 30- to 60-day supported periodTwo minimal check-in notes and any agreed adjustment or referral
6Reflect on what the learner can now do, thank the buddy, close access that is no longer needed and agree whether the member will continue, try another task or finish.Project leadWithin seven days of the final supported taskA handover decision and one member-chosen next step

3. Checks before we start

Things our club needs to check
QuestionWhat it means for usWho will checkDone?
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.
Collect only necessary data, state its purpose and retention, restrict access and provide a practical correction or withdrawal route.
A learner is placed into unsafe, confidential or regulated work because the task was described too broadly. — Approve a bounded task before matching, complete the relevant site and safety checks and keep regulated, financial, safeguarding and confidential decisions with authorised people.
The buddy becomes responsible for supervision, performance management or work that belongs to the project lead. — State the buddy's teaching and support role in writing, name the accountable project lead and require escalation when the task or concern exceeds the agreement.
A status or personality imbalance makes it difficult for either person to decline, ask questions or end the match. — Confirm the match privately, provide a no-fault rematch route and ask the coordinator rather than the buddy to handle concerns or withdrawal.
The pair completes a task but the club fails to create an ongoing contribution pathway. — Book the closing conversation at the start and require the project lead to offer a realistic next role, another trial or a clear finish based on the member's choice.
The project lead must approve the task, safety controls, access and accountable roles before a buddy match starts.
The club must confirm any insurance, site, child-safety, privacy, equipment or qualification requirements for the actual project setting.
Buddy and learner participation must be voluntary, with a confidential decline, concern, withdrawal and rematch route.

4. What changed?

What we will keep an eye on
What mattersWhere we are nowWhat we hope to seeHow we will checkWho
After 90 days, review Project Buddy System. Look for suitable matches, regular check-ins and progress against goals chosen by the participating member.
Proposed matches accepted by both the learner and buddy after they see the task, time commitment and boundaries.
Learners who complete the defined task with all required safety, privacy and access checks met.
Learners who can name or demonstrate one capability they gained rather than only reporting attendance.
Pairs that close the supported period with a recorded continue, handover, change-task or finish decision.

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.

01

Project Buddy Match Brief

Make the task, relationship and end point clear before either person accepts the match.

Open supporting document
02

Task, Access and Safety Check

Confirm that the learner can take part safely and with only the access required for the agreed task.

Open supporting document
03

Buddy Reflection and Handover Record

Close the supported period with evidence of learning and a member-chosen next move.

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.

Who can say yes?

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

Are people protected?

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

Can everyone take part?

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

Are the facts and permissions right?

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

How will we learn?

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

Worksheets for your club

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

01

Roadmap

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

Open worksheet
02

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
03

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