September 2024 Leader Letter

Make the Plus One Pledge — Join members around the world who are pledging to bring at least one guest to a meeting before the end of December, and encourage your club members to make the pledge, too!

Order a Special Centennial Edition of the Toastmaster! — Make it a milestone to remember with a printed copy of the Toastmaster magazine, which includes exclusive articles and features like a cutout of Smedley, centennial celebration ideas, historic Table Topics®, and more. Order from the Toastmasters Online Store today.

Share Your Centennial Snaps — Toastmasters have been celebrating the centennial in style! Continue sharing your best moments from club meetings, member spotlights, networking, and social gatherings on social media. Follow the fun by using and following the #toastmasters and #Toastmasters100Years hashtags.

Convention Highlights and Replay — Catch up on convention moments and celebrate past and present with this article covering the major highlights. If you missed convention, you can still watch on demand to be inspired and join the centennial celebration.

Check Contact Information — The beginning of a new renewal period is an excellent time for you and club members to verify contact emails and addresses. Members can update their email address and login details by clicking “Edit” on their Profile page on toastmasters.org. If the primary email address has changed, be sure they click “Sync my logins,” which will update their username to their new email address.

Get Your Copy of Confident Voices! — Celebrate 100 years of eloquence, leadership, and personal triumphs in this new exploration of Toastmasters International's rich history. Order the book from the Toastmasters Online Store today.

Renewal Dues Time — Club officers are responsible for making sure member renewal payments are collected and submitted in April and October. Clubs will remain in good standing and receive credit for the Distinguished Club Program by logging in to Club Central and processing member dues for a minimum of eight members—at least three of whom were members of the club during the previous renewal period—on or before October 1.

If your club has enabled Self-Pay, members can submit their own dues payments through My Home. To enable Self-Pay for your club, select the toggle button in the “Self-Pay Setting” section at the bottom of the Club Contact and Meeting Information page of Club Central and click “Save” at the bottom of the page. You always have the option to turn off this feature for individual members on the Membership Management page. If you have any questions, please review the recently updated Renewal Dues FAQ page.

Earn Credit for Club Officer Training — When club officers are well-trained, club members are better served, leading to increased member retention and greater satisfaction and growth. Your club can also earn Distinguished Club Program credit if you work with your District's Program Quality Director to report your Club Officer Training in District Central by September 30 (changes accepted until October 31).

It's Time to Submit Your Club's Success Plan — Upload to Club Central by going to the “Club Success Plan” tile and clicking on “Upload Plan.” If you need to edit the plan later, you can replace the existing version by uploading a new version of the document. You can also download a fillable PDF of the plan.

Add Members, Win an Award — When your club adds five new, reinstated, or dual members with a join date of August or September during the Smedley Award program contest period, you'll earn a special ribbon to display on your club banner and a 10% discount on your next club order from the Toastmasters Online Store!

Connect with More Prospects; Gain More Members — This guide helps you communicate with potential members. It also includes customizable templates to easily communicate with prospects and to keep track of your communications.

Meetings Need Some Spice? — Over time, with members lapsing into a routine pattern and identical meeting formats, clubs can become a bit stale. Learn how to spice up your club meetings with changes of pace, fresh ideas, and a dose of fun to create a renewed vitality.

How to Use Club Funds — Club funds can be used to support the club by purchasing materials, paying for the meeting space, purchasing refreshments, and more. Additional information can be found on the Use of Club Funds page.

Meet Radhi Spear, DTM — Get to know the 2024–2025 International President who is gearing up for growth and encouraging everyone to help spread the word about Toastmasters. “In this 100th year, we should be proud. Let people know there’s Toastmasters and in Dr. Smedley’s memory, get someone to attend a meeting and see for themselves.”

University Club Focuses on Educators — The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College Toastmasters Club in northern Israel is one of 500+ university-based clubs around the world. Learn about the members, who are all professional educators, and their mission to support diversity, tolerance, and mutual respect in campus culture.

Jazzed About the Grammarian’s Role — Discover how this club with diverse members finds a way to help speakers improve their vocabulary.

Creative Club Locations — For 100 years, members have challenged themselves to meet in unique settings. Check out these photos of clubs from the past who went to great heights—and depths—to practice their speaking skills.

Tune In! How Supercommunicators Identify and Match Conversations — In this episode of The Toastmasters Podcast, Charles Duhigg enlightens listeners on how to identify different types of conversations and key ways to enhance communication skills. Duhigg shares personal experiences and examples he found while researching his latest book, Supercommunicators.

Introducing the 2024–2025 Board of Directors — At this year's Annual Business Meeting, the membership of Toastmasters International elected new members to the organization's Board of Directors. Learn more about the International President, International President-Elect, First and Second Vice Presidents, and International Directors who will serve in 2024–2025.

Congratulations to the New Accredited Speakers — Congratulations to Lauren Parson, DTM and Maureen Zappala, DTM for achieving the Accredited Speaker designation! This elite title is reserved for those who combine expert knowledge in a particular subject with a mastery of public speaking. If you know members who are interested in the program, share the Accredited Speaker Program Handbook so they can learn about the application process.

The 2024 World Champion of Public Speaking — Following an exciting World Championship of Public Speaking® at the 2024 Toastmasters International Convention, we are excited to announce the new World Champion: Luisa Montalvo, from District 55, who won with a speech titled, “37 Strangers.” Congratulations to Hannah Cheng, from District 67, for finishing in 2nd place with her speech, “Are You Ready?” and Angeli Raven Fitch, from District 4, for finishing in 3rd place with her speech, “Replaced by Sophia.” Get inspired by watching Luisa deliver her winning speech!

Upcoming Base Camp Outage — The system where you access the Pathways learning experience will soon be updated to a new platform that will better support members. To prepare for this transition, Base Camp will be unavailable beginning October 9, 2024. Learn more about the outage and what you can do to help members prepare for the new Base Camp—and learn about new features you and your club will have access to when it launches.

Board Briefing Recording Available — Watch the recording to hear important announcements from the Board of Directors.

How to Redeem Toastmasters Gift Certificates — Gift certificates currently work the same way as a check or money order. The certificate must be physically sent to World Headquarters, along with the order details using the Product Order Form. Gift certificates cannot be claimed online and photocopies are not accepted. Our mailing and shipping address is:

Toastmasters International
Supply Orders Team
9127 S. Jamaica Street, Suite 400
Englewood, CO 80112

Please provide additional payment information for any remaining balance, if applicable.