September 2025 Leader Letter

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

Apply Now to Be a Region Advisor — The Region Advisor is instrumental in helping Districts grow through coaching, guiding, training, and collaboration. If you are interested in becoming a Region Advisor, or would like to learn more about this role, visit the Region Advisor webpage. Applications for the 2026-2027 program year are due by September 30.

Add a Club Extension Chair to Facilitate Growth — Receive dedicated assistance in building new clubs from the Club Extension Chair. This core member of your District Marketing Team can help you manage club-building efforts for the District through the Toastmasters Lead Management (TLM) system.

Ensure Your District is on Track — Help club officers better serve members by encouraging them to attend club officer training, which continues through September 31. Clubs will also earn Distinguished Club Program (DCP) credit if the Program Quality Director reports the training details via District Central by October 31.

Train Area and Division Directors by September 30 — The following items are due by September 30 to keep your District eligible for the Distinguished District Program and maintain access to the District reserve.

• At least 85 percent of Division and Area Directors Trained – submit through District Central
• District Success Plan – submit through District Central
• District Market Analysis plan – submit through District Central
• District Communication Plan – submit through District Central
• Approved District budget – submit through District Central or email to districtreports@toastmasters.org

Calling All Board of Directors Candidates — Would you or someone you know like to be on the Toastmasters International Board of Directors? Visit the Candidate Qualifications page to review resources for candidates, watch an informative video about what it takes to be a Board Member, and submit a Letter of Intent. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is October 1, so don't delay!

Submit Round One Club Officer Training by October 31 — Club officers and members review their club performance on the Distinguished Performance Reports dashboard. It is best to enter club officer training sooner than later to provide an opportunity for officers to raise any concerns before the last day (October 31). Remember to continue focusing on the importance of club excellence by sharing the Club Excellence Curriculum.

Appoint Your District Leadership Committee Chair by November 1 — The District Leadership Committee (DLC) is responsible for nominating candidates for District office and following the procedures outlined in Protocol 9.0: District Campaigns and Elections. The District Leadership Committee Chair must be appointed no later than November 1, and the remaining committee members appointed no later than December 1.

Learn What the Most Successful Clubs Are Doing — Healthy Clubs is the ultimate compilation of Toastmaster magazine articles highlighting the best remedies and advice from successful club officers and District leaders around the world. Order now in either PDF or Kindle format!

Use the 2025–2026 Club Excellence Curriculum — This is a club and District-level resource tailored to support clubs in achieving excellence. Access the Club Excellence Initiative Curriculum by visiting the Club Officer Tools and District Leader Kit webpages. Also, the Club Building Curriculum is available again to all District Executive Committee members. The Club Building Curriculum is available in the Paths and Learning section of Base Camp.

Meet Aletta Rochat, DTM, Your 2025–2026 International President — As a longtime Toastmaster and self-proclaimed people person, Rochat is ready to serve the organization. She encourages you to share the opportunity to join Toastmasters with people everywhere.

Give a Captivating Speech — Learn how to weave stories into your speeches to make them sparkle and ensure your message will stick.

Introducing the 2025-2026 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 Officers and International Directors who will serve in 2025–2026.

New Member Fee Update — As announced during the August Board Briefing, the new member fee will increase to 25 USD on October 1, 2025. This one-time fee supports administrative costs, Base Camp system access, and provides new members with their first path. The fee has remained unchanged for 20 years, predating our current online engagement system, making this adjustment necessary to continue providing quality member support and services.

The 2025 World Champion of Public Speaking — Following an exciting World Championship of Public Speaking® at the 2025 Toastmasters International Convention, we are excited to announce the new World Champion: Sabyasachi Sengupta, from District 59, who won with a speech titled, “Just Nod.” Congratulations to Mas Mahathir Bin Mohamad, from District 51, for finishing in 2nd place with his speech, “...Raindrops” and Allen Ang Boon Kiat, from District 87, for finishing in 3rd place with his speech, “Keep Dreaming.” Get inspired by watching Sabyasachi deliver his winning speech!

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Distinguished Districts — For the 2024–2025 program year, 37 Districts met their goals and achieved Distinguished or better status in the Toastmasters International District Recognition program. There were 12 Smedley Distinguished, four President’s Distinguished, eight select Distinguished, and 13 Distinguished Districts. Well done!

Search It! — The updated search function on toastmasters.org will improve your experience of finding helpful resources. See an example of the results page when “membership building” is entered into the search bar.