New Club Check Lists

Attendees:

• 30 RSVPs
• Invite 1-3 experienced Toastmasters. Inquire if there are previous Toastmasters participating.
• To launch a new club 17 out of the 20 must be new or reinstated members.

Agendas and paperwork:

• Agenda (30 copies)—the agenda should be prepared at least one week prior to the meeting, confirmed and printed.
• Charter Kit + 20 additional charter member applications (40 copies total).
• Role sheet/Agenda for following week.
• All Toastmasters should bring their Pathways forms to lead by example.

Things to keep in mind for the launch meeting:

• This is an abbreviated demonstration meeting, non-Toastmaster guests will be both nervous and curious.
• Keep the atmosphere fun, engaging, positive.
• The goal is to finish demo within 30 minutes to allow for Q&A.
  • 1 Speech (4-6 min): ideally an Ice Breaker speech given by a novice Toastmaster so as not to intimidate potential members.
  • 1 Speech Evaluation (1-2 min)
  • 3 Table Topics (30 sec – 1 min each): questions should be simple and easy to answer. Ask a current member first to provide an example to the audience. For the remaining two questions, ask for volunteers.
  • Ah and Um Counter
  • Timer
• During the Q&A your goal is to get people to come back and signup.
  • Lightly cover club roles, meeting roles and functionaries.
  • Make a soft sell to recruit 20 members. If the charter kit is available, offer the first 20 people to sign up that day, a new member kit on the spot.
  • Get the momentum going by setting up the next meeting.

After the meeting:

• Plan to stay for 10-15 minutes after the meeting to help with the charter member applications.

Document:

• Take a club photo for PR and social media if permitted.
• Charter member applications, take a photo or make copies if the company plans to keep them.
  • Applications must include first name, last name, and a signature on the back.
  • Other information is good to have, but not mandatory (for example, the address is just for receiving the TM magazine).
  • Decide who keeps the applications. Normally the company wants to keep the applications.
• Always count applications before handing over. Update the team regarding number of applications received.
  • Our goal is to get a minimum of 20 applications.
  • It is the sponsor’s responsibility to keep track of members until club officially charters.

Follow-up:

• Follow-up with attendees that didn’t sign up to address any concerns and to re-invite them to the next meeting.
• Follow-up with new members to remind them of their roles and to provide encouragement for the next meeting.

Remaining forms and status tracking:

• After getting 20+ applications, help the club with the remaining forms—Understanding the New Club Forms
• Form 4: Club officer list. We don’t want to scare them away but we need to scout for officers. When we talk about leadership during the first meeting, someone may ask a question about officers. We can explain the roles at that time. If not in first meeting, we can bring it up at the second meeting.
• You will need the signatures from the President and Secretary on various forms.
• Scan the forms and send to newclubs@toastmasters.org. If mailing is required, still email in before mailing in. In the email, ask them to copy you in case any problems arise.
• Track the status of the forms on: http://reports.toastmasters.org/reports/dprReports.cfm?r=16&d=5