E-032 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Member Growth Conversations

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-032 · Member Growth Conversations
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 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

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: Members agree a realistic development or contribution goal and a follow-up point.

2. Our 90-day try-out

What our club will do for Member Growth Conversations
StepWhat we will doWho could lead itOur dateHow we will know it is done
1Check 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 leadFour weeks before invitationsA verified opportunity menu and approved conversation guide
2Invite members individually, offer a choice of facilitator, time and format, and explain that participation and every answer are voluntary.Conversation coordinatorTwo to three weeks before each conversationA consented appointment or a recorded no-contact preference
3Begin 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 facilitatorFirst five minutesA member-set purpose and agreed boundary
4Explore 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 facilitatorDuring the conversationTwo or three member-nominated possibilities
5Compare 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 facilitatorFinal ten minutesOne consented action with owner, date and sharing instruction
6Complete 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 ownerWithin 30 daysA completed follow-through and member-confirmed next decision

3. Checks before we start

Things our club needs to check
QuestionWhat it means for usWho will checkDone?
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.

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 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.

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

Growth Conversation Invitation and Choices

Explain the conversation clearly and let the member choose how—or whether—to take part.

Open supporting document
02

Member Growth Conversation Guide

Help a facilitator listen consistently without turning the conversation into an appraisal or sales pitch.

Open supporting document
03

Agreed Next Step Record

Give the club a minimal, consented record of the follow-through it owes the member.

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

Conversation guide

Use this worksheet to hold a respectful conversation, hear different views and tell people what happens next.

Open worksheet
02

Action plan

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

Open worksheet
03

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