by Michelle Bayes, DTM, Club Growth Director
Are you on the path towards a DTM? Let the club growth team assist in helping you achieve your goal as a mentor, coach or club sponsor.
As we continue to “ignite our pipeline,” having Toastmasters willing to serve as club sponsors and mentors is vital to establishing strong charter clubs out of the gate.
Club Sponsors are the first experienced Toastmasters a prospective club works with. A Club Sponsor helps clubs with questions they have as they begin to organize, including the paperwork needed for charter. The benefits of serving in this role include an opportunity to enhance your leadership skills, develop project-management skills, and to polish your marketing expertise.
Once the club is chartered, the sponsor hands the reins over to a Club Mentor. A Club Mentor serves in a six-month assignment that is pivotal to the success of a brand-new club. Mentors are experienced Toastmasters who assist both the leadership and the general club membership as they get acclimated to the Toastmasters program. A Club Mentor will serve in meeting roles as needed and give gentle, constructive feedback so that the club has a strong foundation to flourish after their journey with their mentor ends.
Our District mission includes helping ALL clubs achieve excellence, which is where the rewards of serving as a Club Coach shines through. A Club Coach’s role is to help a struggling club regain their footing. Club Coaches are instrumental in rebuilding a club’s membership base and restoring club quality. This is achieved by building rapport with the members, assisting the leadership team in shaping a realistic Club Success Plan, and providing constructive feedback regarding the club’s overall environment.
The Club Sponsor, Club Mentor, and Club Coach roles all play a part in achieving a DTM, but it is also an investment in yourself by the benefits gained by service to the organization.
To learn more about these and other opportunities within Club Growth, contact your CGD at cgd@d25toastmasters.org.
