Celebrate Your Club’s Anniversary

Club anniversaries are important milestones that should be celebrated, but where do you start? Below are 10 simple ideas for special celebrations to encourage members to keep striving for excellence for years to come.

1. Celebrate the club’s and members’ accomplishments. Take the opportunity to honor all your club has already achieved. Hand out ribbons and pins and ensure members are applauded for completing learning paths in Pathways or reaching personal goals. Acknowledge the hard work of the club overall and any designations earned or growth achieved throughout the year. Don’t forget to print out your Club Anniversary Certificate.
2. Host a potluck. A tried-and-true event for any group. Ask members to sign up to bring food and drinks to share with their fellow members.
3. Host a meeting in a special location. Get outside, visit a museum, or try a restaurant. Mix up the meeting space to make this celebration feel unique and festive.
4. Hear from a charter member. If possible, reach out to a current or past member who helped found the club. Ask them to speak about the process and what the club was like when it began. Members may enjoy hearing about what has changed and what has stayed the same over the years.
5. Throw a birthday party. A club anniversary is essentially a birthday, so host a party! Decorate with balloons and streamers, get a birthday cake and party hats, and consider creating goodie bags for members.
6. Have a member photoshoot. Hire a photographer or set up a smartphone on a tripod to capture some group shots of your current members. Snap photos of smaller groups and individuals. Document the people who create your club culture and share them with the Toastmaster magazine! Email us at photos@toastmasters.org.
7. Make your charter year the meeting theme. Ask Table Topics^® questions about the year your club chartered and ask speakers to focus their speeches on a topic related to that year. For example, if your club was founded in 1992, you could focus on the Summer Olympic Games. Ask questions about favorite sports, the perfect Opening Ceremony performer, etc.
8. Host an awards ceremony. Base your club meeting off the Golden Globes or British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA). Give out trophies for various accolades and superlatives. Which member is most likely to go over time or most likely to give a speech about their pet? Keep it fun and lighthearted and include everyone!
9. Share your members’ thoughts. Ask members for the reasons they are glad they joined Toastmasters and why they are still part of the club. With their permission, share these on social media. Include their picture from your member photoshoot!
10. Include your celebration information in newsletters. If you have a club or District newsletter, be sure to write up the details of any events so people can plan to attend. After the event, submit a write-up and photos to the newsletter.

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