How to Start a Toastmasters Club

How to Start and Charter a Toastmasters Club

Starting a club can be one of the most rewarding challenges you'll ever face as a Toastmasters member. Fortunately, there are many people throughout our district who are highly experienced with beginning clubs. When you attempt to launch a new club, you will not be alone.

Bringing a new club from its inception to charter strength is not easy, however. It takes time, organization, coordination and dedication. Knowing the process and who to contact will make the process much easier, which is the purpose of this section.

Initial Stages of Club Development

1. Obtain a club organizing kit from Toastmasters International at www.toastmasters.org or get one from an officer of District 26.

2. Bring together the people who will be part of the club organizing effort for an initial planning meeting. Discuss when and where the club will meet and which experienced Toastmasters could help with the new club.

3. Select potential sponsors for the club, with up to two sponsors allowed for each new club.

4. Alert the District Lt. Governor Marketing (LGM) regarding the times, dates and locations of these meetings and of the outcome of the planning efforts.

5. Select provisional officers for this club, to include at a minimum, a president, one vice president and a secretary/treasurer. Select a club name.

6. Apply for a tax identification number with the IRS in order to be able to open a checking account in the name of the club. Open the checking account.

7. Send the Application to Organize and the $125 chartering fee to Toastmasters International. List the club sponsors on this form. The club will then receive a new club kit with 20 basic communication and leadership manuals, literature needed to run a club, and forms needed to complete the chartering process.

Arrange for and Conduct a Demonstration Meeting

1. Invite several experienced Toastmasters to conduct a demonstration Toastmasters Club meeting for prospective members of the club. One serves as Toastmaster, with others filling the roles of speaker, evaluator, timer and table topics master.

2. Publicize this meeting extensively to get as many people there as possible.

3. At the meeting distribute pamphlets on Toastmasters and copies of the Toastmaster magazine.

4. Have the District LGM or other district officer give the overview of Toastmasters prior to the conducting of the demonstration meeting and afterwards field questions from the potential members.

Conduct the Club's First Organizational Meeting

1. Can be done in conjunction with the demonstration meeting.

2. Collect membership dues and initiation fees along with complete application forms. (Do NOT use the standard application forms, but instead use the forms found in the How to Build a Toastmasters Club manual.)

3. Review the roles of the club officers and elect club officers.

4. Sign up members for the following meeting to include an icebreaker speaker, a table topics master, a timer, a grammarian/ah counter, an evaluator and a general evaluator.

Continue to Meet as an Organized Group - The Goal is to Get 20 Members to Charter the Club

1. Keep meeting as a provisional Toastmasters club following the outline for the first eight meetings as found in the How to Build a Toastmasters Club manual.

2. Identify possible mentors for the club who will be appointed after the club charters with at least 20 members. They serve for six months to one year.

3. Solicit more members until the club reaches 20 members, with no more than three members currently belonging to another Toastmasters club.

4. Once the club reaches at least 20 members, adopt the constitution and bylaws following discussion and vote by a quorum of club members.

5. Complete the chartering forms and send by traceable mail with payment of all fees to Toastmasters International. Also mail a copy of the chartering forms District 26 Governor. See the officer list for mailing address: District Officer List.

6. Fees include the $20 new member fee for each Toastmasters, $27 Toastmasters International dues to cover six months of membership for all club members; and whatever amount the club sets for club dues, also for six months, and for all club members.

7. Notify the district governor in writing whom the club would like to have as mentors. The district governor has up to 60 days from the club's charter date to make these appointments. Each new club can have up to two mentors.

8. Start planning for the chartering presentation and party!

Have questions about how to start a Toastmasters club? Contact our Lt. Governor of Marketing

District Officer List

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