E-033 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Reverse Mentoring Program

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-033 · Reverse Mentoring Program
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 intergenerational exchange, two-way learning and matched mentoring; they do not constitute Rotary International endorsement of the named Reverse Mentoring Program initiative or this locally designed delivery model.

Primary references consulted

  • Make Connections (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary describes clubs as places where people can share skills across generations and offer new ideas.; The guidance emphasises ongoing relationships and putting people's interests and leadership skills into practical action.
  • Deliver Continued Value (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary identifies interaction between older and younger members as a source of personal growth and professional development.; The guidance encourages cross-generational relationships, mentoring, leadership development and skill-building.
  • Enhance Your Club's Culture (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary recommends matching mentors by interests, skills or professional background rather than relying only on position or tenure.; The guidance recognises that mentors also benefit through leadership practice and meaningful connection.

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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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 learn across generations, strengthen relationships and improve shared practices.

2. Our 90-day try-out

What our club will do for Reverse Mentoring Program
StepWhat we will doWho could lead itOur dateHow we will know it is done
1Ask club leaders and members for practices that would benefit from a different perspective, then choose one question that is specific, changeable and safe to explore.Program sponsor and coordinatorFour weeks before matchingAn approved learning question, scope and decision route
2Invite people to describe what they can offer and what they want to learn, without assigning mentor or learner status by age, tenure or office.Program coordinatorThree weeks before matchingA consented pool of interests, experience and participation needs
3Propose a match privately, disclose any power or role conflict, let both people decline and agree who will support the pair if the relationship becomes uncomfortable.Program coordinatorTwo weeks before the exchangeA mutually accepted match or no-fault rematch
4Use the first session to agree the question, two-way learning goals, meeting rhythm, confidentiality, respectful challenge and one small observation or test between sessions.Mentoring pairWeek 1A signed two-way learning agreement and session plan
5Hold two further conversations that compare assumptions with experience, test one practical change and record the learning without attributing private comments or speaking for a whole group.Mentoring pairWeeks 3 and 6A tested insight and a jointly written recommendation
6Close the pairing deliberately, check that both people felt respected, remove any temporary access and present only the agreed recommendation to the sponsor for a decision.Pair, coordinator and sponsorBy week 8A close-out record and an accept, test, adapt or decline 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 less-established member is expected to educate the club about an entire generation, culture or identity. — Frame the person as one expert in their own relevant experience, pay attention to workload and never treat their view as representative of a whole group.
A formal role or status difference makes it unsafe to disagree, decline a task or end the pairing. — Avoid direct authority conflicts, disclose unavoidable power differences, provide an independent coordinator and allow confidential no-fault exit or rematch.
Private discussion is attributed to a participant or used in a decision beyond the agreed question. — Share only a jointly approved recommendation, keep personal examples out of the report and obtain separate permission for any quotation or wider use.
The pair produces insight but the sponsor ignores it, reinforcing cynicism or tokenism. — Confirm the decision route before matching and require the sponsor to respond with reasons and a practical next step within 30 days.
The board or delegated sponsor must approve the learning question, decision route, matching safeguards and independent concern contact before recruitment.
Participation and disclosure must be voluntary, with no adverse consequence for declining, disagreeing, pausing or ending the match.
No participant may be asked to represent a whole age group, culture, profession, identity or community, or to disclose lived experience beyond what they choose.
Recommendations must not be used to bypass normal board authority, complaints, safeguarding, employment, privacy or professional-advice processes.

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 Reverse Mentoring Program. Look for suitable matches, regular check-ins and progress against goals chosen by the participating member.
Matches accepted by both people after the question, power relationship, time commitment and boundaries are disclosed.
Pairs that complete three conversations and one practical observation or test without unresolved concern or unwanted disclosure.
Participants who report that learning and challenge moved in both directions and their experience was not tokenised.
Recommendations that receive a recorded accept, test, adapt or decline decision from the sponsor within 30 days.

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

Reverse Mentoring Match and Conflict Check

Create a voluntary match around a real learning question while identifying power and role conflicts before the pair begins.

Open supporting document
02

Two-Way Learning Agreement

Give the pair equal footing, a manageable rhythm and a shared understanding of privacy and respectful challenge.

Open supporting document
03

Exchange Review and Sponsor Decision

Close the partnership well and turn only the agreed learning into an accountable club decision.

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

Mentoring guide

Use this worksheet to prepare a practical learning or mentoring session and follow up afterwards.

Open worksheet
02

People and opportunities matching sheet

Use this worksheet to help people choose roles or opportunities that suit them without asking for more personal information than the club needs.

Open worksheet
03

Conversation guide

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

Open worksheet
04

Reflection guide

Use this worksheet to hear what people experienced and decide what to change next.

Open worksheet