E-083 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Project Idea Pitch Session

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-083 · Project Idea Pitch Session
Theme
Theme 2: Engagement & Belonging · Subtheme 5: Member Roles & Purpose
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 community-informed Rotary engagement, purposeful volunteer involvement and local safety duties; they are not an endorsement of the named Project Idea Pitch Session initiative or this locally designed delivery model.

Primary references consulted

Candidate District material consulted

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

  • Club Playbook - Theme 2
    Candidate record 99 Ideas Marketplace Night provides the related concept of members pitching small service, social or culture ideas with dot voting. It is not a literal current-title match and does not supply community-authority, evidence, conflict, access, assessment, decision-boundary, safety or response controls.

Theme 2 source-assurance wave

What has been checked

  • 3 current primary pages used by this guide were reopened on 9 August 2026.
  • 3 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.
  • National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
    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: The club's local need, legal position, capability, cost, safety, accessibility, suitability, likely effectiveness, authority to act or approval of the initiative.
  • Volunteers - WHS duties
    Supports: The need to identify the organisation's actual WHS position and manage volunteer physical and psychological safety proportionately during renewal activity.
    Does not establish: Whether WHS law applies to a particular club, who holds a duty, which jurisdictional rule applies or whether a proposed control is sufficient.

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 Idea Pitch Session to connect members' strengths and interests with worthwhile roles that have clear boundaries.

2. Our 90-day try-out

What our club will do for Project Idea Pitch Session
StepWhat we will doWho could lead itOur dateHow we will know it is done
1Agree the decision boundary and assessment pathway, including who can invite community input, approve exploration, authorise spending and stop an unsafe or unsuitable idea.Club board delegate and project governance leadEight weeks before the sessionA clear idea-to-decision pathway
2Invite concise ideas through written, spoken and supported formats and ask proposers to distinguish known community evidence from assumptions and personal enthusiasm.Session facilitatorSix weeks before the sessionAn accessible pool of early concepts
3Check submissions for scope, conflicts, unsafe content, false partner claims and access needs, then coach each eligible proposer using the same canvas and time limit.Screening panel and pitch coachThree weeks before the sessionComparable pitches with visible uncertainties
4Run pitches and structured clarification, record interest and questions privately and remind participants that voting informs exploration only.Independent facilitatorDuring the sessionFairly heard ideas and documented learning
5Assess each idea against community authority, need, fit, feasibility, cost, safety, access and capacity and assign explore, combine, redesign, defer or close status.Authorised assessment groupWithin three weeksReasoned next-step decisions
6Respond to every proposer, publish only approved aggregate outcomes and support authorised exploration with a partner conversation or small test before any full project commitment.Project governance leadWithin four weeksClosed feedback loops and governed exploration

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.
Confirm venue, accessibility, safety, incident, cancellation and follow-up arrangements for the actual audience and setting.
A popular pitch is mistaken for approval or community mandate. — State the decision boundary repeatedly, label voting as an interest signal and require the documented assessment pathway.
Confident presenters and familiar causes crowd out quieter members or less visible community needs. — Offer coaching and non-live formats, use common criteria and assess evidence separately from presentation style.
A proposer names a community partner, beneficiary group or sensitive issue without authority. — Screen claims, prohibit implied commitment and require authorised, respectful engagement before exploration advances.
Rejected or deferred ideas disappear without explanation, reducing trust and future participation. — Assign an owner and response date to every pitch and provide reasons, learning and a later or alternative route where possible.
The club must approve eligibility, decision limits, assessment criteria, conflict handling and the post-session pathway before inviting pitches.
The session cannot approve expenditure, partner commitment, project launch, public claims or work requiring safety, screening or safeguarding clearance.
Community authority and perspective must be sought through an appropriate process before a concept becomes a project.

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 Idea Pitch Session. Look for roles being filled by choice, responsibilities being understood and useful work being completed without avoidable overload.
Eligible ideas heard through equal information, time, coaching and access arrangements.
Every pitch receiving a reasoned explore, combine, redesign, defer or close response by the promised date.
Ideas entering exploration only after community-authority, feasibility, safety, access, cost and conflict checks.
No vote or audience response represented as project approval, partner commitment or evidence of community need.

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

Early Project Idea Canvas

Help a member frame a community-focused concept while making assumptions and decision limits visible.

Open supporting document
02

Pitch Session Fairness Run Sheet

Give every eligible idea a consistent and accessible hearing without implying approval.

Open supporting document
03

Idea Assessment and Response Record

Turn each pitch into a reasoned next step and close the feedback loop with the proposer.

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

Event brief

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
02

Registration and follow-up log

Use this worksheet to map each step and keep only the information the club genuinely needs.

Open worksheet
03

Feedback form

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

Open worksheet