C = Commitment: Are Officers and Club members truly Committed to rebuild?

P = Personalities: Is there a Personality or faction in the Club causing problems so that members leave or guests don’t join? Has the Club become a clique that doesn’t welcome new members? Is an officer not doing their job? Do members resist necessary change?

R = Run: Is there a problem with the way the Club is Run that is disagreeable to members and guests? Meetings that are poorly run drive away current and potential members. In the case of a Company Club is there a downsizing that may force the Club to change the way it is run and become a Community Club in order to stay viable?

Analyze your Club’s situation through use of the following checklists. Then Club Officers should come up with a simple written ACTION PLAN to get the Club back up to Charter Strength of 20 members or more. Share this ACTION PLAN with all Club members. Get member input and support for the ACTION PLAN.

A very simple ACTION PLAN might be to have well-organized weekly meetings with 2 well-prepared speakers and creative Tabletopics and to have at least one guest at each meeting. Monitor the ACTION PLAN to determine if it is working and make adjustments where necessary. Be optimistic and realistic! And remember "80% of success is just showing up." That especially applies to Toastmasters Clubs!

1. Are there 2 or 3 highly committed and enthusiastic members who are willing to do what it takes to rebuild the Club? _____
2. Are those enthusiastic members the top 3 Club Officers, or, if not, will they agree to take on those responsibilities and become officers? _____
3. Can these Officers persuade the other members to make the changes necessary to revive the Club? _____
4. If this is a Company Club, does the Company still support the Club or throw roadblocks in its way? _____

1. Have Club members become insular, cliquish and unfriendly to potential new members? _____
2. Is there a disruptive person/member who is upsetting members and guests with inappropriate behavior or comments (sexist, racist, abusive or psychotic remarks for instance)? Does this person continue this behavior despite Officers’ repeated private requests to stop such behavior? If so, can the Club take a majority vote to remove this person from the Club? _____
3. Have several members formed a faction that causes disruption in Club activities and is detrimental to the majority of Club members’ goals despite Officers’ repeated requests that such disruptive behavior stop? If so, can the Club take a majority vote to remove those members? _____
4. Is an Officer not performing his or her duties to the detriment of the Club despite other Officers’ repeated requests that those duties be performed correctly with thorough explanations of how to do so? Should that officer be removed from further duties in his or her position? _____
5. Has the Club taken a majority vote on all current members officially giving them membership in the Club? Does the Club approve each proposed new member by majority vote? Note: The Club has no power to remove disruptive members if a vote has never been taken on their membership. _____
6. Do members sincerely want their Club to survive and thrive again? Or,

are they hopelessly resistant to change to the Club’s detriment? _____

1. Are meetings well organized with at least 1 prepared speaker and plenty of creative Tabletopics? _____
2. Do meeting participants know their roles and perform them well even if members have to do several roles at once? _____
3. Is there a spirit of fun at the meetings and are meetings interesting? _____
4. Do all speakers give well-prepared speeches? _____
5. Does the Club foster a warm and supportive environment? _____
6. Are evaluations constructive and useful instead of highly critical? _____
7. Do meetings begin and end on time? _____
8. Is the meeting time still convenient or should it be changed? _____
9. Is the meeting place still a good one for Club member needs or should another location be found? Is the neighborhood still safe and parking well lit? _____
10. Is there always a printed meeting agenda to work from? _____
11. Is the meeting room comfortable and set up well ahead of time? _____
12. Is the speaking schedule given to Club members several weeks ahead of time so that they know when they are participating and will be preparing? _____
13. Are new members immediately booked on the schedule and loaned a CTM manual so that they can give their first speech while they are very enthusiastic? _____
14. Are meetings varied with contest meetings and occasional theme meetings for diversity to hold member interest? _____
15. Does the Club enjoy regular social events (parties, lunches/dinners) which help members bond beyond the meetings? _____
16. Does the Club have occasional ceremonies to mark important Club milestones such as the induction of new officers? _____
17. Do Club officers thoroughly understand their respective roles? _____
18. Does the President regularly recognize Club officers’ contributions in front of the membership to excite other members about becoming officers? _____
19. Does the Club survey members periodically to see of they are satisfied and if they have new ideas for improving the Club? _____
20. If the Company/Organization is downsizing/merging/going away, can the Club quickly open up participation to members outside the Company who don’t work there and thus become a Community Club? _____

The Care of Guests

21. Does the Club constantly seek guests to turn into new members? 4 out of every 5 Toastmasters members join through word of mouth! _____
22. Are members who bring guests recognized? _____
23. Do all members warmly welcome guests? _____
24. Does someone explain the meeting to guests and sit with them? _____
25. Are guests recognized and asked to participate? _____
26. Are guests asked to join and helped with the necessary paperwork during their first visit or asked to at least return for another meeting if they hesitate to join?_____
27. Does the VP of Membership follow up periodically with guests who visited but didn’t immediately join to encourage them to come to another meeting? _____

Educational Achievements

28. Are members progressing through the Basic or Advanced Toastmasters manuals so that they learn how to properly prepare a variety of speeches? _____
29. Are members achieving their CTM, ATM, CL, AL, and DTM designations so that they always have an achievement to work toward? _____
30. Does the President publicly recognize members who achieve CTM, ATM, CL, AL and DTM before the group as soon as those designations are attained? _____
31. Is the Club working to be at minimum a Distinguished Club? _____

1. Have great meetings with well-prepared participants. This is a tremendous tool in recruiting impressed visitors. Even a meeting with only a few members can be very inspiring if the speeches are well done and guests see members do good Tabletopics and realize how competently members perform many roles. _____
2. Stress the fact that guests will be able to speak more frequently in a Club with fewer members so that they will get better at speaking much faster! _____
3. Always warmly greet guests and have them sign in so that they can be contacted after the meeting. _____
4. Encourage Club members to constantly tell others about the Club and bring guests. _____
5. Invite guests to join at their first meeting! Help them do the paperwork. _____
6. Ask guests to join you for coffee or lunch/dinner after the meeting if members go out. _____
7. Contact all guests in a follow up phone call within a day or so of their visit to answer any questions and invite them to join if they haven’t. _____
8. Keep following up with visitors and inviting them back to meetings if they don’t join immediately. _____
9. Call members who have dropped out and invite them to rejoin. _____
10. Distribute flyers/posters with Club information near where the Club

meets or on community service bulletin boards, libraries, etc. _____

11. Position billboards advertising the Club near elevators or in other high-traffic areas where potential members will see them. _____
12. Put Toastmasters brochures in local stores or high-traffic areas and make sure Club contact information is listed clearly on all brochures. _____
13. Place newspaper ads with Club information in business and community papers. These ads are often free. _____
14. Encourage Members to always wear their Toastmasters Pin to spark questions about the Club from those they encounter in their day-to-day activities. _____
15. Hold Membership building contests. They often spur members to bring even more guests if there is a fun prize or members are just very competitive by nature. _____
16. Conduct Speechcrafts to attract new members who want to speak better. _____
17. E-mail potential members to promote the Club. This is especially effective for Company Clubs and also works with guests who have given the Club their E-mail address. _____
18. Leave copies of The Toastmaster magazine with Club information attached in reception areas, libraries, etc. where many people will read them. _____
19. Place Club information in Company Bulletin/Newsletter announcements. _____
20. Man an informational booth at malls, local events, and outdoor shows. _____
21. Hold a Demonstration Meeting in which members invite guests. The meeting is aimed at explaining the Toastmasters Program and includes all of the typical meeting roles. Have your best motivational speakers on the program. _____
22. Place Toastmasters Public Service Announcements on broadcast media. _____
23. Create a Club Internet Web Site linked to the state Toastmasters Web site. _____
24. Make television talk show appearances (including Cable public access). _____
25. Issue Press releases. _____
26. Invite a newsmaker to your Club to speak and also invite reporters. _____
27. Invite superb speakers from other Toastmasters Clubs to inspire members and guests. _____
28. Judge a local school or university debate or host a community debate. _____
29. Ask the Area or Division Governor for help in analyzing the Club’s problems and making constructive suggestions. A fresh pair of eyes can often help. _____
30. Ask the District Governor to appoint an experienced Club Specialist if the Club has 9 or fewer paid members. The Club Specialist will help the Club rebuild by advising the Officers (Executive Committee) and becoming a Club member. _____