101 Ways for a Club to Retain Its Members

101 Ways for a Club to Retain its Members

(and a few more as a bonus)

1.#1 priority is to assure that each member has a sense of belonging to the club and Toastmasters [ALL]

2.Make members and guests feel special [ALL]

3.Assure meetings are dynamic, energetic and organized [VPE, PRE]

4.Have printed agendas at every meeting [TM]

5.Form "Team Awesome" which meets regularly for coffee to discuss/plan club improvement [ALL]

6.Have bi-monthly educational sessions presented by different members [VPE]

7.Introduce new exercises to cover specific aspects: eye contact, voice, gestures, etc. [VPE, ALL]

8.Require guests to state their goals and objectives before allowed to join [VPM]

9.Each year review member expectations and understanding via a one-on-one [VPM]

10.Personal interviews to identify club and member needs, then follow-up [VPM, OFFICERS]

11.Have one-on-one conversations among members, maybe a rotational basis [VPM, OFFICERS]

12.After a member completes their first six speeches, review their progress and feedback [MENTOR]

13.Distribute a club newsletter to keep members informed [VPP]

14.Encourage contributions to the club newsletter or website [VPP]

15.Send occasional email reminder explaining benefits of the club [PRE]

16.Distribute copies of good past speeches [SEC}

17.Identify WHEN members leave -- fewer than 6 speeches, more than 6 speeches, more than CC, etc [SEC]

18.Maintain a club log of members who left including when, why and how far they had progressed [SEC]

19.Actively involve members in club meetings, assign them roles, point out responsibilities [VPE]

20.Conduct annual member survey then follow-up [VPM, OFFICERS]

21.Seek verbal feedback from all members, and listen [OFFICERS]

22.Help to find challenges for advanced members; explore areas that are not as developed [OFFICERS]

23.Continually recognize member accomplishments and club accomplishments [VPE, PRE]

24.Introduce experienced members to new members [ALL]

25.Hold a member induction for every new member [VPE, PRE]

26.Email everyone about a new member who just joined [VPM, SEC, TRE]

27.Carefully choose evaluators, evaluate cumulatively remembering previous speeches [VPE]

28.Call members when they were absent for several consecutive meetings [VPM, OFFICERS]

29.Ask questions of other members to find out why long-absent members stopped attending [VPM]

30.Encourage members to be involved in club roles and offer their help [VPE, OFFICERS]

31.Encourage members to serve every meeting role within an eight month period [VPE]

32.Involve new members immediately, schedule Ice Breaker, assign mentor, keep them involved [VPE]

33.Give special certificate of thanks to members who renew their membership for the first time [TRE, PRE]

34.Give an incentive such as a free gift to members who renew their membership early [TRE, OFFICERS]

35.Establish and promote a member-mentoring plan, and assign mentors to new members quickly [VPE]

36.Vary club programming including meeting themes [VPE]

37.Insist on only manual speeches ("Friends Don't Let Friends Give Non-Manual Speeches") [ALL]

38.Keep experienced members active and interested with special tasks such as running speech contests, holding training workshops, committee to investigate something, etc. [VPE, OFFICERS[

39.Have the club define what it means to have a quality meeting that is useful for them [ALL]

40.Strive towards club excellence for meetings, evaluations, attendance, awards, recognition, etc. [OFCRS]

41.Shake hands with club member before the meeting and say something such as "glad to see you" [ALL]

42.Take a personal interest in members, find out what they do outside Toastmasters [ALL]

43.Acknowledge both Toastmasters achievements and professional achievements [PRE]

44.Offer a verbal, or send a written, thank you for a job well done [ALL]

45.Look for opportunities to recognize long-standing members for special contributions to the club [PRE]

46.Obtain testimonials from long-standing members for publicity purposes [VPP]

47.Get an evaluation of the club from a former member [OFFICERS]

48.Offer to help where needed, let others know you are available as a Toastmasters resource [ALL]

49.Ask for help from non-club-member experienced Toastmasters [PRE, VPE, OFFICERS]

50.Show appreciation of a good speech by forwarding to club an email of congratulations [ALL]

51.Announce new officers with contact information (email, phone, etc) [PRE]

52.When possible, use face-to-face or at least telephone vs. email to communicate with new members [ALL]

53.June 01, newly-elected club officers begin meeting and planning, invite the Area Gov to attend {OFFICRS]

54.Club officers decide what needs to be done and assign per strength instead of office title [OFFICERS]

55.Call "graced" members who have yet to pay within 60 days after dues due, ask "WHY" [VPM, OFFICERS]

56.More time spend on evaluations to improve their return on investment [VPE, ALL]

57.Corporate clubs get HR to allow the club to get in front of new hires [PRE, OFFICERS]

58.Corporate clubs get HR to allow the club to advertize to associates [PRE, OFFICERS]

59.Corporate clubs have an annual demo meeting to get new members [PRE, OFFICERS]

60.Have a special Evaluation meeting with a presentation of "Evaluate to Motivate" (#292) or "Effective Evaluations" (#202) or "Art of Effective Evaluations" (#251) [VPE]

61.Have fun as club officers, then project that during the meetings [OFFICERS]

62.Hold a dinner table topics once or twice a year [VPE, OFFICERS]

63.Invite the newest members to a social event: cinema, coffee meeting, party, dinner, etc [ALL]

64.Happy anniversary greeting based on the date each member joined [PRE]

65.Celebrate the anniversary of the club [ [OFFICERS, ALL]

66.Display the club banner and its ribbons and point it out in some fashion [SAA]

67.Make a bookmark with club meeting information and other Toastmasters information [ANYONE]

68.Vote for best speech and best table topics and best evaluation [ALL]

69.Award a Most Improved ribbon on occasion [ALL]

70.Follow up with guests, keep them informed about the club, temporarily add them to the email list [VPM]

71.Put the first name of guests on the club website as a visitor and let them know about it [VPP, SEC]

72.Determine the interests/goals/needs of each member [VPM, VPE]

73.Assure that the club seems organized to both members and guests [OFFICERS, ALL]

74.Members should stay after the meeting to talk with others [ALL]

75.Every quarter have special guest speakers from outside the club (including other clubs) [VPE,OFFICERS]

76.A quarterly high average percentage of members should attend the meetings [ALL]

77.Special training sessions given by members each year: table topics, speeches, evaluations [ALL]

78.Members present from Better Club Series or Better Speaker Series [ALL]

79.Awards are earned by several members (and not just the same few members each year) [ALL]

80.Encourage every member to earn at least one award each Toastmaster year [VPE, PRE, OFFICERS]

81.Encourage members to be a Triple Crown winner and be recognized at the fall conference [PRE, VPE]

82.Recognition given to members (e.g. Ice Breaker ribbon, new member pin, Half CC ribbon) [TM]

83.Often-updated club website and/or Facebook that are useful to the members and guests [VPP,OFFICRS]

84.Post the latest club meeting minutes onto the club website, archive the older minutes [SEC]

85.Testimonials and "Meet Our Members" are on the club website/Facebook, with pictures [VPP,OFFICERS]

86.Semi-annual presentation of "Moments of Truth" (soon to be a part of the DCP) [VPE, ALL]

87.Have regular disclosure of club decisions and finances [TRE]

88.Have at least four club officers attend Club Officer Training (TLI) sessions, the goal is all seven [OFFCRS]

89.Club has a regular means of communication (e.g. newsletter, website, Facebook) [VPP, ALL]

90.A variety of members serve as club officers over time, keep a year-to-year list (available from TI) [ALL]

91.Members have easy access to the Toastmasters information they need [OFFICERS, ALL]

92.Members are kept up to date with events at the district, International and other venues [PRE]

93.Members understand the goals of the club and its expectations of the members [PRE, ALL]

94.Share the club goals and expectations with all members [PRE]

95.All members have their CL manuals at every meeting, maybe store them at the meeting place [ALL]

96.Guest packets and a guest book available at every meeting [VPM, SAA]

97.Always solicit feedback from guests at the meeting - it can provide good tips [TM, PRE]

98.With club help, have a member do a Speechcraft project (and get credit towards ACG award) [ALL]

99.Provide name tags/tents for all members plus temporary ones for with the first name of guests [SAA]

100.Find a way to reward members who sponsor a new club member (named on the application) [PRE,VPE[

101.Recognize club members who are a club sponsor or club coach [PRE, VPE]

102.Recognize club members who are dual members, have them explain why they are duals [PRE]

103.Offer to be a both a sponsor and a mentor of a guest becoming a new member [ALL]

104.Get yourself a "Toastmasters Accountability Buddy" for reaching your Toastmasters goals [ALL]

105.Bring in pizza (or some other preferred food) for a meeting on occasion [OFFICERS]

106.Explain WHY the DCP is important to the members of the club instead of the club or district [OFFICERS]

107.Help members realize that the bigger their audience is, the more feedback they can receive [OFFICERS]

108.Enjoy the honor of mentoring someone who someday will earn her/his DTM [ALL]

109.Begin early at recruiting club officers for the next year [PRE, OFFICERS]

110.Recognize that a person's life priorities change about every six months, so follow up later [OFFICERS]

111.Club culture should fit the members as a whole: strict for professionals, relaxed for community club [ALL]

112.Consider how many emails are sent to the members, quality not quantity, be precise and nice [OFFICRS]

113.Immediately take steps to correct/improve bad evaluations that occur during any meeting [OFFICERS]

114.Monthly, show the club's DCP status (on International website) to see how the club is doing [PRE, VPE]

115.The club President should have a vision (1+ years) for the club and share it with the club [PRE]

116.Table Topics Master do something different than just the usual Question-and-Answer [TTM]

117.Schedule new members to give their Ice Breaker within their first four meetings [VPE]

118.After oral evaluation, Evaluator opens the floor for 3 – 5 minutes to get further feedback for speaker [EV]

119.Arrange/schedule a joint club meeting with another club [VPE, PRE]

120.Encourage the club members to visit the meetings of other clubs (maybe several go at once) [OFFICERS]

121.Invite the district officers to speak at the club meeting, maybe on a specific topic [PRE]

122.Before each manual speech, let the audience know the speech objectives [TM]

123.In January, encourage the current club president to seek a district office [OFFICERS]

Nov. 2014 Larry Wilson, DTM, District 22 Public Relations Officer, 913-626-5516

Some Reasons that Members Leave a Club

These reasons are ones beyond the control of the club

1. Move out of the area
2. Job loss
3. Burnout
4. Health
5. Death
6. Other life priorities

These reasons are ones that the club can do something about

1. Member goals not being met
2. Low meeting attendance
3. Disorganized club
4. Personality conflicts
5. Lack of support or mentorship
6. Too little or inadequate feedback and growth
7. Not feel involved or as a part of the club
8. Members feel “done” when they earn their CC

What a Club can do to Keep more of its Members longer

1. Find out why the members who have left the club left
2. Find out why the members who remain in the club stay
3. Have a member present the Successful Club Series module “Moments of Truth” [item #290DCD]
4. Have a member present the Successful Club Series module “Evaluate to Motivate” [item #292] or Successful Communications module “Art of Effective Evaluations” [item #251] or “Effective Evaluations” [item #202]
5. The club work as a whole to decide what they can do to retain members, the club officers must lead on this

Membership Retention: What’s in it for Me ?

1. As a Toastmaster, you want to learn and grow
2. You need an audience that can provide you feedback
3. The more members present, the more feedback you likely receive
4. The longer the Toastmaster tenure of the audience, the better the feedback
5. The more members present in the meeting, the less likely you must serve multiple roles
6. The more veteran the members, the more you will likely learn
7. The better you get to know your fellow members, the more likely you will remain a member

Bottom Line: You need to care that your fellow club members remain in your club

Reasons Why A Member becomes a Club Officer

(no particular order, some members use more than one reason)

1.Asked by a member to take on a specific office

2.Ego

3.Need credit towards ALB

4.Frustration in the way a specific office has been handled and think "I can do that better"

5.Noother memberwill serve an office, so they say, possibly reluctantly,"okay, I will do it"

6.Drawn, in a positive way, to the duties a specific office

7.Desire to take on a challenge of something outside their comfort zone

8.Willingness to serve however needed

9.Desire to see the club succeed

10.Wanting to leave a legacy or a "stamp" on the club

11.Desire to help/see others succeed

12.Opportunity to change club policy and procedures ("be the change")

Feel free to offer other reasons.