Community Blog

Administrator D64 Blog

Retaining members – Part 1

More Ideas for Retaining Members!

These ideas for retaining members are not in any particular order. Take a moment to think about each one, and choose those that you think will work for your club, adapting them as you wish. We hope that they will help your club grow and become strong!

  • Send a thank you note EVERY time somebody comes to visit!
  • Include networking tips in newsletter or new member pack. Networking is a primary reason for joining and one of the most important benefits to offer. Produce a short article or checklist on how to use these networking opportunities more effectively. Add to a meeting or convention brochure. You could email the list (with individual member’s permission) to pre-registered attendees shortly before conference.
  • Use testimonials from some members who aren’t active but still feel membership is valuable. If members feel we understand and are trying to help them cope with challenges they are more likely to renew. Ask those who are not active but continue to renew to contact other inactive members.
  • Use Jeopardy marketing putting it in the form of a question. “Wouldn’t it be great if someone were working everyday to tell the public about….?” Or “Wouldn’t it be nice if every month someone brought to your door another form of continuing education and a place to find out about job openings?”
  • Conduct focus groups by phone. Members with varying years of experience focusing on the needs of a small segment. New member focus group. Send all participants an agenda and set of rules. Take attendance; let everyone know who is attending. Make a list of who speaks so you know who to ask for input.
Administrator D64 Blog

Magnificent Mentoring

This is a copy of the presentation from the 2016 District 64 Fall Rally called Magnificent Mentoring (download as a PDF). It supplements Toastmasters International’s mentoring presentation from the Successful Club Series.  Please feel free to use this content in your clubs.  If you want further information about mentoring or to arrange for an in-club presentation (about 15 minutes) please call Joanne McDowall, 204 284 6678.

Administrator D64 Blog

Here are the tips for treating your members well

Many club members underestimate the importance of retaining current members. There are several reasons why focusing on retaining members is critical to your club’s success. Here are a few.

Tenured members:

  • Serve as important role models for newer members.
  • Provide incentive to guests that the club has quality and experienced members that they’ll be able to learn from.
  • Prove that Toastmasters is not an overnight process but an ongoing process for continual self-improvement.

Here are several tips for how to retain your members past the first year:

  • Recruit them to be mentors for new members.
  • Publicly award members for their educational achievements.
  • Encourage their participation as a competitor in Toastmasters contests.
  • Encourage full-length advanced manual speeches. If advanced members need to perform longer speeches to continually improve their skills, you must encourage them to do so. Maybe have an advanced manual speech day every couple of months where multiple longer speeches are expected. Be creative. The important thing is to accommodate!
  • Encourage leadership outside the club. Suggest that your more experienced members serve the district by becoming an Area or other district officer. Many seasoned Toastmasters continue as members just to help others. Serving in a district capacity does just that on an even higher level.

Want more? Check out the other posts for more ideas on retaining members!

Administrator D64 Blog

Sure Signs of Spring

 

When the snow starts to melt and the puddles grow,

When the sky seems ever blue and the gutters do flow,

When Toastmasters everywhere reap what they sow,

When the TI emails say it’s pay time, you know.

Let’s make all our payments early this year!

Maybe earn four CC’s so those points are clear!

To charter strength numbers you can persevere,

Because new people help out club atmosphere!

(Sheryl Berglund, DTM)

Membership renewals and rowing to distinguished are sure signs of spring. Toastmasters International is not springing this on you!  Your club officers received an email reminder and instructions  when the bitter winter winds still howled and the days were very short.

But…Why pay your renewals on time?  Why,  so your world doesn’t come to a crashing end, of course!

You want your club to be a club in good standing.

You want your members to be able to compete in Club contests and they should be paid up with TI  to be members in good standing.

You want to get used to the loss of the grace period.

You want the point for the Distinguished Club Plan Goals.

Most  importantly, paying bills on time is the right thing to do!

And District leaders need the facts.

In order celebrate healthy clubs and help those with low or declining members, we need those facts.

The facts come from the reports on the Toastmasters International District Performance Reports. The information comes from the clubs who submit their payments on time.  Early is even better.  Did you know that the process is amazingly quick if done early as opposed to waiting for the deadline, or trying to put them in after April 1? I know you may be waiting for a better exchange rate.  I understand but don’t wait too long!

Do some spring cleaning, too.

Try for that new club smell! Freshen your meetings. Use up or toss older materials. Try something new to attract new members, attract guests and encourage them to join by looking the part. Have a fundraiser to purchase a new banner (one club is collecting fees for grammatical errors). Use properly branded and professional looking agendas, guest materials and new member kits. Encourage your members to dress a little more “formally” for a while if it’s not their habit, or if they typically do dress at least business casual, have them try “relaxed” to see the difference.

Try to experience new club joy.  I saw this at the charter parties for Quill Masters and Prairie Mountain Excellence  – be excited about the program, wear sincerely happy faces, brand your materials and keep them professional looking, take care to do things the Toastmasters International recommended way. After all, there are 91 years of experience in this organization.

Successful clubs have many practices that keep them vibrant and successful. New life is brought with new members. Useful but not overwhelming guest kits are one such practice.  New member kits (as a benefit to being a paid member), inductions and mentor programs make stronger members and stronger clubs. Bringing guests and asking them to join and to explore their potential is the best way to get new members.

When your Directors see clubs complete educationals, we rejoice for you.  When we see administrative goals being met, we know your club officers are doing their jobs, and we rejoice! When we see your club officers attend training, we know your clubs have a better chance of being quality clubs and we rejoice, but when we see new members being added, we break into song,

Because you know we’re all about that growth,’bout that growth, no shrinking!