E-143 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Member Culture Charter

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-143 · Member Culture Charter
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, member listening, club-culture change and accessible participation; they are not an endorsement of the named Member Culture Charter and do not create, replace or amend any law, Rotary requirement, bylaw, policy, complaint, safeguarding or disciplinary process.

Primary references consulted

Enhancing belonging and engagement at Rotary (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary identifies belonging, engagement, respect and value as important to the experience of participation.
Engaging younger professionals to enhance your club's culture (Rotary International)
Used for: Rotary encourages clubs to revisit culture and operations, listen to members and adapt practices that affect engagement.
Hosting accessible and inclusive in-person meetings and events (Australian Human Rights Commission)
Used for: Inclusive participation depends on practical planning for communication, materials, venue and individual adjustments.

Candidate District material consulted

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

Club Playbook - Theme 2
Candidate record 85 Member-Led Culture Charter provides a closely related charter concept. It is not a literal current-title match and does not supply the present authority map, procedural boundary, accessibility, consultation, complaint-transfer, implementation 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

The board must approve the charter purpose, authority map, consultation, advice, adoption, implementation, concern routes and review process.
The charter cannot waive rights, amend formal rules, decide complaints or substitute for safeguarding, grievance, disciplinary or legal processes.
Consultation records must be minimised, de-identified and transferred when an identifiable concern requires authorised handling.
Leaders must accept explicit obligations, resources, evidence and review; the charter cannot place culture responsibility only on less powerful members.

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 share clear norms for respect, inclusion, communication and participation.

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 Member Culture Charter
Step	What we will do	Who could lead it	Our date	How we will know it is done
1	Map the charter's purpose and authority against existing law, Rotary obligations, bylaws, policies and formal concern processes and identify what it cannot decide.	Club board sponsor and governance adviser	Eight weeks before drafting	A charter authority and boundary map
2	Gather de-identified examples of culture members value and want changed through accessible group, individual and anonymous routes, transferring cases outside the charter process.	Independent facilitator	Six weeks before drafting	A listening and issue map with limitations
3	Draft a small set of plain-language commitments for common club moments, naming what members, hosts and leaders will do and what support makes each commitment possible.	Representative drafting group	Four weeks before approval	A behaviour-based draft charter
4	Test the draft for accessibility, equity, cultural safety, enforceability, conflicts with formal rules and unintended burdens, and publish changes and unresolved questions.	Accessibility, governance and cultural advisers	Two weeks before approval	A checked charter and issue record
5	Approve the charter through normal governance, explain its limits and response routes, assign implementation owners and provide accessible versions and member orientation.	Club board	At an authorised club decision	An adopted and usable culture charter
6	Model and review the commitments, respond proportionately through the correct route, report de-identified evidence and revise or retire wording that is ineffective or harmful.	Club president and board	Quarterly and annually	An active charter with accountable 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.
The charter conflicts with law, Rotary requirements, bylaws or formal policy. — Maintain an authority map, obtain appropriate advice and use formal amendment processes for anything beyond the charter's scope.
A behavioural commitment is used as an informal disciplinary rule. — Define response levels and authority, preserve procedural fairness and transfer formal matters to the approved policy and decision-maker.
Consultation exposes complaints or identifiable personal information. — Use de-identified synthesis, minimise records, provide private transfer routes and restrict access and retention.
Leaders endorse the charter but do not change systems or their own behaviour. — Assign leader obligations, resources and measures, report de-identified evidence and include board performance in each review.
The board must approve the charter purpose, authority map, consultation, advice, adoption, implementation, concern routes and review process.
The charter cannot waive rights, amend formal rules, decide complaints or substitute for safeguarding, grievance, disciplinary or legal processes.
Consultation records must be minimised, de-identified and transferred when an identifiable concern requires authorised handling.
Leaders must accept explicit obligations, resources, evidence and review; the charter cannot place culture responsibility only on less powerful members.

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 Member Culture Charter. Look for members being able to describe the club's shared character and for agreed behaviours appearing consistently in meetings, service and decisions.
Charter commitments linked to observable behaviours, leader obligations, support, response routes and review evidence.
Members across tenure, roles and participation formats able to find and explain the charter and the correct route for a concern.
De-identified evidence showing whether selected meeting, decision, service, disagreement and welcome experiences improve.
Reviews identifying commitments changed, retired or escalated into formal policy rather than allowing the charter to drift.

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.

Culture Listening and Issue Map

Collect useful culture evidence without turning consultation into complaint handling.

Open supporting document

Culture Charter and Decision-Rights Map

State behavioural commitments and show which authority applies when a concern arises.

Open supporting document

Charter Accessibility and Inclusion Check

Test whether each commitment can be understood and used without creating unequal burdens.

Open supporting document

Culture Concern and Process Boundary Guide

Help members choose a safe and authorised route without asking them to diagnose policy.

Open supporting document

Charter Implementation and Review Register

Keep adopted commitments active, evidenced and accountable.

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.

Facilitation guide

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

Open worksheet

Safety and approval check

Use this worksheet to notice problems early, make the idea safer and know who needs to say yes or help.

Open worksheet

Action plan

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

Open worksheet