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 asking members what they value, adapting engagement over time and minimising personal information; they do not constitute Rotary International or OAIC endorsement of the named Member Growth Conversations initiative or this locally designed delivery model.
Primary references consulted
Engage Emerging Leaders(Rotary International) Used for: Rotary encourages clubs to ask members what they want, learn what inspires them and take their ideas seriously.; The guidance recommends regular check-ins as members take on projects and leadership roles.
Deliver Continued Value(Rotary International) Used for: Rotary recognises that members' personal and professional lives evolve and that clubs need different ways to engage them over time.; The guidance asks clubs whether they provide the development, connections and mentoring opportunities members want and need.
Chapter 3: APP 3 Collection of Solicited Personal Information(Office of the Australian Information Commissioner) Used for: Personal information collection should be lawful, fair, proportionate and limited to what is reasonably necessary.; Sensitive information generally requires informed, voluntary, current and specific consent.
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
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.
Deliver Continued Value Supports: The 49 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.
Chapter 3: APP 3 Collection of solicited personal information Supports: Data-minimisation, collection-purpose, proportionality and consent safeguards where the Privacy Act and APP 3 apply. Does not establish: Whether a particular Rotary club is an APP entity or whether a proposed renewal survey, diagnostic or member record is lawful in its actual circumstances.
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 board must approve the purpose, facilitator boundaries, minimal record, referral routes and destruction or retention period before conversations begin.
Participation, every answer and every proposed action must be voluntary; no refusal may affect a member's standing, recognition or access to opportunities.
Conversation information must not be used for performance assessment, nominations, succession decisions, complaint investigation or profiling without a separate authorised process.
Facilitators must not provide health, legal, financial, employment or counselling advice and must use the approved referral route when such matters arise.
Still an internal draft: source interpretation, local suitability, accessibility, governance and editorial approval remain open checks.
Why a club might use this
It helps knowledge, confidence and encouragement move between members instead of resting with a few people.
It may suit: Members seeking guidance or a new challenge, and the people offering practical support.
Use it when
Consider Member Growth Conversations when members want guidance or a next challenge but the available pathways are hard to see.
Members whose interests, availability or life circumstances have changed since they joined or last chose a role.
A club that offers several ways to serve, learn or connect but relies too heavily on informal invitations reaching the same people.
A 30-minute voluntary conversation once or twice a year, followed by one agreed action within 30 days.
Before the club starts
A plain-language invitation explaining the purpose, voluntary nature, note-taking boundary, follow-up process and option to choose another facilitator or decline.
A current menu of real club, district and Rotary opportunities with honest information about time, cost, access, eligibility and available support.
Facilitators who can listen without selling roles, distinguish coaching from professional advice and refer concerns beyond their authority.
A minimum-data record that captures only the member's agreed next step, owner, date and any adjustment they want the action owner to know.
Capacity guide
Likely cost
Low; usually limited to coffee, simple materials and coordination time.
Lead time
About three weeks to recruit mentors, map pathways and make the first matches.
People
One coordinator and four to eight mentors, scaled to the number of participating members.
A useful club conversation
Questions worth asking
What part of Rotary feels most worthwhile to you at the moment, and what has changed since we last asked?
Would you like more, less or something different from your current involvement?
What is one small next step that would be useful—and what would good follow-through from the club look like?
Common traps
Trying Member Growth Conversations when Assessing loyalty, attendance, capability or readiness for office, or pressuring a member to accept a vacancy the club needs filled.
Proceeding with Member Growth Conversations when Collecting health, family, employment, financial or other sensitive detail that is not necessary to provide the member's chosen support.
The club holds a thoughtful conversation but fails to make the promised introduction or change. — Name one action owner before the conversation ends, use a 30-day due date and ask the member whether the follow-through was useful.
A practical 90-day path
Three milestones for Member Growth Conversations
When
What the club does
Evidence to keep
Days 1–30: Agree the local design
Check what opportunities and support are genuinely available, then prepare a one-page conversation guide built around value, energy, obstacles and a small next experiment. Invite members individually, offer a choice of facilitator, time and format, and explain that participation and every answer are voluntary.
A verified opportunity menu and approved conversation guide A consented appointment or a recorded no-contact preference
Days 31–60: Run and adjust the first version
Begin by asking what the member wants from the conversation and what they do not want discussed, then confirm the note-taking and confidentiality boundary. Explore what currently gives the member energy, what gets in the way and which kind of connection, service, learning or pause would be useful, without diagnosing the reason.
A member-set purpose and agreed boundary Two or three member-nominated possibilities
Days 61–90: Review the evidence and decide
Compare the possibilities with the verified opportunity menu and agree one small next step, the support needed, who may be told and when the club will follow up. Complete the promised introduction or adjustment, then ask whether it helped and close, change or continue the action rather than leaving the member to chase it.
One consented action with owner, date and sharing instruction A completed follow-through and member-confirmed next decision
Fit it to the club you have
Small club
Offer a neighbouring-club or district facilitator when local office-holders are too close to the member's situation. Keep the opportunity menu small and honest rather than inventing roles.
Larger club
Train a small facilitator pool, let members choose from it and use one central action log containing only agreed follow-up—not conversation narratives or ratings.
Regional or rural club
Offer telephone conversations and plan around travel, harvest, caring and shift-work patterns. Include district-wide and remote opportunities where local options are limited.
Metropolitan, hybrid or online club
Provide in-person, video and phone choices, avoid automatic transcription and let the member choose whether cameras are used and where any follow-up is sent.
Learn, adapt and know when to stop
Evidence worth keeping
Invited members who understand the voluntary purpose and can choose the facilitator, timing and format.
Completed conversations that end with either a member-chosen action, a deliberate pause or no action required.
Agreed actions completed by the club within the promised 30-day period.
Change course when
The conversation becomes a disguised attempt to fill a role or test the member's commitment. — Begin with the member's purpose, disclose any role-related interest and record a pause or no-action decision as an equally valid outcome.
The facilitator records unnecessary personal detail or shares it with club leaders. — Keep only the agreed action, owner, date and sharing instruction; do not retain conversation notes, assumptions or sensitive detail.
A member raises a wellbeing, conflict, complaint or professional matter beyond the facilitator's role. — Acknowledge the concern, do not investigate or advise, explain the relevant confidential support or governance route and let the member choose the next contact where possible.
How to put it into practice
Detailed implementation steps for Member Growth Conversations
Step
Action
Suggested owner
Timing
Evidence or output
1
Check what opportunities and support are genuinely available, then prepare a one-page conversation guide built around value, energy, obstacles and a small next experiment.
Member experience lead
Four weeks before invitations
A verified opportunity menu and approved conversation guide
2
Invite members individually, offer a choice of facilitator, time and format, and explain that participation and every answer are voluntary.
Conversation coordinator
Two to three weeks before each conversation
A consented appointment or a recorded no-contact preference
3
Begin by asking what the member wants from the conversation and what they do not want discussed, then confirm the note-taking and confidentiality boundary.
Chosen facilitator
First five minutes
A member-set purpose and agreed boundary
4
Explore what currently gives the member energy, what gets in the way and which kind of connection, service, learning or pause would be useful, without diagnosing the reason.
Chosen facilitator
During the conversation
Two or three member-nominated possibilities
5
Compare the possibilities with the verified opportunity menu and agree one small next step, the support needed, who may be told and when the club will follow up.
Member and facilitator
Final ten minutes
One consented action with owner, date and sharing instruction
6
Complete the promised introduction or adjustment, then ask whether it helped and close, change or continue the action rather than leaving the member to chase it.
Named action owner
Within 30 days
A completed follow-through and member-confirmed next decision
Controls and safeguards
Check the selected approach against the club's actual needs, capacity and responsibilities before putting it into use.
Protect member choice and privacy, make participation accessible, and do not infer belonging or satisfaction from attendance alone.
The conversation becomes a disguised attempt to fill a role or test the member's commitment. — Begin with the member's purpose, disclose any role-related interest and record a pause or no-action decision as an equally valid outcome.
The facilitator records unnecessary personal detail or shares it with club leaders. — Keep only the agreed action, owner, date and sharing instruction; do not retain conversation notes, assumptions or sensitive detail.
A member raises a wellbeing, conflict, complaint or professional matter beyond the facilitator's role. — Acknowledge the concern, do not investigate or advise, explain the relevant confidential support or governance route and let the member choose the next contact where possible.
The club holds a thoughtful conversation but fails to make the promised introduction or change. — Name one action owner before the conversation ends, use a 30-day due date and ask the member whether the follow-through was useful.
The board must approve the purpose, facilitator boundaries, minimal record, referral routes and destruction or retention period before conversations begin.
Participation, every answer and every proposed action must be voluntary; no refusal may affect a member's standing, recognition or access to opportunities.
Conversation information must not be used for performance assessment, nominations, succession decisions, complaint investigation or profiling without a separate authorised process.
Facilitators must not provide health, legal, financial, employment or counselling advice and must use the approved referral route when such matters arise.
What to measure
After 90 days, review Member Growth Conversations. Look for suitable matches, regular check-ins and progress against goals chosen by the participating member.
Invited members who understand the voluntary purpose and can choose the facilitator, timing and format.
Completed conversations that end with either a member-chosen action, a deliberate pause or no action required.
Agreed actions completed by the club within the promised 30-day period.
Members who report that the conversation reflected their priorities and did not feel like recruitment, assessment or pressure.
Follow-up: At the 90-day review, compare the recorded measures with the starting point, resolve the listed governance holds and tell participants whether Member Growth Conversations 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
Growth Conversation Invitation and Choices
Explain the conversation clearly and let the member choose how—or whether—to take part.
