Below is a description of the different Club Officer Roles.
The Toastmasters Committee is the head of the Toastmaster Club body. Its role is to direct the club to conduct efficient meetings and to help the different members achieve their educational goals.
Accepting a position on your Toastmasters Club's committee can be a rewarding and enriching experience - if you approach it with the right mindset and the right tools.
You do not have to be experienced or have the necessary skills already, but you do need to have the willingness to learn that which you do not know. This means that you will often be asked to do things outside of your comfort zone, but that is the only place where you can start learning. And yes that is what Toastmasters aims to do: challenge your comfort zones. And as far as the Toastmaster Committee is concerned, challenging your leadership/responsibility comfort zone.
There are various positions on the committee with each requiring a different skills set (or willingness to acquire the skills set). From the taking of notes as club secretary, to the delegating and managing of the other committee members as president, there is certainly a position to help you learn the leadership skills you want to learn.
Below is a list of the committee roles given by the member who is in that role at present:
The role of President is to lead the club effectively, by ensuring the club officers are confident and comfortable within their respective roles and providing any assistance to the officers where needed. The President is the person who brings (and keeps) the club together and ensures members are receiving everything they need from the club. The President should be able to delegate where needed and take control where necessary. The President should be passionate about building and strengthening the club through communication with members, club officers and other clubs in the area and beyond. The role of President requires that you attend as many club meetings as possible, as well as monthly committee meetings and Club Officer Training x2 yearly. The current SSS officers are all completely committed to the club and this has made my year as President much easier.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being President of SSS this last year and can highly recommend the role of President to any member who is considering stepping onto the 2010-2011 committee. Not only will you gain a comprehensive understanding of how a TM Club is run, but it's also an excellent way of developing your Leadership and skills.
Click here for the official TM description of the President's role.
My role as Sergent at Arms:
Arrange room on time before meetings, make sure all equipment, club banner, and appropriate papers are available.
Ensure club ribbons are given to General Evaluator.
Greet members and guests and give new guests club information and welcome pack.
Ensure name badges are available and new guests contact details are given to membership officer.
Arrange for tea coffee and break refreshments for members and guests at each meeting
Make sure club materials are available and replenish stocks as required.
Clear room and ensure safely in storage area.
Attend club officer training meetings
Attend club committee meetings
Arrange for replacement when not available for meetings
Organize and plan club and joint club social events.
Click here for the official TM description of the S.A.E role
The secretary of the club must prepare agendas, attend committee meetings,
take minutes and send to the President for approval.
Click here for the official TM description of the Secretary role.
BEING VPE...
The most important function of the Vice President Education is to get club members through their communication and leadership programmes, which means ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to book speeches - not just those who put their hands up first! Some people need a bit more encouragement than others, so the VPE needs to be able to keep track of members' progress in their communication and leadership programmes and look out for any members who might either be losing interest or not getting the opportunity to progress, for whatever reason. Some members are not interested in progressing in their speeches or leadership programmes as quickly as others, so the VPE should ensure that they are given the opportunity to make progress, but leave them to it if they prefer to take their time.
The role of VPE requires meticulous organisation, and if you really want to improve your organisational skills, this could be the role for you! You don't have to be computer and internet-literate, but it certainly helps! Some VPEs have done the role very successfully without using the D71 website at all, but it amazes me that they managed it, and I think they had to carry around a lot of paperwork! The D71 website can appear complex, but in fact it's a great tool for booking speeches and keeping track of members' progress as well as the all-important planning of meetings.
Planning meetings is the other main task of the VPE, and if the meetings are not properly planned, the whole thing can fall apart. If people turn up to find that only one speech has been booked or that there are not enough role-players, meetings can very quickly become tedious. The D71 website is a great asset in making sure that everything is on track for the next meeting, and it will send out standard reminder emails to members; tell you who's eligible to get a point towards their CL; all kinds of things. It will also allow you to plan several meetings in advance.
You learn a lot as VPE, and having done two other committee roles in the past, being VPE is the role I've enjoyed most. That's why I've done it for two years running!
Click here for the official TM description of the VPE role.
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Vice President of Membership Faraz Hussain The Vice President Membership plans, organises and implements an on-going marketing effort to maintain or increase the Club membership level. This involves enticing guests to join and encouraging existing members to stay.
1. Helping them to fill in the Membership Application form. The form can be downloaded at http://www.toastmasters.org/memberapp.aspx and printed double-sided with the setting 'flip on long edge'. Normally the completed form is given to the Club Treasurer. 2. Telling them the initial amount payable and how to pay it. The amount is shown in the 'TO CLUB' section at http://d71.org/docs/ClubManagement/NewMemberFees.xls - enter your Club's joining fee and 6 month subscription amount in the boxes at the top (in local currency). For dual, re-instated or transfer members see http://d71.org/kb.php?mode=article&k=159 3. Orientating them into the Club. As the New Member Kit from World Headquarters will take some time to arrive, it is a good idea to have a Club kit ready to present to a new member immediately they join. This could include the Icebreaker speech (available at http://www.toastmasters.org/PDFs/IceBreaker.pdf) and a description of meeting roles (see http://d71.org/kb.php?mode=article&k=210). (Members may also change their own details online.) * Encourage members to renew, and alert the President and VPE of any members who might leave. * If the Club uses easy-Speak, enter new member details on it. * Be aware of the awards for membership building. See http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MembershipBuilding/MembershipContests.aspx * In the absence of the President and the VPE, preside at Club and Committee meetings. |
Who pays our bill for the hire of Pollokshield Burgh Hall? Who makes sure that every member is paid and registered at TM International? Who checks our club bank account to make sure we don't go bankrupt? The answer to all these questions and more is…The Club Treasurer. 100% of our income comes from our members and we need to make sure that we can account for every penny which they pay to us. We are also a "not-for-profit" organisation so we don't want to build-up huge monetary reserves in the bank.
The Club Treasurer role:
1) Help prepare Club budget with Committee within one month of taking office
2) Submit new member application and dues to TM HQ & ensure new members are registered online
3) Collect and pay semi-annual membership dues to TM HQ by October 1 and April 1 and ensure current members are renewed online
4) Pay club bills (i.e. room hire, equipment purchase)
5) Keep a record of all club financial transactions
6) Act as Club Contact for the Bank account (RBoS) and be one of the 3 - 4 signatories for cheques
7) Prepare verbal/written reports for Committee meetings/AGM as required
8) Attend club officer training
9) Prepare successor for role
No advanced accounting knowledge is required - just organised record keeping to track club income and expenditure, on-line access for payment of dues to USA, an awareness of key dates for payments and an enthusiasm to ensure the club does not go bankrupt! The Membership VP can also help the Treasurer by publicising/collecting the membership dues from existing members.
Click here for the official TM desription of the Treasurer role.
Promote your club!
As the vice president public relations, you are in charge of the promotional activities for your club. The manual When You Are the Vice President Public Relations describes these standards more fully and explains how to fulfill them.
Outside the Club Meeting:
- Attend district-sponsored club officer training.
- Promote the club to local media.
- Produce and distribute a club newsletter at least monthly, and/or maintain a club Web site.
- Promote membership programs.
- Attend club executive committee meetings.
- Attend other Toastmasters events.
- Arrange for a replacement if unable to attend a club meeting.
- Prepare your successor for office.
At the Club Meeting:
- Announce upcoming events and programs.
- Ask for contributions to the newsletter and/or Web site.
- Greet members and guests.