In Toastmasters, we believe in making every minute matter. That’s why having a clear agenda for your club meetings is crucial for success. By providing members and guests with a detailed outline of what will take place, everyone can come prepared and actively participate. A well-structured meeting not only enhances productivity but also fosters a sense of organization and professionalism.

Two tools that are available to all Toastmasters clubs to help manage agendas are the meeting tools in FreeToastHost and easyspeak.org.

Regardless of what option your club chooses to manage meeting agendas, it is important to plan your meetings in advance, and to maintain a record of who filled what roles previously.

We believe in the power of mentorship. By assigning mentors to new members, we ensure that they receive the guidance and support they need to become active and successful members of our club. Mentors play a crucial role in helping new members navigate their Toastmasters journey, providing them with valuable feedback and encouragement along the way.

Many clubs find it works best to have mentors who are specifically assigned to new members to get those members started, then later assign someone else as a mentor to help the member progress through the educational programs.

A useful resource is the Toastmasters Mentoring manual.

It is important to simplify the dues payment process for your members. You may choose to activate member self pay in toastmasters.org, which would allow your members to pay their Toastmasters International dues directly online.  If your club charges club dues in addition to the International dues, then you will need to provide a method for members to pay the club dues directly to the club.

There are now multiple methods for recieving online or credit card payments which your club could make use of.  PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, Square are all options.  IF you decide to make use of one of these payment services, you will need to take into account a couple considerations.

1. Most services will charge a fee for payments made to the club.  Determine the amount of the fees in advance, and calculate that into what you charge for club dues.
2. When establishing a payment account, make use of a club specific email address for the club treasurer, NOT an individual’s personal email address.  This will make it possible to pass the account to the next club Treasurer without too much difficulty.
3. Recognize that the contact name associated with the account might be difficult to update.  For example, I have yet to locate a Toastmasters club that has successfully updated their club contact name in PayPal.
4. Ensure that you have the correct process in place to transfer money to your club bank account, or to make use of the funds directly for payment.

It is best if you can provide your club members with four payment options.  1)  Cash or check brought to a club meeting,  2)  Check mailed to the club Treasurer, 3)  An online payment option, and 4) Credit/Debit card acceptance at club meetings.  These four options make it easy for any member to pay their dues to the club.

Looking to grow your club and attract new members? Take advantage of free advertising resources to showcase your club and increase your visibility. Building an attractive club website and keeping it up-to-date is a great way to make it easy for potential members to find you. Don’t forget to ensure that your listing in the Toastmasters International Find a Club tool is accurate. Additionally, encourage your members to invite guests and make it easy for them to do so. 

Most local newpapers will include posting of event announcements for free.  Some papers, particularly local community papers, will publish listings of weekly meetings.  Many papers will only post listing of special events.  So whenever your club hosts an open house, a celebration, a speech contest, a training workship, or anything beying the normal weekly meeting, send it to you local papers for announcement.

Many publications, radio stations, TV stations and community organizaitons also have online community calendars where you can post events or meetings.

Flyers announcing your club can be posted on bulleting boards at many local gathering places including grocery stores, laundromats and community centers.

Quite often the most effective way to bring guests to your meeting is to . . . INVITE them.

Encourage members to invite their friends and family members to come watch them give their speech.  Print up club cards and supply them to your members so that they can give those cards out.  You might create a club building contest where you reward members for bringing guests to your meetings.

Your club can create a New Member Guide to help members navigate their Toastmasters journey with ease.

A guide provides a member with all the essential information they need to get started and become an active and successful member of your club. From understanding club best practices to making the dues payment process simple.

At the end of each money, invite your guests, including any guest who is a member of another Toastmasters club, for their feedback and comments on the meeting.

For some this might be their only opportunity to speak at your meeting but it has two valuable benefits.  1) It helps you learn how your meeting looks from the perspective of someone who is not a regular participant in your club.  2) It helps the guest feel that their participation in the club is welcome and encouraged, which can encourage them to return and become a member.

Having a prepared agenda can help you run the meeting such that you will start and end on time.  When members join your club, they expect to be able to dedicate specific time to Toastmasters.  Members are busy people.  Starting meetings late, or ending meetings late, can make members feel that their time is being wasted, which can lead to them dropping out of the club.

When meetings begin on time, complete educational programs and end on time, members feel that their time is well spent.