Distinguished Club Program

The Distinguished Club Program (DCP) is an annual program, running from July 1 through June 30. The program consists of 10 goals for your club to obtain, using the Club Success Plan as your guide. To help keep track of your progress toward these goals throughout the year, updated reports are posted daily on the Toastmasters International website. At year-end, the number of goals the club achieved is calculated. Based on the goals met and whether or not the qualifying requirements have been met, the club may be recognized as Distinguished, Select Distinguished,  President’s Distinguished, or Smedley Distinguished.

The Distinguished Club Program (DCP) was established by Toastmasters International as a general measure of club success. Each year the Distinguished Club Program recognizes club achievements in education, membership growth, club leadership and club communication. This measure is not the whole of what makes a club successful, but it does reflect the activities that required for success.

To help members achieve their personal goals, clubs are encouraged to define a mission statement and create a Club Success Plan, which for many clubs will be based on the targets outlined in the Distinguished Club Program. The Distinguished Club Program, therefore, has the dual benefit of helping both the club and its members.

Changes to Distinguished Club Program  (DCP)
In recognition of the difficulty many clubs have had in meeting the membership requirement, Toastmasters International modified the DCP in 2025.  These changes create a more accessible path to recognition while offering new challenges for high-performing clubs. They also better align our recognition programs with Toastmasters International’s strategic plan. Changes to the Distinguished Club Program include:

    • A new qualifying requirement: Complete and submit your Club Success Plan by September 30*
    • Distinguished achievement levels now include varying membership requirements
    • Introduction of the prestigious Smedley level achievement

    Please reach the team at clubquality@toastmasters.org if you have any questions.

Distinguished Club Program Goals

In the Distinguished Club Program, there are ten goals that serve as targets to help a club become a stronger organization.  The goals are sumarized below.  For more information, refer to the Distinguished Club Program.

Education Goals: Up to six of the Pathways Level goals below
1. Four members complete Level 1
2. Two members complete Level 2
3. Two more members complete Level 2
4. Two members complete Level 3
5. One member completes Level 4, Level 5 or DTM
6. One more member completes Level 4, Level 5 or DTM
Membership Goals
7. Add four new members
8. Add four more new members
Officer Training Goal
9. Have a minimum of four officers trained during each of the two Club Officer Training periods
Administration Goal
10. Submit one membership dues renewal report and one club officer list to Toastmasters International before the deadline

By achieving a certain number of the targets in this program, a club can earn one of four levels of recognition:

Distinguished Club Achieve 5 DCP Goals with at least 20 total members or net growth of 3**
Select Distinguished Club Achieve 7 DCP Goals with at least 20 total members or net growth of 5**
President’s Distinguished Club Achieve 9 DCP Goals with at least 20 total members**
Smedley’s Distinguished Club Achieve 10 DCP Goals with at least 25 total members**

**Total member count consists of renewing, dual, new, charter, and reinstated members. Transfer members do not count toward this total.

Club Success Plan Requirement

*Beginning with the 2025-2026 Toastmaster Year, to be eligible for recognition under the Distinguished Club Program, a club must complete and submit its Club Success Plan by September 30.
For newly chartered clubs, the due date is 90 days after the charter date. Clubs that charter after April 1 will automatically receive credit for submitting the Club Success Plan for their charter program year.