New Way to Promote Toastmasters — Help spread the word about Toastmasters through our new Public Service Announcements (PSAs). The PSAs can be shared with your local TV and radio stations to inform, promote, and publicize the Toastmasters clubs in your area. You can find the full PSA here and the 30-second PSA here. The full PSA is also available for download in our Media Center. Email pr@toastmasters.org with any questions.

Submit Your New Club Documents Early — More clubs charter in June than at any other time. To avoid delays and ensure program year credit, submit your new club forms early. If you have questions about starting a club, view the How to Build a Toastmasters Club guide or email the New Clubs Team at newclubs@toastmasters.org.

Club Coach Program — Club Coach Program — If your club has fewer than 13 members, your club may qualify for the Club Coach Program. If you would like one or two experienced Toastmasters to collaborate with your club on strategies to increase membership and master your club meetings, please reach out to your District's Club Growth Director. For questions, or if your club is not in a District, please contact clubcoach@toastmasters.org.

Club Mentor Credit — World Headquarters will start awarding mentor credit early for any members who mentored a new club chartered in December 2020. Mentors may receive credit as early as June 1, 2021. For the mentor to receive mentor credit, any charter officer should email newclubs@toastmasters.org and confirm the mentor role was completed.

Traditional Program Awards Ending — For those working toward an ALS or DTM award or completing the High Performance Leadership project to earn the Leadership Excellence award in the traditional program, remember that award applications must be submitted by June 30, 2021; the extension allowing members to continue working toward these awards expires at the end of the 2020-2021 program year. For more information about this extension and submitting for these awards, view the FAQ.

California Clubs: Did You File a 199N Form? — California Clubs: Did You File a 199N Form? - If your club is based in California, please remember to file a 199N form for the 2020 tax year. The deadline to e-file is May 15.

Time for Club Officer Elections! — Your club should hold elections at the first meeting in May for new officers taking office July 1. Information on the election process and Club Leadership Committee procedure can be found in the Club Leadership Handbook. Note: Due to COVID-19, Club Leadership Committees and club officer elections are permitted to be held online. After the election, log in to Club Central and submit your revised officer list by June 30 to receive Distinguished Club Program credit. If you are struggling to find volunteers, share the Role Summary for each club officer position with potential leaders.

Grow Your Club — A great way to add new members to your club is by participating in Beat the Clock membership-building program, which features the opportunity to earn a special ribbon and qualify for 10% off your next club order. To qualify, your club must add five new, dual, or reinstated members join and pay membership dues. Please note that these members must join between May 1 and June 30, 2021.

Working on Last Minute Achievements? — All club submissions for the program year must be received no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Mountain Time on June 30. Submissions received on or after July 1, 12:00:00 a.m. Mountain Time will be applied to the 2021-2022 Program Year. Additional explanations of deadlines and how to submit documents to World Headquarters are outlined in the Distinguished Club Program Manual.

Club Marketing Guide to the Rescue — Because clubs can sometimes be overwhelmed by the number of tools in the Resource Library, The Club Marketing Guide was created as a new resource to help them with their marketing efforts. It provides tips, goals, and links to marketing tools, all in one place.

Use New Website Templates — Take a look at the new WordPress Website templates, designed to help your club create a beautiful online look and feel.

Find Magazine Articles Faster! — Want a quick way to search for insightful magazine articles? Check out the new Helpful Articles section on the Toastmaster magazine webpage, where a menu of categories will help you easily locate the content you’re looking for. This page also includes Article Indexes from 2003 to 2020; these PDFs will assist you in your search for past articles by topic, title, author, month, or page number.

Peruse Updated Fliers — Both “Find Your Voice” and “Uncover Your Leadership Potential” fliers have been updated in content and design. Use these great redesigned tools for club promotion.

Pointing the Way to Member Growth — It’s that time again to finish out the old and get ready for the new Toastmasters year. If you have been around for a while, you know this leads to a club discussion on the Distinguished Club Program (DCP). Discover how the 10 goals of the DCP can be a ladder to greater success for both the club and individual members.

Interruption Reduction — Unnecessary interruptions distract speakers, interfere with meeting flow, waste time, and stifle a meeting’s overall energy and impact. In this May Toastmaster article, learn tactics for being respectful, clear, and firm on resolving meeting disruptions.

Successful Leadership = Engaged Membership — Leadership is often about delegating tasks, looking at logistical questions, and making a commitment to fulfilling the needs of the people you serve. In this article, learn about six universal elements that help leaders engage guests, grow the loyalty of members, and develop brand recognition.

Emailing World Headquarters — Please note, when you contact us at World Headquarters, you will receive an automatic email reply. Emails we receive are time- and date-stamped and will be responded to as quickly as possible. One way to help streamline email contacts for prompt service is to avoid including multiple email addresses on the same communication, as it may be categorized as spam or result in a reply email not reaching you.

Club Recognition Reminder — Does your club meet the Qualifying Membership Requirement needed to earn recognition within the Distinguished Club Program (DCP)? When reviewing the DCP Dashboard, the number of members each club must have on the roster to qualify is listed in the "Required" box shown in the center of the page under the Membership box. Even if your club has earned five or more goals, the club must have the required "To-Date" membership number to earn its Distinguished Club Program award. For more questions regarding the Distinguished Club Program and the requirements, please contact Club and Member Support at membership@toastmasters.org.

Missing Dashboard Submissions — As the program year comes to a close, many clubs and members will diligently review the Distinguished Club Program Dashboards. Please note, there is always a delay at the beginning of each month before the current month's business is reflected on the dashboard. While World Headquarters is working to close all orders received in the prior month, the dashboards will not reflect transactions and updates for the current month. The Month-End Closing Dates webpage lists expected dates for the dashboard to be updated each month, but please note that these dates are tentative and not guaranteed.

Toastmasters and Diversity — In these times, it’s nice to know Toastmasters can represent a diverse group of people who respect and support each other on their journey to become better communicators. Get tips for creating an inclusive club for people with varied abilities in the article, “Helping All Members Succeed.” For online club ideas, refer to “Creating Inclusivity in Online Meetings.” Learn about building a quality club culture in, “What’s the Scoop on Your Group?” Hear speaker and trainer Sarah Khan talk about diversity at Toastmasters in this video.