Coach or Mentor a Club

The Club Coach Program allows experienced Toastmaster members to assist in rebuilding club membership and restoring club quality. The Club Coach program helps struggling clubs succeed in rebuilding club membership and restoring club quality.

A Club Coach

• Builds rapport with club officers and members.
• Instills enthusiasm, comradery, and structure within the club.
• Assesses the club environment and recommends best practices for success.
• Works with club officers to develop a Club Success Plan.
• Motivates the club to strive for Distinguished Club Program (DCP) recognition.

Club Coach Requirements

There are specific requirements that a member must meet before he or she can become a Club Coach.  Note that the requirements were updated by Toastmasters International in 2021.

In order to be appointed as a Club Coach a member:

• Must be a paid member in good standing
• Must not have been a member of the club they will coach within the previous six months
• Have been a member of Toastmasters International for a minimum of one year
• Must not join the club they are coaching at any point during the appointment
• Have previously served as a club officer for one annual term or two semiannual terms
• Have completed the Club Coach Training module located in Base Camp under the Tutorials and Resources section.
• Have completed a minimum of Level 2 in any path, or an Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB), or an Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB)
• Must request the District Director, Program Quality Director, or Club Growth Director to submit their appointment to World Headquarters for processing.

Club Eligibility

For a club to be eligible for a Club Coach, the club must:

• Have at least three but no more than 12 members in good standing at the time of appointment
• Not be suspended or closed
• Have at least one club officer who has completed the Club Coach Program Training Module located in Base Camp under the Tutorials and Resources section.

• Not have more than two coaches appointed at one time

The Club Coach appointment lasts to June 30 of the current program year if the club becomes Distinguished or better. If Distinguished club status is not reached in the initial program year, the assignment will be extended to June 30 of the following year.

Club Coach Recognition

• Each Club Coach receives a pin upon assignment.
• A certificate will be sent to each Club Coach upon successful completion.

Steps for Achievement

• The club coach must serve at least six months. The club coach may not join the club during their appointment.
• The club coach must submit and complete the required forms:
  • The Club Coach Preliminary Report within 30 days of appointment
  • The Club Coach Progress Report every 60 days
  • The Club Coach Final Report after their appointment has ended
• Once the six-month term concludes, the coached club must attain at least Distinguished status by the next June 30. If the Club Success Plan is missing but all other Distinguished requirements are met, the Club Coach remains eligible for credit.
• To receive credit, the Club President (or officer delegate) of the coached club must notify World Headquarters in writing.
• To earn an additional education credit toward a District leader role, the coached club must also have 20 or more paid members.

If the coach is unsuccessful, the appointment can be extended up to two additional program years.

Resources

• Club Coach Program
  Program description on Toastmasters International website.  Recommend reviewing for updates and additional resources.
• Club Coach Troubleshooting Guide
  A scoring rubric to help club coaches determine corrective actions while in discussions with a struggling Toastmasters club.
• First Class Club Coach
  A comprehensive guide for preparing and presenting an effective training session for club coaches.

A mentor shares his or her expertise with less experienced individuals. As coach and advisor to a newly formed club, your responsibility is not to run the club but to let it know its options and guide it toward excellence. To volunteer or for more information, contact Club Growth Director (growth@d205tm.org)

Benefits of Being a Club Mentor

• Improve communication and personal skills
• Develop leadership and management qualities
• Build teamwork skills
• Develop capacity to translate values and strategies into productive action
• Reinforce your own Toastmasters knowledge
• Increase your confidence and motivation
• Enhance your resume
• Gain recognition for your skills and experience
• Benefit from a sense of fulfillment and personal growth
• Earn credit towards the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award

Official Duties

Your official term as mentor begins when the new club charters and lasts for six months to one year. It’s helpful and not unusual for mentors to join the new club, but it’s not required. Your duties are to:

• Build rapport with the club, share your experience, lend your support, and attend every meeting.
• Provide Club Officer orientation. If Club Officer Training sessions are not available immediately, explain the club officer roles and how they can perform each role effectively.
• Introduce Pathways to the club. Make a short presentation on Pathways to get the club members interested and signed up for this program. Reach out to the District Program Quality Director (quality@d205tm.org) if you need assistance running this session
• Ensure the club is strong and functional. Lead members to helpful resources. Share lessons from your own experiences.
• Familiarize the club with the TI website (www.toastmasters.org). Encourage club members to use it as a resource for updates on the club’s progress in the DCP and downloadable forms and documents as well as for performing administrative tasks like submitting new member applications, dues renewals and educational award applications.
• Conduct The Successful Club Series program so members can develop the skills they joined the club to learn. Help the new club grasp how the communication and leadership tracks facilitate their skill development. Emphasize the importance of recognizing members who work toward their goals.
• Make certain that club officers attend district-sponsored training. Also meet with each officer individually and educate each about what standards he or she must meet and how to meet them. Provide information about the tools each officer needs to perform his or her duties. Start by ensuring each officer has (and reads!) the appropriate officer manual.
• Conduct the Successful Club Series program How to Be a Distinguished Club. Explain how the DCP is a tool the club can use to keep itself on track and focused on providing members with the service and environment they need to achieve their goals.
• Help club members build positive habits. Emphasize the need for members to regularly come prepared to meetings, to give manual speeches, to present excellent evaluations, and to project a positive, enthusiastic attitude.
• Create a quality club. A club’s standards for service must reflect the quality and reliability of the Toastmasters program. The best way to teach clubs how to do this is to encourage them to conduct the module Moments of Truth from The Successful Club Series. Make sure the new club knows and applies these quality standards to current and new members. Remind them the same care and attention afforded to guests and potential members also should be given to current members.
• Foster a culture of membership-building within the club. Every club, even new clubs, should continually strive to bring in new members. Membership-building activities give clubs a stronger base of leaders and provide a continuous flow of original personalities and ideas that help keep club meetings fresh and exciting.
• Be the eyes and ears for the District Leadership. Though each club will be assigned to an Area Director, Club Mentors work closely with the clubs for at least 6 months after their charter. If you see any red flags (examples: pattern of irregular meetings, member drop out, drop in energy/interest level, club officers not active anymore, etc.) in the club, bring it to the attention of the District Leadership.