District Reserve Reallocation:
• A portion of the excess District reserves will be reallocated back to Toastmasters International by charging District reserves statements beginning the month of February 2022.
• Two (2) significant projects will be undertaken by the organization in 2022.
1. Member Self-Pay (more information below)
2. Enhanced Learning Management System (Base Camp)
▪ Provide a much more intuitive and user-friendly platform that can be accessible on any device, including mobile devices.
• Board of Directors approved the funding for these projects from the excess District reserves over and above the required retention.
1. The organization’s excess District reserves over retention have increased from $800,000 in 2011 to over $6 million in 2021. (All financial figures in this document are in U.S. dollars.) This represents idle funds not being used that could be invested into projects that can increase member value and organizational growth.
2. Member Self-Pay and Base Camp projects will cost $1.3 million in 2022.
• District Finance at World Headquarters will be in touch with each District to communicate the specific amount that will be charged on their District statement.
• The amount reallocated each month for the 2021-2022 program year will remain the same. However, the Board may review the excess funds periodically to determine if any adjustments are needed.
• The District Reallocation is based on Protocol 8.4: District Fiscal Management, Section 3.B., which states: “If the District reserve exceeds 1.25 times the Required Retention at the end of the program year, 50% of that amount shall be reduced from the District reserve and reallocated to Toastmasters International for purposes related to the organization’s mission.”
• Calculation for each District is based on their proportion of excess District reserve to the overall aggregate excess for all Districts.
• More information can be found on the District Finance FAQ page
Member Self-Pay and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP):
Member Self-Pay
• An ongoing project is to provide members the option to pay membership and renewal dues directly and electronically to World Headquarters via our website.
• To support this initiative, membership voted on amendments to both the Club Constitution and the Bylaws of Toastmasters International at the 2017 Annual Business Meeting to provide members the ability to individually pay their dues online.
• The first phase of this project, which is due to launch in 2022, will provide the option for existing members to submit payment directly and electronically for their renewal dues.
• Future phases will provide the option for new, dual, or reinstating members to select the club that they are joining, complete a membership application online, and directly and electronically submit payment for their new member fee and membership dues.
• To support awareness for club officers, the new option will include a step for club officers to first approve the self pay option for the member before any payment is processed.
• Member self-pay will provide the flexibility and security members have requested, while improving the accuracy and timeliness of payments.
• This new payment method is optional, and once launched, members will still have the option to submit payment for renewal and membership dues as they do today, via their club officer.
• At this time, there will not be an option for members to submit club dues to World Headquarters, and those will still need to be submitted directly to the club for processing.
• This feature is anticipated for the third quarter of 2022 and more communication will be provided.
ERP Platform Implementation
• MS Dynamics 365 is our chosen platform and the Finance & Operations modules were implemented successfully in 2021.
• The anticipated go-live date for the Customer Engagement module is May 9, 2022, with that weekend being the migration and implementation.
• Prior to the anticipated go-live date of May 9, various sections of the Toastmasters website will be impacted, which mean certain actions may not be completed as usual. This impact will vary for member, club, and District activities. More communication regarding the specific impacts will be shared leading up to the target date.
Global Advertising
• The primary goal is brand awareness leading to growth.
• Phase 2 of the Global Advertising campaign was launched in mid-January 2020 and paused in March 2020 due to COVID-19.
• Phase 2 was restarted in January 2021 and completed in March 2021. The restart allowed World Headquarters to develop new ad concepts that included an online meeting component.
• For Global Advertising in 2022, 33 Districts will be invited to participate. In the years to come, additional Districts will be invited.
• Opportunity to work together: too many clubs are slow in responding to email inquiries that come through Find a Club on the Toastmasters website. For individuals who were interested but did not join a club, more than 50% tell us that their email inquiries to clubs were never answered. Please, let’s all work together to help individuals who are interested in Toastmasters.
• Why were these 33 Districts chosen?
o These Districts were chosen based on their LinkedIn markets, which will be the main platform for advertising.
• How long will the current campaign last?
o The campaign will last 90 days and begin in quarter 1 of 2022.
• Can other Districts participate?
o In recent years, we have been carefully and systematically expanding Global Advertising to learn what works (and doesn’t work) so that the most benefit is provided to District budgets. For 2022, we are restricting participation to these 33 Districts but will include more in the future.
• What are the main metrics of success?
o Impressions (how many people saw each ad), clicks, and click-through rate (CTR) will be the primary measures used to evaluate the campaign. We will also monitor traffic to the Toastmasters website and submissions through Find a Club and Start a Club. However, due to how members typically join a club (visiting several clubs, often over a long period of time, etc.), it is difficult to directly tie member leads to these ad campaigns.
• What kind of ads will we include?
o In recent years, we have tested several ad concepts and several ads within each concept and will use the most successful ones. Ads will also consider the cultural and geographic location of where the campaigns are launched.
Club Coach Program
• The modifications to the program will go into effect July 1, 2022.
• In February 2021, the Board of Directors approved updates to the Club Coach Program.
• The approved modifications to the program establish a formal, regulated process for the appointment of club coaches.
o All parties—club officers, District leadership, and the club coach—will be involved in establishing the terms and expectations of a given club coach appointment.
o Greater protections for both clubs and coaches undertaking an appointment were instituted, with a focus on improving outcomes and awareness.
o The updates include a new Club Coach Program training module that will be located on Base Camp.
• These modifications were split into four (4) general categories:
o Club Eligibility: criteria to determine whether clubs are eligible for coaching.
▪ Club eligibility updated to a minimum of three (3) members with a maximum of 12.
▪ The club officers will need to review the new Club Coach Program training module.
▪ Suspended clubs are not eligible for a coach.
o Club Coach Eligibility: criteria to determine whether interested members are qualified to perform the duties of a club coach.
▪ The coach is unable to have been a member of the club in the past six (6) months.
▪ Once a coach has been appointed to a club, they will not be able to become a member of the club until their appointment has concluded.
▪ The coach will need to review the new Club Coach Program training module.
▪ The coach will need to have earned at minimum a Level 2 in Pathways, an Advanced Communicator Bronze, or an Advanced Leader Bronze.
▪ The coach must have had active membership with Toastmasters International for a minimum of one (1) year and have served as a club officer for one (1) annual term or two (2) semiannual terms.
▪ Club coaches are only allowed to be appointed to one (1) club at a time.
o Procedural: processes by which club coaches are appointed, evaluated, and overseen.
▪ Three (3) new reporting forms have been created to improve the efficacy of the program. The reports will be published and communicated prior to the 2022-2023 program year.
• Club Coach Preliminary Report
• Club Coach Progress Report
• Club Coach Final Report
▪ The submission of these reports is required to receive club coach credit. Completed reports will be submitted to the District Director (or delegated PQD or CGD) or Region Advisor if coach of an undistricted club.
▪ A new 360-degree evaluation form was created for the Club Executive Committee to evaluate the club coach. Although the completion of the evaluation form is not required, any District leader who worked with the coach is encouraged to complete this evaluation as well.
o Club Coach Credit: criteria to determine whether a club coach has completed their assignment with sufficient success to be awarded Distinguished Toastmaster or District leader credit.
▪ Coaches will no longer receive automatic credit upon the Distinguished status of a club. A club officer and the District Director (or delegated PQD or CGD), or Region Advisor of coach if an undistricted club, will be required to email World Headquarters confirmation that the coach has completed their duties.
▪ The period of service is a minimum of six (6) months by June 30.
▪ In addition, club coach for District leadership credit is granted if the club achieves 20 or more members on top of the club being Distinguished or better by the June 30 deadline following the completion of the minimum six-month requirement.
• The goal of these modifications is that the club will be self-sustaining once club coach assignment is nearing completion, and the club members will benefit from the experience and support of knowledgeable club coaches.
• Email communication regarding the updates will be sent to all club officers in May 2022.
• Resources, FAQs, and a new webpage to support the updated program will be available on the website prior to the start of the new program year. This is to avoid any confusion until the current program is complete.
• The updated program rules only apply to those coaches appointed on July 1, 2022, and after. Anyone appointed on June 30, 2022, or earlier is grandfathered into the previous program rules.
• Additional Information: March 1, 2021 Minutes.
Annual Business Meeting
Proposal: Voting at the Annual Business Meeting at the International Convention
• Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic the past two (2) years, the Annual Business Meeting has been conducted as an online event. This has allowed the Member Clubs to attend and participate in the meeting in record numbers. More participation from members is always a good thing.
• As the organization continues to adapt to the changing global environment, the Board proposes to continue giving voting delegates the freedom to cast their votes either on-site or electronically.
• Having this flexibility will be a benefit for members around the world who are unable to attend on-site at the International Convention.
• No change in voting rights.
• Amendments to the Bylaws, Article X: Annual Business Meeting, Sections 5.d, 6 and 7 (new); Article XI: Quorum, Section 1.a; Article XIII: Miscellaneous, Section 10 (new); and Article XIV: Amendments, Sections 1 and 1.d.
Proposal: Representatives for Clubs on the District Council – District-level Impact
• This proposal helps give member leaders more direct participation in District decisions. As the world and Toastmasters International transition to a post-pandemic environment, we must develop best practices to maximize member engagement and participation in the business of the organization. For leaders at the District level, that includes voting without the need for proxies.
• It is the responsibility of the Club President and Vice President Education, the club’s two (2) voting representatives on the District Council, to attend and vote at all District Council meetings. The Board proposes more flexibility by allowing each club to determine which of its two (2) representatives, or if both, will carry the club’s two (2) votes.
• Given the variability in how Districts operate worldwide, and the inherent complexity of processing proxies for both on-site and online attendees, the Board proposes that proxies be eliminated at the District level. Members will have the ability to attend either on-site or online, making it easier to vote directly, especially if only one (1) club representative is required to vote. Thus, proxies are not needed. This move will make things easier for the District and allow leaders to benefit from the voting experience.
• With online participation in District Council meetings, clubs are no longer limited from attending because of distance from the location of the meeting. This makes it easier for the clubs’ representatives to be present at the meeting and cast their club’s votes directly, without the need to assign a proxyholder.
• Amendments to the Club Constitution, Article VII: Duties of Officers, Section 9, and Article X: Affiliation, Section 5.
• If the proposal passes, the District Administrative Bylaws Articles VII, IX, and X, Protocol 7.1: District Events, and Protocol 9.0: District Campaigns and Elections will be automatically amended.
Proposal: Club Officer Requirements
• It is important to uphold the Toastmasters International core values—integrity, respect, service, and excellence—at all levels of the organization. To safeguard integrity and transparency in the club environment relating to finances, the Board proposes a move that would eliminate any potential financial conflict of interest for club officers. Specifically, they propose amending the Club Constitution to prevent one (1) member from serving in both the Club President and Club Treasurer roles at the same time.
• Further, to preserve the values of service and excellence in every Toastmasters club, the Board proposes a required minimum of three (3) club officers. This means amending the Club Constitution to include this requirement, which is currently in the Club Leadership Handbook. It states that each club must have a minimum of three (3) officer positions filled (Club President, a Vice President, and Club Secretary or Club Secretary-Treasurer), and each of these offices must be held by a different person.
• Amendments to the Club Constitution, Article VI: Officers, Section 1.
More information regarding these proposals, and potentially additional proposals, will be provided to the membership in the coming months.