Club Growth Update
Reflecting on our membership growth: retaining members and converting guests
Since the start of the Toastmasters year, we have welcomed four new corporate clubs and 1054 new members to District 91. We are now at the halfway point of the Toastmasters year. Now is a good time to review how your club is doing. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Guests are the lifeblood of any Toastmasters club. If you are struggling to get guests to your meetings, you may want to review your marketing efforts. Please also review whether your club’s contact details (address and contact number) are up to date on ‘Find a Club” on the Toastmasters International website, and on your club’s website (if you have one).
2. Are you converting your guests into members? Please take time to speak to each guest at meetings and invite them to join your club, the fact that they have turned up means that they are ready to start their Toastmaster journey. They will stay if made to feel welcome and asked to join.
3. Do you have an onboarding process for new members? How new members are onboarded is key to the longevity of their membership.
- Do you offer mentors?
- How quickly are they onboarded to Pathways?
- How quickly are they integrated within your clubs?
4. Are your members attending meetings and doing speeches and roles? If a member has not attended for a while, then please get in touch with them. You could even send a survey to all your members to see what your club could do better or conduct “moments of truth”.
5. Review your club success plan and check how you are doing against those original plans. If you didn’t create one, don’t worry, it’s not too late to put one together and plan the rest of the year.
6. Are your meetings fun and enjoyable? Try new things at your club such as themed meetings, debates etc. You could even visit other clubs to pick up further ideas.
The renewals window is open, and we would like every member to have reasons to stay within their club. This is especially important because happy members are attractive to guests who, in turn, will become our new members and future leaders within District 91.
I would recommend that you complete your renewals as early as possible. There will be an award of £50 for the first 30 clubs that renew 20 or more members by 28th February 2023. All renewals must be completed by 31st March 2023.
Debbie Williams
Club Growth Director
Last Updated on 23rd January 2023 by District Administration