E-141 · Detailed guide · Theme 2

Club Values Workshop

Use Club Values Workshop to turn the club's stated values into everyday habits that members can recognise and uphold.

Where this idea came from

Playbook entry
E-141 · Club Values Workshop
Theme
Theme 2: Engagement & Belonging · Subtheme 9: Club Identity & Culture
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 belonging, listening, club-culture reflection and accessible participation; they are not an endorsement of the named Club Values Workshop or approval of any local value, behaviour, policy or governance decision.

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 83 Club Values Co-Creation Session provides a closely related values-development concept. It is not a literal current-title match and does not supply the present evidence, independence, accessibility, complaint-transfer, decision, accountability or review 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
  • Enhancing Belonging and Engagement at Rotary
    Supports: Belonging, accessibility, respectful participation and equitable access principles for renewal and club experience.
    Does not establish: That a particular meeting model, membership pathway, leadership process or club culture is inclusive without testing with affected people.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.

Why a club might use this

It creates a welcoming reason for people to connect around a shared interest and leave with a clear next step.

It may suit: Members, guests or community participants who would find the topic useful, and the people hosting the activity.

Use it when

  • Consider Club Values Workshop when the club's identity is unclear, contested or expressed more strongly in words than in member experience.
  • A club willing to hear different experiences of its culture, including from newer, quieter, remote and less influential participants.
  • A facilitated process tied to real moments such as welcome, disagreement, decisions, service partnerships, accessibility and recognition.
  • Leaders able to explain what will change, assign owners, resource access needs and report back on commitments by a published date.

Before the club starts

  • A board-approved workshop question, decision scope and response date, with clarity about which policies and obligations cannot be rewritten in the session.
  • A short evidence brief drawing on member feedback, access issues, meeting observations and recurring decisions without exposing identifiable or sensitive cases.
  • An independent or appropriately skilled facilitator, accessible venue and materials, several contribution formats and a private route for concerns outside scope.
  • A documented method to convert values into behaviours, choose priorities, record disagreement, assign actions and check progress with members.

Capacity guide

Likely cost
Low to medium; allow for facilitation, accessible workshop materials and refreshments.
Lead time
Four to six weeks from story gathering to an agreed working charter.
People
Five to eight people representing different tenures, roles and participation patterns.

A useful club conversation

Questions worth asking

  1. Where would a new or less influential member see our stated values tested most clearly?
  2. Which behaviour sounds positive but could exclude, silence or burden someone in practice?
  3. What are leaders willing to stop, change or fund after this workshop?

Common traps

  • Trying Club Values Workshop when A branding exercise, loyalty test, code of conduct drafted without consultation or attempt to make people disclose a complaint in a group setting.
  • Proceeding with Club Values Workshop when A substitute for formal policy, legal obligations, Rotary requirements, complaint handling, safeguarding or action on known discrimination and harm.
  • A locally preferred value conflicts with law, Rotary obligations or equitable access. — Screen commitments against non-negotiable obligations and subject any policy change to separate authorised review.

A practical 90-day path

Three milestones for Club Values Workshop
WhenWhat the club doesEvidence to keep
Days 1–30: Agree the local designApprove the question, evidence, decision boundaries, facilitator independence, accessibility, concern route and board response date. Prepare a de-identified culture evidence summary and invite members to contribute before, during or after the session through accessible formats.A governed workshop brief A shared evidence base and participation plan
Days 31–60: Run and adjust the first versionUse real club moments to explore what people should see, hear and be able to do when each proposed value is alive, absent or in tension with another value. Group and test proposed behaviours for clarity, equity, accessibility, cultural safety and practical control, preserving minority views and matters requiring formal action.Behavioural examples and tensions A tested shortlist of commitments
Days 61–90: Review the evidence and decideChoose a small set of changes, owners, resources, measures and review dates through the club's normal decision process and explain what was not adopted and why. Apply the commitments in meetings and projects, gather varied feedback, act on breaches through the proper route and report evidence and next changes to members.An accountable values action plan Visible behaviour change and review evidence

Fit it to the club you have

Small club

Use a neutral facilitator where family and friendship ties affect candour, offer individual and anonymous input and focus on two or three behaviours the club can genuinely sustain.

Larger club

Run several equivalent sessions, compare input across tenure and participation patterns, publish synthesis limitations and use one accountable board decision rather than separate promises.

Regional or rural club

Offer paper, telephone and off-site input, protect identity in a close community and avoid asking a local member to facilitate concerns involving their own relationships.

Metropolitan, hybrid or online club

Provide captions, dial-in, accessible documents and asynchronous input, do not record by default and give remote participants equal decision and feedback opportunities.

Learn, adapt and know when to stop

Evidence worth keeping

  • Participation evidence showing multiple tenure, role and access perspectives, with known gaps stated rather than hidden.
  • Each adopted value expressed as observable behaviour, a named change, owner, resource and review date.
  • Members reporting improvement in selected club moments such as welcome, voice, disagreement, decisions or access.

Change course when

  • Prominent voices define the club's values for everyone. — Use several contribution formats, independent facilitation, structured turn-taking and an explicit record of missing and minority perspectives.
  • The workshop invites disclosure of complaints that cannot be handled safely in the room. — Set the boundary in advance, provide a private authorised route and stop discussion of identifiable cases or allegations.
  • Values remain abstract and leaders avoid difficult operational changes. — Require observable behaviours, decisions, owners, resources, dates and a public response through normal governance.

How to put it into practice

Detailed implementation steps for Club Values Workshop
StepActionSuggested ownerTimingEvidence or output
1Approve the question, evidence, decision boundaries, facilitator independence, accessibility, concern route and board response date.Club board sponsorSix weeks before the workshopA governed workshop brief
2Prepare a de-identified culture evidence summary and invite members to contribute before, during or after the session through accessible formats.Evidence and accessibility leadsFour weeks before the workshopA shared evidence base and participation plan
3Use real club moments to explore what people should see, hear and be able to do when each proposed value is alive, absent or in tension with another value.FacilitatorWorkshop part oneBehavioural examples and tensions
4Group and test proposed behaviours for clarity, equity, accessibility, cultural safety and practical control, preserving minority views and matters requiring formal action.Facilitator and participantsWorkshop part twoA tested shortlist of commitments
5Choose a small set of changes, owners, resources, measures and review dates through the club's normal decision process and explain what was not adopted and why.Club boardWithin two club meetingsAn accountable values action plan
6Apply the commitments in meetings and projects, gather varied feedback, act on breaches through the proper route and report evidence and next changes to members.Club president and action ownersMonthly for six monthsVisible behaviour change and review evidence

Controls and safeguards

  • 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.
  • Prominent voices define the club's values for everyone. — Use several contribution formats, independent facilitation, structured turn-taking and an explicit record of missing and minority perspectives.
  • The workshop invites disclosure of complaints that cannot be handled safely in the room. — Set the boundary in advance, provide a private authorised route and stop discussion of identifiable cases or allegations.
  • Values remain abstract and leaders avoid difficult operational changes. — Require observable behaviours, decisions, owners, resources, dates and a public response through normal governance.
  • A locally preferred value conflicts with law, Rotary obligations or equitable access. — Screen commitments against non-negotiable obligations and subject any policy change to separate authorised review.
  • The board must approve the question, decision scope, evidence boundary, facilitator, accessibility, concern route, response and review timetable.
  • The workshop cannot override law, Rotary requirements, formal policy, safeguarding or complaint processes.
  • Identifiable complaints and allegations must not be explored or resolved in the group session.

What to measure

  • After 90 days, review Club Values Workshop. Look for members being able to describe the club's shared character and for agreed behaviours appearing consistently in meetings, service and decisions.
  • Participation evidence showing multiple tenure, role and access perspectives, with known gaps stated rather than hidden.
  • Each adopted value expressed as observable behaviour, a named change, owner, resource and review date.
  • Members reporting improvement in selected club moments such as welcome, voice, disagreement, decisions or access.
  • Board reports showing what changed, what did not, why, and how concerns and breaches were handled outside the workshop.

Follow-up: At the 90-day review, compare the recorded measures with the starting point, resolve the listed governance holds and tell participants whether Club Values Workshop 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

Club Values Evidence and Listening Brief

Give the workshop a de-identified view of current culture and known participation gaps.

Open supporting document
03

Values-to-Behaviour Decision Sheet

Translate values into observable commitments and accountable choices.

Open supporting document
04

Values Action and Review Record

Track whether adopted commitments alter members' experience over time.

Open supporting document

Related playbook entries

  • E-154
  • E-142

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.