E-066 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Family & Friends Open Meeting

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-066 · Family & Friends Open Meeting
Theme: Theme 2: Engagement & Belonging · Subtheme 4: Social Connection & Bonding
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 Rotary guest connection, honest membership information, accessible events and South Australian child safety; they are not an endorsement of the named Family & Friends Open Meeting initiative or this locally designed delivery model.

Primary references consulted

Engaging Younger Professionals: Make Connections (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary identifies social gatherings, meetings and public events as ways for prospective members to meet members and experience the club.; In-person connection should let people see what is valuable about the club rather than rely only on promotion.
Our Clubs (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary clubs connect people through meetings, events, friendship and service.; Membership has real participation and dues expectations that should not be hidden from a prospective member.
Hosting Accessible and Inclusive In-person Meetings and Events (Australian Human Rights Commission)
Used for: Accessible event design includes invitations, venues, transport, activities, materials, technology, catering and adjustments.; Guests should be able to request access arrangements before attending.
Child Safe Environment Program (Department of Human Services South Australia)
Used for: Organisations providing services to children and young people need policies and practices that protect, respect and hear them.; The nature of a club-run child activity affects the safeguarding, policy and screening checks leaders must confirm.

Candidate District material consulted

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

Club Playbook - Theme 2
Candidate record 42 Family & Friends Open Night is a close related but non-literal concept for current E-066 Family & Friends Open Meeting and contributes a relaxed meeting, casual content and light dinner for family and friends. It does not supply truthful-membership, no-pressure, access, child-safety, privacy, follow-up, data-deletion or governance controls.

Theme 2 source-assurance wave

What has been checked

4 current primary pages used by this guide were reopened on 9 August 2026.
8 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.
Our Clubs
Supports: The 21 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.
Hosting accessible and inclusive in-person meetings and events
Supports: The 71 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: Accessibility or inclusion conformance, the needs or preferences of any person or community, cultural authority to act, the suitability of a format or venue, or local approval.
Child Safe Environment Program
Supports: The 6 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

The club board must approve the guest promise, agenda, venue, access, food, alcohol, child-safety, insurance, privacy and follow-up arrangements before members invite guests.
The meeting must disclose current costs, time and membership expectations accurately and may not imply that attendance creates a joining obligation.
Child attendance and any club-run child activity require a deliberate current safeguarding decision; informal family language is not a compliance exemption.
Guest data, images and contact may be used only within the chosen attendance and follow-up purpose and must be deleted when no longer needed.

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: Families and friends better understand Rotary and strengthen members' support networks.

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 Family & Friends Open Meeting
Step	What we will do	Who could lead it	Our date	How we will know it is done
1	Define the guest experience and what remains outside the meeting, then write the promise the club can keep about cost, conduct, privacy, follow-up and no joining obligation.	Meeting chair and membership lead	Six weeks before the meeting	An open-meeting purpose and guest promise
2	Redesign the agenda around a concise welcome, a real example of current service, member conversation and clear questions, removing confidential business and unexplained jargon.	Program lead	Four weeks before the meeting	A truthful, guest-friendly agenda
3	Check venue, access, food, alcohol, child attendance, insurance and emergency arrangements, and assign hosts who represent varied member experiences rather than one polished script.	Event and safety leads	Three weeks before the meeting	A readiness check and host roster
4	Give members a complete invitation they may personalise without changing the facts, and let guests state access, food, photo and follow-up choices privately.	Communications lead	Two weeks before the meeting	An informed invitation and minimal RSVP record
5	Welcome each guest without labels, keep the promised agenda and finish time, explain Rotary and club commitments accurately, protect no-photo choices and avoid public asks to join.	Lead host and table hosts	During the meeting	A respectful open meeting and issue log
6	Thank guests in their chosen channel, send only the follow-up they selected, delete unneeded RSVP data and ask members and guests what felt genuine, unclear or pressuring.	Guest liaison and data custodian	Within five days	A consent-based follow-up and guest-experience review

3. Checks before we start

Things our club needs to check
Question	What it means for us	Who will check	Done?
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.
Collect only necessary data, state its purpose and retention, restrict access and provide a practical correction or withdrawal route.
The open meeting conceals normal costs, expectations or culture and creates a polished but misleading experience. — Use a truthful agenda, explain current commitments and meeting rhythm, include varied members and review whether guests saw the real club.
Guests are treated as leads and receive unwanted calls, emails, photographs or public joining invitations. — Collect minimal RSVP data, record channel-specific follow-up, use no-public-ask hosting and delete information when the selected follow-up ends.
Children attend an activity whose supervision, safety, screening or reporting position is unclear. — State whether carers remain responsible, classify any club-run child activity and apply current child-safe requirements before offering it.
Members feel judged by how many guests they bring or whether a guest joins. — Set no invitation targets, recognise hosting rather than conversion, keep attendance voluntary and separate guest outcomes from member standing.
The club board must approve the guest promise, agenda, venue, access, food, alcohol, child-safety, insurance, privacy and follow-up arrangements before members invite guests.
The meeting must disclose current costs, time and membership expectations accurately and may not imply that attendance creates a joining obligation.
Child attendance and any club-run child activity require a deliberate current safeguarding decision; informal family language is not a compliance exemption.

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 Family & Friends Open Meeting. Look for repeat participation, new connections across existing groups and members choosing to organise the next activity together.
Guests receiving accurate cost, timing, access, food, child, photo, conduct and follow-up information before attending.
Guests and members reporting genuine conversation and a clear understanding of the club without pressure to join.
No-follow-up, one-message and member-requested contact choices respected and unneeded guest data deleted.
Venue, access, safeguarding, privacy, food, alcohol, insurance and conduct issues resolved before any repeat.

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.

Open Meeting Guest Promise and Invitation

Give guests the facts and choices they need before accepting an invitation.

Open supporting document

Open Meeting Readiness and Host Plan

Prepare a truthful, accessible guest experience and remove unsuitable club business.

Open supporting document

Guest Follow-up and Experience Review

Respect each guest's contact choice and improve the meeting from evidence.

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.

Event plan

Use this worksheet to plan who the session is for, when it will happen, how people can take part and what happens afterwards.

Open worksheet

Communications templates

Use this worksheet to prepare clear messages and check the facts, permissions and approval before sharing them.

Open worksheet