What could this idea change?
Creates a durable public resource that honours participant agency and records project learning beyond a promotional highlights reel.
M-T1-PS-15 · Theme 1
Rotary Documentary Project
Produces a researched short documentary that follows one substantial service story with enough depth to show context, collaboration, results and unresolved work.
Where this idea came from
- Playbook entry
- M-T1-PS-15 · Rotary Documentary Project
- Theme
- Theme 1: Attraction & Visibility · Subtheme PS: Public Storytelling
- Source material
- Existing checked Theme 1 guide
- Linked playbook entry
- M-T1-PS-15 · Rotary Documentary Project
Could this work in our club?
- Community audiences, partners, schools, funders, members and media seeking a credible long-form account. Use when one project has a strong evidence base, willing contributors and a meaningful narrative over time.
Before you start
- Approved treatment, budget, production schedule, audience, distribution and impact purpose.
- Contributor duty-of-care, consent, safeguarding, cultural protocol and withdrawal arrangements.
- Qualified production capability plus documented location, archive, music, image and partner rights.
At the end: Debrief contributors before public release, monitor harm or correction concerns, provide final copies and archive masters, permissions and project evidence together.
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.
Implementation and budget plan
Use this worksheet to turn the idea into a short list of actions, dates, costs and responsibilities.
Open worksheetCommunications and content planner
Use this worksheet to prepare clear messages and check the facts, permissions and approval before sharing them.
Open worksheetWorkflow and minimum-data register
Use this worksheet to map each step and keep only the information the club genuinely needs.
Open worksheet