E-164 · A 90-day try-out

A club plan for Innovation Pitch Sessions

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-164 · Innovation Pitch Sessions
Theme
Theme 2: Engagement & Belonging · Subtheme 10: Feedback, Voice & Improvement
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 member ideas, project lifecycle, workshop design, accessibility and impartial decisions; they are not an endorsement of the named Innovation Pitch Sessions or approval of any local challenge, proposal, assessment, pilot, expenditure or partner commitment.

Primary references consulted

  • Engage emerging leaders (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary encourages clubs to ask members for ideas, take suggestions seriously and keep activities relevant to member interests.
  • Develop Projects (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary's project lifecycle connects planning, resources, implementation, evaluation, progress tracking and sharing lessons learned.
  • Community Engagement Charter Tool - Types of Engagement - Workshops (PlanSA, Government of South Australia)
    Used for: Well-designed workshops clarify purpose, use skilled facilitation and create conditions for participants to develop ideas and hear different views.
  • Managing conflicts of interest (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission)
    Used for: Actual, potential and perceived conflicts should be declared, recorded and managed by impartial decision-makers.
  • Hosting accessible and inclusive in-person meetings and events (Australian Human Rights Commission)
    Used for: Interactive activities, technology, invitations and materials should be designed so people with disability can participate on an equal basis.

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

  • 5 current primary pages used by this guide were reopened on 9 August 2026.
  • 5 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
  • Engage Emerging Leaders
    Supports: Member-centred discovery, mentoring, feedback, emerging-leader support and club-health review principles during renewal.
    Does not establish: That a person is ready for office, should be selected, has consented to a role or that a proposed renewal pathway will work locally.
  • Develop projects
    Supports: The 5 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.
  • Community Engagement Charter Tool - Types of Engagement - Workshops
    Supports: The 4 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.
  • Managing conflicts of interest
    Supports: Conflict identification, disclosure, recording and impartial management principles for renewal decisions and resource allocation.
    Does not establish: That a conflict exists, has been adequately managed or is governed by a particular law, constitution or policy in the club's circumstances.
  • 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.

1. Is this worth trying here?

What we hope will change: Use Innovation Pitch Sessions to give members a safe, visible route for ideas and concerns to lead to an answer or improvement.

2. Our 90-day try-out

What our club will do for Innovation Pitch Sessions
StepWhat we will doWho could lead itOur dateHow we will know it is done
1Define one challenge from evidence, state the outcome sought, exclusions, available resources, pilot size, decision date and what would make a proposal ineligible.Board sponsor and challenge ownerWeek oneAn approved innovation challenge brief
2Publish the criteria and participation terms, offer a one-page proposal template, coaching and accessible written, spoken or recorded submission routes without requiring polished presentation skills.Pitch coordinator and accessibility contactWeeks one and twoAn accessible invitation and proposal pack
3Check eligibility, conflicts, partner authority, safeguarding, legal or financial concerns and likely capacity before the session, referring specialist questions rather than scoring them informally.Governance checker and secretaryBefore shortlistingA controlled eligibility and conflict record
4Run short pitches with equal time, structured questions, no audience popularity vote and the same evidence-based rubric for live, written and recorded proposals.Independent chair and assessment panelPitch sessionComparable pitch and assessment records
5Record proceed-to-pilot, revise, hold, refer or decline decisions with reasons, conditions, resource limits and conflicts; then give every proponent a respectful response.Authorised decision panelWithin seven daysA decision register and proponent responses
6Charter each selected pilot for no more than 90 days, track outcomes, risks and workload, publish what was learned and decide to adopt, revise, extend or stop without treating the pitch result as permanent approval.Pilot sponsor and evaluation leadDays 30 to 90A pilot evidence report and final decision

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.
The best presenter wins rather than the most relevant and feasible idea. — Assess the written core against published criteria, train assessors, allow equivalent formats and prohibit popularity voting from deciding the result.
Panel members have personal, organisational or financial interests in a proposal. — Require declarations before access to proposals, record actual, potential and perceived conflicts, recuse affected assessors and document the replacement decision-maker.
A pitch implies ownership, funding, partner consent or delivery authority that has not been established. — Publish no-guarantee terms, verify partner authority, avoid taking contributor rights and subject every selected idea to a governed pilot charter.
The club celebrates selection but leaves unsuccessful proponents or pilot teams without a response. — Use a complete proposal register, standard response categories and a named sponsor accountable for feedback, pilot support and closure.
The board must approve the challenge, criteria, participation terms, decision authority, conflicts process, resource ceiling and pilot limits before proposals are invited.
Partner representation, fundraising, procurement, prizes, contracts, intellectual-property commitments and public promises require the responsible authority and cannot be inferred from selection.
The Theme 2 candidate documents contain no literal current-title match or verified current-code crosswalk for E-164 and are not used as evidence.

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 Innovation Pitch Sessions. Look for representative participation, published themes, named actions and a report back on what changed, what did not and why.
Every eligible proposal is assessed against the published criteria, receives a recorded decision and receives feedback within the promised time.
Selected pilots have a sponsor, bounded resources, partner authority, risk controls, measures and a 90-day decision date before work begins.
Participation and selection evidence shows that format, confidence, location or existing office did not become an unstated criterion.
Undeclared conflicts, unauthorised promises, lost proposals, ungoverned expenditure and pilots continuing without review remain at zero.

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.

02

Pitch Participation and Idea-Use Note

Set honest expectations about attribution, information use and no guarantee.

Open supporting document
06

Innovation Assessment Rubric

Assess ideas consistently against need, value, feasibility and learning.

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

Question set

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

Open worksheet
02

Response log

Use this worksheet to note where things stand and choose a few useful signs that will help the club decide what to do next.

Open worksheet