Author NickBenning
Date 04 Jul 10, 14:10
Views 259
Description Steps to be undertaken by the initiator of a club, usually the founding President
Category Starting a New Club
Type
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Process for starting a new club
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1. Inform the District Governor
This enables the resources of the District to be applied to help you.
2. Get the 'New Club Information Kit'
This kit is obtainable without charge, even for postage, from the Toastmasters International (TI) store as item 123.
The components are also available online:
- 10 x Confidence. The Voice of Leadership.
- 10 x Find Your Voice.
- Clear Communication. Your Organization Needs It.
- How to Build a Toastmasters Club.
- All About Toastmasters.
3. Submit the 'Application to Organize' form and pay $125.00
This gives the group the right to use the name, procedures and materials of TI as a Provisional Club.
The completed Application to Organize form may be scanned and emailed to newclubs@toastmasters.org and the $125 may be paid by Credit Card.
Care should taken about choosing the Sponsors. Individual Sponsors should be experienced Toastmasters prepared to take an active role in your team.
It is advisable to discuss Sponsors, Mentors and Area Alignment entries with the District Governor who is entitled to change these details after submission. It is accepted that you may not know all the details at this stage, so you can leave any of these entries blank and inform TI about them at a later date.
The $125 should be raised from prospective charter members or Sponsoring Clubs, or your 'sponsoring organization' - which is usually your company if it is a Company Club, and cannot be paid from District funds. This is a good time to decide upon who will be your club officers and set up a bank account.
4. Receive the 'Charter Kit'
Following receipt of the 'Application to Organize' and $125, World Headquarters (WHQ) will send a 'Charter Kit' comprising:
- 20 x New Member Kits
- Distinguished Club Programme/Club Success Plan (1111)
- Distinguished Club Programme Wall Chart (1111C)
- Let the World Know (1140)
- Membership Building Kit (1160)
- New Member Orientation Kit for Clubs (1162)
- Speech Contest Rules (1171)
- Speech Contest Manual (1173)
- Supply Catalogue and Supplement (1205)
- Club Officer Manual Set (1310H)
- Master Your Meetings (1312)
- Think Fast! Table Topics Handbook (1315)
- 250 x Ballots & Brief Evaluations (1631NDV)
- Club Constitution and Standard Bylaws (210C)
- Competent Communication Achievement Chart (307)
- Competent Leadership Achievement Chart (308)
- Club Dues Receipt Pad (37)
- Application/Clubs Assigned To A District (400)
- 50 x Membership Cards (401A)
- 25 x Member Interest Surveys (403)
- 10 x New Member Profile Sheets (405)
- Timing Cards (901)
- Gavel (375)
- 'Welcome to Toastmasters!' DVD (244DVD)
- 20 x Toastmaster magazines
These items enable the Provisional Club to hold meetings. The first one should be widely promoted and carefully planned as a Toastmasters demonstration. An example Demonstration Meeting agenda is at the bottom of the page.
The goal is to achieve the minimum 20 members needed to enable the club to charter. Ideally this should be achieved at the Demonstration Meeting or a meeting soon after, so that the club does not lose momentum.
5. Submit charter documents and pay membership fees
When the Club has reached 20 members, submit the completed charter documents and pay the membership fees.
At least 17 members must be non-dual - i.e. new, reinstated or transfer (unless it is an Advanced Club).
If you had submitted the 'Application to Organize' form previously, you can either send it again or submit any additional or updated information separately. Ensure you strike out the $125 payment on the 'Charter Payments' form to avoid paying it again.
The forms may be scanned and emailed to newclubs@toastmasters.org and the membership fees may be paid by Credit Card.
Ensure that the club is charging members enough to cover not only the international fees to WHQ but also the room hire charges for several months and equipment purchases such as:
- Club banner
- Timing lights
- Lectern
Equipment may be purchased by Sponsoring Clubs or your sponsoring organization.
Fees are levied from the Charter Date, which is when WHQ receive the correctly completed forms and payment. A whole month's payment is due for whatever remains of the current calendar month. So if the Charter Date is the last day of a month, you pay a full month of fees for that one day. Therefore the most cost effective time to submit the forms and payment is at the beginning of a month.
Paying more than the minimum 6 months fee
A minimum 6 months fee of $27 is required for each new, dual or reinstated member.
If a club charters in April or October then this 6 months fee will take the charter members neatly up to the next renewal point of 1st October or 1st April. However, if chartering in any month other than April or October, the club may choose to pay more.
The options are:
1) Pay the minimum 6 months fee
If you do this you need to bear in mind that renewals will be required at the first renewal point of 1st April or 1st October after chartering, NOT 6 months after chartering. At the first renewal point the outstanding fees for the 6 month period beginning on that date will be due, as shown in the chart below.
2) Pay a fee up to the second renewal point
This involves adding the amount due at the first renewal point (shown in the chart below) to the 6 month minimum fee of $27 to avoid paying it separately at the first renewal point.
Month of charter ............. First renewal point fee
MARCH or SEPTEMBER ..... $4.50 (1 month)
FEBRUARY or AUGUST ...... $9.00 (2 months)
JANUARY or JULY .............. $13.50 (3 months)
JUNE or DECEMBER ......... $18.00 (4 months)
MAY or NOVEMBER .......... $22.50 (5 months)
Note that the 'Charter Payments' form assumes the minimum $27 per person is paid, so if paying more you will need to specify on the form that you are paying the applicable additional fee per person shown in the chart above.
6. Charter!
WHQ send an email to the Club President and District Governor confirming that the club has been chartered. Note that because the Charter Date is when WHQ receive a correct set of forms and payment, the email confirmation is usually a few days later after they have finished processing the application.
WHQ send the official Club Charter Certificate and Charter Member Certificates to the District Governor. Bearing in mind that these take some weeks to arrive, the Club should liaise with the District Governor for a suitable date to celebrate the official chartering of the Club – at a dinner or special meeting. At this celebration the District Governor, or another District representative, will present charter members with their certificates.
An example template Agenda for your first meeting:
(print on both sides then fold)
 Demonstration Meeting - Agenda |
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