Page 18 - February 2020
P. 18
FROM THE DESK
There’s a Hole in the Bucket
Eldred Brown, DTM - Club Growth Director
Last year one of our divisions saw membership Some leave a club after getting married or
growth of better than 50%. That means that if to become parents. Some enroll in college or
the average club in the division started the year professional training programs that conflict
with a membership of 20, the club signed up 10 with their club meetings. We can’t stop all
new members by year’s end. That is phenomenal! attrition, but we can reduce the leak to more
The downside is that the same division also saw of a trickle. Here are a few ways we can do that:
membership loss of about 50%. If the average
club started the year with a membership of 20, Understand Your Members’ Needs
10 of those 20 left the club by year’s end. Not Cindy Laatsch, DTM, our 2019-2020 Region
so good. The end result was that the division Advisor, says, “Toastmasters is so multifaceted.
saw a net membership growth of +1. We appear It’s the club’s job to find out what members
to do well at signing up new members, but our need and help them see that the Toastmasters
membership attrition appears to be keeping experience offers that. Speaking, networking,
pace. Certainly, we can do better to retain our learning, horizon-broadening, safe place to fail?
current members. Yes—Toastmasters has that!”
Why is membership retention so important? Ask our members what they need from
The simple answer is that it’s easier to keep a Toastmasters and help them achieve what they
current member than to add a new member. need. Recognize also that needs change over
Member attrition is like a leaky bucket. To time. I started Toastmasters in 2009 wanting
maintain or grow your club’s membership, you only to improve my communication skills so
need to gain at least as many members as you I could ace a job interview, but I have since
lose. The leakier the bucket (i.e., the greater found Toastmasters as an excellent way to grow
your attrition rate), the more work you need to the leadership skills I need in my role as Club
do to add water to the bucket (i.e., recruit new Growth Director.
members) just to keep the water level the same. Just as importantly, we need to identify
Again, it’s easier to retain a current member than what each member doesn’t need. Most people
to gain a new one. join Toastmasters not wanting to earn a DTM
How, then, can we improve our member award—it took me several years of working
retention? We certainly can’t plug the leak in our the program before I decided that pursuing a
bucket completely. Life happens. Some use their DTM was worth my time. Some don’t want to
Toastmasters skills to get new jobs or promotions. jump immediately into competing in a speech
18 ONE COMMUNITY
