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E-174 · Theme 2

Member Advisory Group

Use Member Advisory Group to give members a safe, visible route for ideas and concerns to lead to an answer or improvement.

Where this idea came from

Playbook entry
E-174 · Member Advisory Group
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 feedback, voice and improvement, accessibility, privacy, safety and responsible governance; they are not an endorsement of the named Member Advisory Group, a finding that it suits any club or approval of its local design.

Primary references consulted

  • Engage emerging leaders (Rotary International)
    Used for: Rotary encourages clubs to ask members what they want, take suggestions seriously, assess club health, support new leaders and use deliberate planning to improve the member experience.
  • Community Engagement Charter Tool - Types of Engagement - Workshops (PlanSA, Government of South Australia)
    Used for: Well-designed workshops use clear objectives, skilled facilitation, structured participation, outcome records and a feedback route that explains how input affected decisions.
  • Hosting accessible and inclusive in-person meetings and events (Australian Human Rights Commission)
    Used for: Inclusive events require accessible invitations, venues, transport, formats, technology, activities, adjustments and a clear contact for participant requirements.
  • Chapter 3: APP 3 Collection of solicited personal information (Office of the Australian Information Commissioner)
    Used for: Personal-information collection should be lawful, fair, proportionate and minimised, with additional controls for sensitive information; clubs must confirm how privacy law applies to them.

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

  • 4 current primary pages used by this guide were reopened on 9 August 2026.
  • 4 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Chapter 3: APP 3 Collection of solicited personal information
    Supports: Data-minimisation, collection-purpose, proportionality and consent safeguards where the Privacy Act and APP 3 apply.
    Does not establish: Whether a particular Rotary club is an APP entity or whether a proposed renewal survey, diagnostic or member record is lawful in its actual circumstances.

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.

What could this idea change?

It gives the club a clearer view of people's experiences before decisions are made, including feedback that informal conversations can miss.

It may suit: The people whose experience the club needs to understand, especially voices that are not often heard.

Could this work in our club?

  • Consider Member Advisory Group when feedback is collected informally, repeatedly raised or rarely followed by a clear response.
  • A club where a defined member or volunteer experience question is genuinely open to change and the club can respond visibly within 30 days.
  • A club able to resource a time-limited advisory group selected for varied member experiences, name accountable owners and act on a board-ready advice note including divergence and limitations.
  • A 90-day trial of Member Advisory Group with a starting point, participant choices, practical controls and a scheduled continue, change or stop decision.

Before you start

  • A board-approved brief naming what advice the board needs before making the named decision, what is open or fixed, the local authority, resource ceiling and decision date.
  • A participant and access plan suited to a time-limited advisory group selected for varied member experiences, with plain-language information, voluntary choices and a non-digital or alternative route where needed.
  • Named delivery, evidence and governance owners, including a person authorised to pause Member Advisory Group when the boundary or a safety control is not met.
  • A proportionate privacy, records, conflict, safeguarding, work-health-and-safety and referral check for the actual local design rather than an assumption that the initiative is low risk.

At the end: At the 90-day review, compare the recorded measures with the starting point, resolve the listed governance holds and tell participants whether Member Advisory Group 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

Member Advisory Group Decision and Scope Brief

Define the question, authority, evidence and response before asking for input.

Open supporting document
02

Member Advisory Group Participant and Access Plan

Reach relevant experiences through accessible and proportionate channels.

Open supporting document
03

Member Advisory Group Facilitation Run Sheet

Run the activity consistently, fairly and within scope.

Open supporting document
04

Member Advisory Group Evidence and Theme Record

Separate observations, themes, divergence and uncertainty.

Open supporting document
05

Member Advisory Group Decision and Action Register

Carry every finding into an authorised response.

Open supporting document
06

Member Advisory Group Feedback-Loop Update

Tell participants what was heard and what will happen.

Open supporting document
07

Member Advisory Group Privacy, Referral and Close-Out Log

Protect private matters and close retained information responsibly.

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