Singapore

Here you will find information that may pertain to your club or district regarding compliance requirements in Singapore.

Toastmasters International Singapore Ltd.

In 2015, to comply with Singapore law, Toastmasters International established the company Toastmasters International Singapore Ltd. This company is managed by Toastmasters International and as such, Toastmasters International is responsible for the company’s compliance, maintenance and operations.

District Compliance

Although a company has been established in Singapore, the relationship between the district, clubs, members and Toastmasters International remains the same. The district and all clubs will continue to operate with no changes. For example, this means that clubs will continue to hold meetings and pay dues as they have been doing, and the district shall continue to hold district conferences and be responsible for divisions and areas while supporting clubs. Toastmasters International shall indemnify district directors as long as the directors are in compliance with Toastmasters’ governing documents and have met the standard of conduct per Section 5238(b) or Section 5238(c) of the California Corporations Code. For more information see the Bylaws of Toastmasters International, Article XIII: Miscellaneous, Section 6(b).

Club Compliance

There are regulations in Singapore that affect Toastmasters clubs. Singapore’s Registry of Societies (ROS), within the Ministry of Home Affairs, governs any club, company, partnership or association of 10 or more persons, whatever its nature or object. This agency mandates that clubs with 10 or more members must register with the ROS. Additionally, the ROS states that clubs must remain in compliance by completing paperwork specified by the ROS on an annual basis.

As a result, Toastmasters International encourages clubs to register with the ROS and remain in compliance. Failure to comply with the ROS may result in the Singapore government holding clubs and their members accountable. Clubs will be responsible for registering and complying with the ROS and it is recommended clubs visit the Registry Of Societies website for further information.

Intellectual Property

Toastmasters International recognizes the challenges a district or club may face when purchasing items and goods from the Toastmasters store. To help alleviate these challenges, Toastmasters is researching methods to provide our districts, clubs and members with the quickest and most cost effective ways to purchase and receive goods.

We ask our members to respect Toastmasters International’s intellectual property and abide by Policy 4.0: Intellectual Property and our brand guidelines. Items which are not purchased directly from the Toastmasters International store or have not been approved by Toastmasters’ Brand and Trademarks teams can be considered counterfeit goods. This undermines Toastmasters’ ability to protect our copyrights and registered trademarks and ensure that members are only receiving the highest quality goods.

If you would like to create customized goods for your district or club, we ask that you please submit a Trademark Use Request and provide the requested information. Our teams will be more than happy to assist you in designing a product which respects Toastmasters’ intellectual property and follows our brand guidelines. You can find trademarked logos, images and templates in the Singapore Resources section below.

Toastmasters International has a portfolio of trademarks both in the U.S and Singapore. Trademarks registered in Singapore can be found in the Singapore Resources section.

Record Retention

During the program year, a district or club will accumulate documents and emails. Therefore, Toastmasters recommends that the district or club follow the recordkeeping policy, which can be found in the FAQs.

Additional Information
For more information, or for questions that are of an urgent nature, please contact the Treasury and Compliance team concerning financial questions or the Legal team at World Headquarters.