Page 46 - 2019 March Voices

ONLINE CONNECTIONS
Club Growth at
Your Fingertips
Michelle Alba-Lim, DTM
Have you ever wondered if the online attendance
option is worth considering? Here are three
examples that might help you decide to explore Feather Communicators and plans to visit
online attendance for your club. . .
Exhibit 1
Two weeks ago, Oregon Communicators received their membership because they can attend
an inquiry that read in part:
“Hello, I was hoping you could tell me
anything I may need to know about your
club. I see that the option to attend online
is available, which is great. Do you have
any current online attendees?”
I responded:
“Yes, the option to attend online is one of
the best decisions that the TI board has ever
made. I couldn’t have joined the club. I live in
Sutherlin and Oregon Communicators is in
La Pine. Other than me (VP-Membership),
our VP-Education also attends online. So
does my fellow club coach (from Victoria,
British Columbia!).
He responded:
“I was formerly a member of a Toastmasters
Club —but due to a recent move I no longer
46 ONE COMMUNITY
have a club within reasonable range.”
This same former Toastmaster also contacted
online soon. With online (or remote) attendance,
members can move to another part of the state,
the country, or the world—and still maintain
online.
Exhibit 2
Although based in British Columbia (Canada),
Club Coach Brian Dodd has contributed
immensely to the resurgence of Oregon
Communicators. At 79-years-young, Brian
is constantly bursting with creative PR and
marketing ideas. He uses his database of news
media outlets to help promote the club’s special
learning events. He explores Instagram, Twitter,
and other social media that appeal to young
people. He even experimented with holding a
“joint” meeting of two physical clubs with online
attendance—Oregon Communicators in La
Pine and Royal Roads Toastmasters in British
Columbia—wherein members of the Canadian
club zoomed into the Oregon club meeting. Next
month, Brian will be coordinating the opposite,
wherein Oregon Communicators members will
zoom into the Canadian club.