April 2025 Leader Letter

Envision Y(our) Next Move! — Toastmasters invites you to help get the next 100 years of communication excellence started at the 2025 International Convention, where your near-future goals can intersect with those of the organization. Don’t miss the amazing insight and energy from Keynote Speaker Anne Bonney and Golden Gavel Honoree Matt Abrahams by registering now.

Get Your Convention Spirit On! — Help spread the word about the upcoming 2025 International Convention with fun promotional assets. Display 2025 Convention Zoom Backgrounds in online meetings, post 2025 Convention Social Media Graphics or 2025 Convention GIFs and Stickers on social channels, add the 2025 Convention Email Signature to emails, and share the 2025 Convention Presentation Slides with members before meetings begin, at District conferences, or other upcoming events. Pass on the inspiration to gather in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States this August!

Secure a Sponsor Spot! — Do you know a company (yours?) with a product or service that would be a good fit with communication excellence? Invite them to participate in the 2025 International Convention as a sponsor, where they can showcase their company to hundreds of passionate global leaders and take advantage of a dynamic networking experience. Learn more or email sponsorship@toastmasters.org to inquire about the multi-level sponsor opportunities.

Submit New Club Forms Early — More clubs charter in May and June than at any other time, so beat the rush and send your new club documents early for timely processing. If you have questions, review the How to Build a Toastmasters Club manual or email newclubs@toastmasters.org.

Dues Still Accepted Online — Although the April renewals due date has passed, you and your club members can still submit dues payments online to keep your club and members in good standing. Log in to Club Central to submit dues or conduct other club business online. You may also contact Club and Member Support by emailing renewals@toastmasters.org.

Interested in purchasing a new path? — Follow these Steps: Log in to www.toastmasters.org and click on the Welcome Message at the top of the page, then select My Home. Click on the Learning Hub tile, and then select Choose a Path. You will be directed to the Select Your Preferences page to select the preferred language for your new path. You will continue to the payment page to complete your path purchase. Please allow 12 hours for the path to appear in your Base Camp profile.

Replay Board Briefing — If you missed the Board Briefing on March 26, don’t worry; you can now watch the recording to hear important announcements from the Board of Directors.

Got a Minute? — Recording meeting minutes is an essential part of every meeting! To learn more about best practices for recording and maintaining meeting minutes, please review the Club Leadership Handbook. There are also templates and examples available for Club Executive meetings.

Good Record-Keeping — The Club Secretary is responsible for maintaining club records and managing club files, including Membership Applications, club rosters, club charter documents, bank statements, and more. Some files are required to be kept on-hand by the club for a specific amount of time, or even indefinitely. For more information about the length of time these documents need to be retained by a club, please see the Club Secretary section of the Club Leadership Handbook.

Club Officer Roles, Clarified — Check out the club officer documents, featuring descriptions of each officer role, including a list of key responsibilities and transferable skills. Use the Role Summary documents to help inspire members to fill officer roles during election season.

2025 Proposals — The Board of Directors is putting forth eight (8) proposals this year for consideration by the voting membership at the 2025 Annual Business Meeting. Visit the 2025 Proposals page and read through the Frequently Asked Questions for more information on the proposed amendments to the Bylaws of Toastmasters International and the Club Constitution.

Craft a Winning Social Media Strategy — Gain practical, step-by-step tips on using social media platforms to grow your club and engage your members.

Resolve Conflict with Less Conflict — Learn how to de-escalate difficult conversations.

Rejoining Toastmasters After an Absence — Discover ways to encourage past members to return; gain insight from finding out why they left and why they came back.

Support the Envisioned Future — The core ideology of the organization includes the brand promise, the missions, the core values, and the envisioned future. The Board adopted definitions for the core values in 2023. For the strategic plan in 2024, the Board focused on the envisioned future. An envisioned future should be inspirational, aspirational, and challenging. The Board of Directors reviewed the current envisioned future through these three lenses and developed a new envisioned future statement, highlighted on the Our Mission webpage. Please update your club and District websites accordingly.

2025 International Speech Contest Quarterfinals — Effective with the 2024-2025 program year and the region realignment, region quarterfinals were adjusted and are no longer organized by region. Now known as quarterfinals, this level of the International Speech Contest will newly include District winners randomly assigned to one of 14 contests. Contests will have no fewer than nine (9) and no more than 10 contestants. Contest assignments for quarterfinals were determined using a randomization formula. Discover which contest features your District!

Toastmasters/LinkedIn Unveil Public Speaking Certificate — Get on board to help promote the organization’s latest partnership: Toastmasters International and LinkedIn Learning have teamed up to offer the Public Speaking Skills Professional Certificate. Utilize this tool as a leader to introduce the fundamentals of public speaking to prospective members and business associates. Public speaking enthusiasts can tune in to the seven courses (with topics ranging from speaking fundamentals to body language to establishing credibility), then pass the final exam to earn the certificate. The program is designed to equip course takers with the tools needed to speak confidently, craft and deliver impactful presentations, and develop the non-verbal communication skills to enhance any message.

A Smedley Fund Refresh — Donating to the Ralph C. Smedley Memorial Fund® just got easier thanks to the updated webpage. Check it out for yourself or pass it forward, taking note that you can now search to see if a company will match an employee's donation. You can also hear International President Radhi Spear tout the Smedley Fund and your chance to double the impact for Toastmasters in need.

Submitting a Wire Transfer — It is important to send an email with the wire receipt to the appropriate email box to ensure the funds are promptly applied. Adding a club number or other identifier also helps to have the wire applied to your club account correctly. If a wire is sent for membership dues and fees, email the payment remittance from the issuing bank along with the list of members and completed membership applications to Club and Member Support at renewals@toastmasters.org for processing.

Club Recognition Reminder — Does your club meet the Qualifying Membership Requirement needed to earn recognition within the Distinguished Club Program? Review your club's specific Distinguished Club Program Dashboard and notice that the number of members your club must have to earn credit is listed in the "Required" box in the upper-right. Even if your club has five or more goals, it must have the required "To-Date" membership to earn its Distinguished Club Program award.

Please Hold for Talk Up Toastmasters Awards — Contest submissions for Talk Up Toastmasters have ended. Please be advised that all notifications regarding clubs that have earned the award will not be posted until late April due to month-end closing. For more information about the month-end closing dates and their impact on reporting, please refer to the Month-End Closing Dates page.

Annual Renewal Dues — The ability to pay the October 2025 renewals became available on April 1, if the member’s April 2025 dues had already been paid. Keep in mind, dues are nonrefundable. If you have questions, feel free to contact Club and Member Support via email renewals@toastmasters.org or via phone at +1 720-439-5050, from 8 a.m.–5p.m. Mountain Time, Monday through Friday.