A club coach is an experienced Toastmaster who coaches a club to rebuild membership and restore quality to the club environment. The goal of a coach is to help the club achieve recognition in the Distinguished Club Program, which is accomplished by:

• Building rapport with club leaders and members
• Instilling enthusiasm, comradery and structure within the club
• Assessing the club environment and recommending best practices for success
• Working with club leaders to develop a Club Success Plan
• Encouraging the club to strive for Distinguished Club Program recognition

Club coaches are appointed for a maximum of two program years, including the program year in which they are appointed.

Clubs are eligible for club coach appointment provided the following requirements are met:

1. The club must have at least one but no more than 12 members in good standing at the time of appointment.
2. The club must not be suspended or closed.
3. The club must not have more than two coaches appointed at one time.

Does a transfer member count as a member in good standing?

A club’s eligibility to receive a coach is determined by the current membership roster. This includes members who have transferred into the club, as these are also members in good standing with this club.

To be eligible for appointment, you must:

1. Be a paid member in good standing with Toastmasters International.
2. Not be an existing member of the club at the time of appointment.

Your district director or club growth director can appoint a club coach by sending the completed Club Coach Appointment Form to clubcoach@toastmasters.org. If the club is not located within a district, the club president can appoint a club coach for their own club instead.

Upon appointment, you will be sent a club coach pin to wear during club meetings and will be provided helpful resources to aid you in performing your duties.

If you successfully coach the club to achieve recognition in the Distinguished Club Program, you will also receive credit in the education program and will be sent a certificate of accomplishment. Note: Credit is not received until after year-end results are final.

You can be appointed as a club coach for a club outside of your district, so long as the request is coming from the district director or club growth director of the district in which the club is located. If the club is not located within a district, the club president can appoint you instead.

A club coach can be removed at the request of the club president or the appointed club coach themselves. Requests for removal should be sent to clubcoach@toastmasters.org.

If by the end of the two-year appointment the club coach is unsuccessful, they can be reappointed by the district director or club growth director. For clubs not within a district, the club president can reappoint the club coach. All qualification requirements for a club to receive a coach are waived for reappointments.

Reappointment requests must be submitted to clubcoach@toastmasters.org no later than August 31. Requests received after August 31 will be considered new appointments, and all qualification requirements will apply per normal.

If your club coach role was successfully completed on June 30, 2019 or June 30, 2020, your club coach credit can count toward both the club support and the district leadership requirements for an ALS or a DTM award. For more details on how to apply this role for an education award, you can contact the Education Services team at educationprogram@toastmasters.org or check out more information in our Education Program FAQ.

Although our club coach program rules do not specifically address this, it is our position that a club is not required to accept an appointment; the club has the right to refuse the appointment or suggest another member to coach.