March 2022 Leader Letter
Club News
Calling All Dynamic Presenters! — Apply to be a speaker at the 2022 International Convention, Toastmasters’ first hybrid event, taking place August 17-20, 2022, in the “music city” of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, and online. If you have experience addressing international audiences of 1,000 or more, submit your video and application by March 28, 2022.
International Women Have Their Day — This year’s International Women’s Day (March 8) is the backdrop of a high-energy conversation among inspiring women leaders. In this free webinar, “Celebrating Women in Leadership,” hear who empowered them as they found their authentic voices as women. Learn their challenges and bias barriers, as well as the positive change that sprung from them. And find out what they’d most like to see evolve for women moving forward. Register now.
Also, meet five members who are using their communication skills to speak out and make their mark on the world, in this Toastmaster magazine article.
Achieving Club Excellence Webinar Recording — Did you catch the candid conversation between International President-Elect Matt Kinsey and three other leaders last month? You can replay the webinar to refresh the great tips or watch anew!
Check DTM Progress — To see what you have completed towards your Distinguished Toastmasters (DTM) award, log in to www.toastmasters.org and select the "Welcome" message at the top. From there, you have the option to click "Club Support Roles" to view a list of your club mentor, sponsor, or coach appointments. You can click "Offices Held" to see your past club and District leadership roles, or "Education Awards" to view a complete list of awards you have earned during your time in Toastmasters. If you are looking for completion dates for your paths and/or the Distinguished Toastmaster project, you can log on to Base Camp and select "Paths and Learning." Click the "Active" option just above your paths, then select "Completed" from the drop-down list to navigate to your completed transcript. This will display your completed path items and the dates they were completed.
Make Prospective Member Connections — Did you know World Headquarters receives many replies to club interest emails that should be going directly to prospective members? When responding, verify you are contacting the prospective member, not World Headquarters. Another way to ensure prospective member emails are delivered to your inbox is to add clubleads@toastmasters.org as a contact in your email service provider.
Ensure Club Status — Is your club currently in good standing? Select your club's District from the Daily Reports – October Dues Renewal Status and ensure your club is listed as "Verified Complete." Refer to the Club Status Guide to determine how a club's status affects different features and areas of various programs. If you notice a discrepancy, please contact Club and Member Support at renewals@toastmasters.org.
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Pay Dues by April 1— Membership dues payments for the next renewal period are now being accepted, and are due on or before April 1, 2022. To pay club dues, log in to Club Central and click "Submit Payment." Unpaid officers lose access to Club Central 30 days after their membership expires. Completing the club's membership renewal requirements by April 1 will allow the club to receive on-time submission credit for the appropriate section of Goal 9 in the Distinguished Club Program. Email Club and Member Support at renewals@toastmasters.org for service and support.
Plan for Success — All club submissions for the program year must be received no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Mountain Time on June 30. Submissions received on or after July 1, 12:00:00 a.m. Mountain Time will be applied to the 2022–2023 Program Year. Additional explanation of deadlines and how to submit documents to World Headquarters are outlined in the Distinguished Club Program manual.
Talk Up Toastmasters Award — Make membership building fun by encouraging everyone to participate in the Talk Up Toastmasters program. If your club adds five new, dual, or reinstating members to its roster with a join date between February 1 and March 31, your club will earn a special ribbon to display with the club banner, plus a 10% discount on the next club order from the Toastmasters Online Store! Member applications and payments must be received at World Headquarters or online no later than March 31. The addition of transfer or charter members does not count towards Talk Up Toastmasters credit.
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Bookmark New Photo Library — Toastmasters has a new host (Lytho) for its Toastmasters-branded images. Access and download the images here; there is also a direct link on page 20 of the newest version of the Toastmasters Brand Manual. If you have downloaded a previous version of the Brand Manual, please update to this version.
360-Degree Evaluations — Another exciting leadership development tool, 360-degree evaluations, are available for club officers! These evaluations allow for peers and club members to evaluate officers and aid in their leadership development. Download these evaluation resources and learn how you can implement them in your club.
Convert Prospective Members — An average of 7,000 prospective members a month attempt to contact a club via Find a Club! Follow helpful tips in the Find a Club Best Practices document to grow your club's membership.
Cultivating Club Leaders — In the coming weeks, clubs worldwide will begin looking for officers for the 2022–2023 program year. The first question many Leadership Committees must answer is, "How do we encourage members to begin a leadership journey?" Think about how you can empower club members to step into a leadership role for their personal development and the club's continued success. Use the club officer role resources to learn more about each position as you find your club’s next leaders.
Evaluation Resources — Did you know that all evaluation resources are located on www.toastmasters.org and in Base Camp? Members have multiple ways to access the evaluation resources needed to complete education program projects—resources can be found when launching a project or in the Tutorials and Resources section on Base Camp in all languages. The English versions of these resources can also be found in the Resource Library with just the name of the project—no login required.
Promote Your Club — Add your club's information to the "Promotional Poster" and hang them around your community! Featuring a contemporary design, this marketing material comes in two sizes for your convenience.
International Officer Candidates Nominated — The Toastmasters International Leadership Committee has nominated International Officer candidates. Voting will take place as part of the 2022 Annual Business Meeting in August. Find out more about the nominated candidates by visiting the International Officer and Director Candidates webpage.
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Tune In to The Toastmasters Podcast — In honor of its 200th episode this month, The Toastmasters Podcast and Toastmaster magazine held a contest for podcast pitches. Listen to a special interview with the winner and hear all about their first-place idea. Then read on to learn more about the organization’s official podcast and the Distinguished Toastmasters who host it.
Club Mentor Program: A Win-Win-Win! — A strong mentorship program can create a win for mentees, mentors, and the club overall. Discover how to institute one in your club and how everyone can benefit.
Welcome to Toastmasters! — Did your club just gain a new member? Congratulations! Your newfound friend may need some help as they embark on their Toastmasters journey. Share this article to provide a few tips for getting started in the program.
Toastmasters and Rotary: Stronger Together — If you want to go fast, says an old African proverb, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Members of Toastmasters and Rotary International are going very far indeed. Read how the two organizations have shared successes through local collaborations.
5 Social Media Tips for Club Leaders— Learn how to effectively use social media to gain and retain members with these five solid strategies.
Learn to Evaluate Everybody — Don’t be intimidated by title or tenure; both new and advanced members benefit from honesty. This advice, from a Toastmaster magazine article, will help you build confidence to evaluate even the most advanced speakers in your club.
Online Meeting Etiquette— Have you come across disruptive members or overzealous hosts in your online club meetings? Find the happy balance between conducting a professional meeting and understanding that the online experience is still new to many people. In this Toastmaster magazine article, learn how to set expectations and lay the groundwork for maintaining online meeting decorum.
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District Translation Program Open — Through the District Translation Program, which is now open to all Districts, Districts can select Toastmasters materials to be translated, which, upon approval, are hosted on www.toastmasters.org or on Base Camp. The work being done in the District Translation Program is helping to build a more inclusive Toastmasters, establish new clubs, attract new members, and keep current members engaged. Requests must come from a District Director, Program Quality Director, or Club Growth Director, and be approved by World Headquarters. Please submit your requests using this online request form. If you have questions, please email districttranslations@toastmasters.org.
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Missing Names for Educational Achievements? — Have you ever noticed that you may not see a member’s name on the Educational Achievements report and instead, only see a number? That is the member’s ID number, which can appear without a name when a member has requested in privacy settings that their name not appear on public reports. If this is the case, you can identify who earned the achievement by referencing the member’s ID number in your club’s roster in Club Central, providing they are still a paid member of your club.