Volunteer Leadership Agreement

What the Agreement is

The Volunteer Leadership Agreement sets out what the district asks of its leaders: District Leaders, District Committee Chairs, Assistant Governors, and other appointed District volunteers. It covers two things: following the instructions, policies, and directives of Rotary International, The Rotary Foundation, and the district's governance bodies; and handling, securing, and keeping the district's files and records properly.

By signing it, you acknowledge that you have read and understood it and agree to fulfil those responsibilities for the duration of your term of service.

Who signs it

You sign the Volunteer Leadership Agreement if you take on a district leadership role, including:

• District Leaders and office holders.
• District Committee Chairs and appointed committee members.
• Assistant Governors.
• Other appointed District volunteers carrying a district responsibility.

When you sign

• When you take on the role, at or near the start of your term.
• At the 1 July changeover if you are continuing or starting a role for the new Rotary year.
• The form records the Rotary year your Agreement applies to, so a signed copy is tied to a specific term of service.

What you are committing to

Responsibilities to corporate instructions

• Comply with the Rotary International Bylaws, Constitution, Manual of Procedure, and district policies.
• Follow instructions from the District Governor, District Governor-Elect, District Trainer, and RI/Foundation staff within their authority, and escalate anything unclear rather than acting unilaterally.
• Complete required district training, represent Rotary and the district accurately, and use the Rotary Marks and official channels only as authorised.
• Respect the district's reporting lines and submit required reports on time.

Management of files

• Store and label district files using the district's conventions, on district-approved platforms (Microsoft 365 SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, DACdb), not solely on personal devices or personal cloud accounts.
• Safeguard personal information, limit access to those with a legitimate need, and report any lost, corrupted, or compromised files or a suspected data breach to the District Governor and District Secretary within 48 hours.
• Keep current versions, follow the record retention schedule, and hand over all district files and records to the incoming leader or the District Secretary within 30 days of leaving the role.

How to sign

You sign the Agreement online. There is no paper form and nothing to print or post.

flowchart TD
    A["You take on a district
leadership role"] --> B["You open the online form at
support.rotary9660.org.au/leadership-agreement"]
    B --> C["You read the full Agreement
to the end"]
    C --> D["You acknowledge it and
draw or upload your signature"]
    D --> E["You submit. A signed PDF is
emailed to you and filed with
the district's leadership records"]

Open the signing form

Working through it:

1. Your details. Your full name, Rotary club or committee, district role or position, the Rotary year, and your email address. The district number (9660) is filled in for you.
2. Read the Agreement. The full text is shown in a scrolling panel. You must scroll to the end before you can acknowledge it. This is deliberate: you are confirming you have actually read it.
3. Acknowledge. Tick the box confirming you have read and understood the Agreement and agree to fulfil the responsibilities in it.
4. Sign. Draw your signature with a mouse, finger, or stylus, or upload an image of it.
5. Submit.

What happens after you submit

• A signed PDF containing the full Agreement text, your details, and your signature is generated. The signed copy is self-contained, so it evidences exactly what you agreed to.
• That PDF is emailed to you and to the district.
• It is filed with the district's leadership records and logged in the Leadership Agreement Register.

Alongside your signature, the district records the submission time, the IP address, and the browser used, as an audit record of your signing.

Where signed copies are kept

Signed Agreements and the register are held on the District Board SharePoint site: the PDFs in a Leadership Agreements folder, and the details in the Leadership Agreement Register.

They are kept with the Board because the Agreement is a governance record of who has accepted the district's leadership responsibilities.