November 2024 Leader Letter

Limited-Edition Gifts Await — Surprise the cherished Toastmaster in your life with the gift of once-in-a-century merchandise.

Get Ready for Round Two of Club Officer Training — To learn current best practices and to receive credit in the Distinguished Club Program, plan for your club to send at least four officers to this second round of officer training, occurring from November 1, 2024, through February 28, 2025. For information about your District's training, contact your Program Quality Director.

Submit Your Club's Semiannual Officer List — Does your club elect officers twice a year? If so, hold your elections this month. Then, submit your new officer list on Club Central, or download the Club Officer Information form and email it to clubofficers@toastmasters.org by December 31 to receive Distinguished Club credit. Not sure how to host a club officer election? Refer to page 53 of the Club Leadership Handbook.

Make the Most of Base Camp — Watch this webinar recording to discover answers to user-submitted questions about the new platform. The Education Programs FAQ page also includes helpful information about the updated path and language offering, accessibility for members using assistive technology, and more.

Club Central: The Most Essential Club Officer Tool — Club Central is your “one-stop shop” for performing activities related to club business. Here, you can add new members, pay dues, submit education awards, view your current membership roster, make changes to your club's addendum and bylaws, and update your club's contact and meeting information.

Get Down to Business With Parliamentary Procedure — Does your club often debate an issue but then have trouble making a decision? Are rules not being followed, but everyone just ignores it? Does one member always dominate a discussion? Help your club stay on track with parliamentary procedure.

Speech Contest Winning Secrets — It’s time to start thinking about speech contests. Past International President Dilip Abayasekara, DTM, AS—a two-time finalist at the International Speech Contest and now a coach and mentor—shares his secrets for winning at any level.

Perfectly Imperfect — Do you or someone you know struggle with perfectionism? Find out how Toastmasters helps people overcome those tendencies and how to support everyone in embracing imperfection.

Gloria Steinem on Public Speaking — The author and activist has championed women’s rights for more than 50 years. However, at the beginning of her career, she struggled with public speaking. In this exclusive article, read about how she learned to embrace speaking to anyone.

Meet the Winners of the 2024 World Championship of Public Speaking — Get inspired before speech contest season by following the journey of this year’s three winners.

Want to hear more from 2024 World Champion Luisa Montalvo? — Tune into this episode of The Toastmasters Podcast and hear her journey to becoming the World Champion.

Tune In! Daniel Rex on Toastmasters History — Also on the podcast, Toastmasters CEO Dan Rex discusses Toastmasters history and growth, and shares some personal anecdotes. This is a two-episode event.

Share Your Centennial Snaps — Toastmasters have been celebrating the centennial in style! Keep the momentum going by sharing your favorite moments from club speeches, functionary roles, evaluations, toasts, or any speaking event where Toastmasters has given you the confidence to present. Join the fun by using and following the #Toastmasters and #Toastmasters100Years hashtags!

Distinguished Club Program Ribbons — Congratulations to all clubs that earned recognition within the Distinguished Club Program! If your club was honored as Distinguished or higher, your club's record is updated in the Club Achievements section of Club Central.

An Easier Way for Members to Pay! — You can give your members the option to submit their international dues payments online. To enable Self-Pay, log into Club Central, navigate to the Club Contact and Meeting Information page, select the toggle button in the Self-Pay setting section, and click “Save” at the bottom of the page. Members should soon see a clickable alert at the top of the My Home page to renew their membership.

How to Add a Member — New member profiles must be created and activated by a club officer. To get started, log into My Home, navigate to Club Central, and select the “Membership Management" card. Then:

• Click "Add Member" and select "Yes, New Member."
• Fill out all required fields and click the box to confirm an application is on file with the club.
• At the bottom of the page, select if you will be submitting membership payment now, or if the member or a club officer will submit a payment later.
  • “I will be submitting membership payment now” will take you to the checkout screen to submit payment on behalf of the member.
  • “The member or a club officer will submit payment later” will create a pending membership. A club officer can later “Add to cart” on the Membership Management page to proceed with submitting payment. Alternatively, if your club has enabled Self-Pay, the member can submit payment through their My Home page.

Help Members Log In — After a new member's dues payment is processed, they receive a welcome email with instructions to set up their password. If a member did not receive an email after joining your club, they should select the “Forgot Password?” option on the login page. After submitting their email address, they will receive an email within five minutes containing a link to set up their password.

If a seasoned member is having trouble logging in, first verify they are using their email address (not their Member ID or a username). Next, check that their login credentials are synced. Guide the member to "My Profile” from the “Welcome, (Their Name)” menu at the top of My Home. When they click “Edit” in the “Login and Password” section, the “Primary Email” and “Previous Login” fields will populate. If the emails don't match, click “Sync my logins.”