September 2024 Leader Letter

Make the Plus One Pledge — Join members around the world who are pledging to bring at least one guest to a meeting before the end of December, and encourage your club members to make the pledge, too!

Join the 100 Clubs Challenge — As we approach the 100th anniversary of Toastmasters International on October 22, 2024, let's aim to charter 100 new clubs by this milestone date! This initiative, sparked by District leaders at our recent International Convention, is about creating growth, opportunity, and impact for the future of Toastmasters. Your leadership is key—let's work together to make this vision a reality!

Share Your Centennial Snaps — Toastmasters have been celebrating the centennial in style! Continue sharing your best moments from club meetings, member spotlights, networking, and social gatherings on social media. Follow the fun by using and following the #toastmasters and #Toastmasters100Years hashtags.

Order a Special Centennial Edition of the Toastmaster! — Make it a milestone to remember with a printed copy of the Toastmaster magazine, which includes exclusive articles and features like a cutout of Smedley, centennial celebration ideas, historic Table Topics®, and more. Order from the Toastmasters Online Store today.

Convention Highlights and Replay — Catch up on convention moments and celebrate past and present with this article covering the major highlights. If you missed convention, you can still watch on demand to be inspired and join the centennial celebration.

Get Your Copy of Confident Voices! — Celebrate 100 years of eloquence, leadership, and personal triumphs in this new exploration of Toastmasters International's rich history. Order the book from the Toastmasters Online Store today.

Ensure Your District is on Track — Keep your District eligible for the Distinguished District Program and maintain access to your District reserve by submitting your Division and Area Directors Training Report and District Success Plan by September 30. Complete and submit the forms in District Central, and email the District Growth and Support Team if you have questions. The District Market Analysis and Communications Plans are two additional requirements for the District to participate in the Distinguished District Program. The plans are due by September 30 along with the District Success Plan, and Division and Area Directors Training Report. .

Apply Now to Be a Region Advisor — The Region Advisor is instrumental in helping Districts grow through coaching, guiding, training, and collaboration. If you are interested in becoming a Region Advisor, or would like to learn more about this role, visit the Region Advisor webpage. Applications for the 2025-2026 program year are due by September 30.

Calling All Board of Directors Candidates — Would you or someone you know like to be on the Toastmasters International Board of Directors? Visit the Candidate Qualifications page to review resources for candidates, watch an informative video about what it takes to be a Board Member, and submit a Letter of Intent. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is October 1, so don't delay!

Submit Round One Club Officer Training by October 31 — Club officers and members review their club performance on the Distinguished Performance Reports dashboard. It is best to enter club officer training sooner than later to provide an opportunity for officers to raise any concerns before the last day (October 31). Remember to continue focusing on the importance of club excellence by sharing the Club Excellence Curriculum.

Appoint Your District Leadership Committee Chair by November 1 — The District Leadership Committee (DLC) is responsible for nominating candidates for District office, following the procedures outlined in Protocol 9.0: District Campaigns and Elections. The District Leadership Committee Chair must be appointed no later than November 1, and the remaining committee members appointed no later than December 1. If you have any questions, email the District Growth and Support Team.

Board Briefing Recording Available — Watch the recording to hear important announcements from the Board of Directors.

Add a Club Extension Chair to Facilitate Growth — Receive dedicated assistance in building new clubs from the club extension chair. This core member of your District Marketing Team can help you manage club-building efforts for the District through the Toastmasters Lead Management (TLM) system.

Meet Radhi Spear, DTM — Get to know the 2024–2025 International President who is gearing up for growth and encouraging everyone to help spread the word about Toastmasters. “In this 100th year, we should be proud. Let people know there’s Toastmasters and in Dr. Smedley’s memory, get someone to attend a meeting and see for themselves.”

Creative Club Locations — For 100 years, members have challenged themselves to meet in unique settings. Check out these photos of clubs from the past who went to great heights—and depths—to practice their speaking skills.

Tune In! How Supercommunicators Identify and Match Conversations — In this episode of The Toastmasters Podcast, Charles Duhigg enlightens listeners on how to identify different types of conversations and key ways to enhance communication skills. Duhigg shares personal experiences and examples he found while researching his latest book, Supercommunicators.

Use the 2024–2025 Club Excellence Curriculum — This is a club and District-level resource tailored to support clubs in achieving excellence. Access the Club Excellence Initiative Curriculum by visiting the Club Officer Kit and District Leader Kit webpages. Also, the Club Building Curriculum is available again to all District Executive Committee members. The Club Building Curriculum is available in the Paths and Learning section of Base Camp.

Introducing the 2024–2025 Board of Directors — At this year's Annual Business Meeting, the membership of Toastmasters International elected new members to the organization's Board of Directors. Learn more about the International President, International President-Elect, First and Second Vice Presidents, and International Directors who will serve in 2024–2025.

Congratulations to the New Accredited Speakers — Congratulations to Lauren Parson, DTM and Maureen Zappala, DTM for achieving the Accredited Speaker designation! This elite title is reserved for those who combine expert knowledge in a particular subject with a mastery of public speaking. If you know members who are interested in the program, share the Accredited Speaker Program Handbook so they can learn about the application process.

The 2024 World Champion of Public Speaking — Following an exciting World Championship of Public Speaking® at the 2024 Toastmasters International Convention, we are excited to announce the new World Champion: Luisa Montalvo, from District 55, who won with a speech titled, “37 Strangers.” Congratulations to Hannah Cheng, from District 67, for finishing in 2nd place with her speech, “Are You Ready?” and Angeli Raven Fitch, from District 4, for finishing in 3rd place with her speech, “Replaced by Sophia.” Get inspired by watching Luisa deliver her winning speech!

Upcoming Base Camp Outage — The system where you access the Pathways Learning experience will soon be updated to a new platform that will better support members. To prepare for this transition, Base Camp will be unavailable beginning October 9, 2024. Learn more about the outage and what you can do to help clubs/members prepare for the new Base Camp.

Congratulations to All Distinguished Districts — The 2023-2024 Distinguished Districts list is now available. Congratulate your fellow District leaders for their success!