The first phase in a club’s life occurs during and just after it is organized. The club’s educational program is expanding and improving. The members are motivated and their enthusiasm generally makes up for their lack of experience. As the educational program improves, productivity increases and the club moves toward the peak of the curve.
As the club matures into the second phase, the educational program reaches a high level of productivity and successfully meets members’ needs. The original club members are now relatively experienced Toastmasters. New members join the club and quickly become assimilated into the club’s culture. The length of time spent at the top of the curve varies from club to club.
At the beginning of the third phase, members become content with the status quo and resist change and new influences. Guests are greeted, but the club’s internal cliques are sometimes difficult to break into. New members have a hard time fitting in and don’t stay long. Productivity declines, and the club slips from the top of the curve and begins a downward slide. Attendance drops, the educational program falls apart, and guests do not join the club. Members may be more concerned with socializing than learning.
If the club continues its downward slide and nears the bottom of the curve, something must to be done to keep the club from dissolving. In many cases a club coach is appointed to help the members revitalize their club. If the effort is successful, the club’s productivity will increase, and a new life cycle will begin.
When a club is declining in membership, there are some steps that can be taken by the membership to begin a new upswing in the club.
One of those steps, is to revitalize participation in the education program. An active club committed to quality education can readily turn visitors into members.
Your club may have already done that, and now you need more visitors in order to rebuild membership. This page is intended to provide you with some ideas and resources to help you bring more visitors to your club.
Your Area Director can be a great source of contacts and information to help you find more ways to build your club membership.
Thank you to Toastmasters District 55 for provided a listing of available Club Growth Resources.
[check all links below for latest Toastmasters.org links – links also broken on D7 site]
New Clubs
- How to Build a Toastmasters Club – Manual
- How to Sponsor a New Club – Manual
- How to Sponsor a New Club – Presentation
- New Club Mentoring Matters – Presentation
Membership Growth
- How To Rebuild A Toastmasters Club
- The First Class Club Coach – Manual
- The First Class Club Coach – Presentation
- Leading the Club to Success – Manual