In order to track progress and reward excellence it is necessary to set goals. The goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic and Time-bound. Toastmaster International has established a list of 10 items that meet these criteria and are applicable to tracking the quality of a Toastmasters Club. By reaching these achievable goals a club can win recognition in the form of being declared Distinguished Club, Select Distinguished Club or even President's Distinguished Club.
| The 10 goals of the DCP |
|---|
| Educational Goals |
| Two (2) CTMs |
| Two (2) more CTMs |
| One ATM (bronze, silver or gold) |
| One more ATM (bronze, silver or gold) |
| One CL, AL or DTM |
| One more CL, AL or DTM |
| Membership Building Goals |
| Four (4) New members |
| Four (4) more New members |
| Officer Quality and Submission Goals |
| Four or more officers trained in each training period |
| Submit semi-annual membership report on time and one club officer list on time |
Because a club needs a certain number of members to have a productive meeting and to remain healthy there is a membership requirement in order be declared a select club. To be fair to small clubs that are growing there are two ways to meet this requirement.
| 20 members or more |
| net growth of 5 new members or more |
The three degrees of recognition that can be earned are:
| Achieve 9 or more goals | President's Distinguished Club |
| Achieve 7 or more goals | Select Distinguished Club |
| Achieve 5 or more goals | Distinguished Club |
Each of these goals is reachable by any club, but further missing these goals is a symptom that that the club could have a problem. Just as high blood pressure warns a person to watch for heart disease, failure to reach the goals of the DCP can serve as warning that a club may be getting sick.
| Missed Goal | May be a symptom of this condition |
|---|---|
| Few or no CTMs | This indicates that members are not giving speeches or are not staying members long enough to complete the basic manual. Vibrant new members are being lost. Club officers need to take actions to track progress, motivate members and support them in giving speeches from the basic manual. A mentor program may help. If already in place it may be improved by proper advice to mentors. |
| Few or no ATMs | This indicates that experienced members are not remaining members or are not remaining active. |
| No CLs | The CL is easy: Officers who have earned a CTM need to be trained, participate in the Club Success Plan (see below) and present 2 successful club modules.
Modules are prepared by Toastmasters International and include a canned speech, overhead transparencies and visual aids. They take 10 to fifteen minutes to present and cover
many of the basic bedrock skills a club needs.
If CLs are not being achieved then club officers are not involved in the club, not active enough to present simple modules...or aren't aware of this award. |
| <4 or <8 new members | Why does International specify the number 4 for new members? Why not 3 or 5 instead?
Because the target goal for club membership is 20 members and estimated retention is 80%.
If a club has 80% retention then it has 20% loss; 20% of 20 members is 4.
Therefore, 4 new members is the estimated number of new members needed to offset attrition and maintain a healthy club membership base.
There is a certain number of members necessary to have effective meetings. Without effective, fun, educational meetings it is hard to get members to join. Thus membership is important to retaining membership and important to preserving clubs. |
| Officer Training | Failure to have officers trained is symptomatic that officers are not involved enough. (Or district has failed to provide sufficient training, in which case officers need to bug District to improve its act.) |
| Paperwork not submitted on time | I am suspicious that Toastmasters International specified this because it is what they need (want) to receive. But failure to submit paperwork on time indicates either a lack of involvement by officers or lack of proper planning. Occasionally corporate clubs do suffer from external influences of company bureaucracy - however here proper planning is required to anticipate this and start even earlier. |
It is possible for any club to attain any level of Distinguished in any year. But it requires a Plan! Here is an outline for you to fill in with your plan to become a President's Distinguished Club:
| # | Activity | Goal | Strategy | Resources | Assignment | Time table Start Complete | Actual Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CTMs (Competent Toastmasters) | 2 | Determine which members are in a position to achieve CTM status during the year. Encourage them to set a goal to finish by the end of the reporting period. Encourage all members to give manual speeches. Track the progress of members and make a point of recognizing achievement. | Member achievement record (1328), member progress chart (227,227B) | Vice President Education to Track | ||
| 2 | Additional CTMS | 2 or more | same as above | same as above | same as above | ||
| More to be entered soon. | |||||||