Jesse Ford
District Director

Good Afternoon District 25 Members, (message sent to D225 members October 13, 2024)

As you may recall from the August Board Briefing Meeting held at the Toastmasters International Convention there are some exciting and new changes coming out. These changes are due to an important change in Protocol 7.0. Please keep in mind that with all these changes our goal is always to keep our organization both locally and globally more sustainable.

The background:

· Today our organization looks and thinks very differently than we did just a few short years ago.

  • We currently have over 130 districts all over the world and compared to total number of members the last time we had this level of membership we only had about 85 districts. This is not sustainable or responsible.
  • The post COVID world is very different than what it was just a few short years ago.
  • For the last few years District 25 as well as many others around the world have put forth amazing effort despite the struggles with everything from conducting general district events, leader pipelines and lower budgets.
  • We are Toastmasters and everything we do we do it in a “positive and supportive” way no matter the challenge.

So now with all this in mind recently the Board of Directors approved amendments to the Toastmasters governing documents to increase the minimum size of a District from 60 clubs to 100 clubs, effective July 1, 2025. This increase in the minimum number of clubs helps to address challenges districts are facing and will ensure the vitality of our organization. This does not mean however that since District 25 is already over 100 active clubs we will not be affected in some ways. But remember…. We can do this together and always be “positive and supportive.” Now the good news…District 25 has already formed a committee and appointed our representative to help us all navigate these next few months. In days like this it can be discouraging but rest assured…we know that we will soon face tomorrow with a better hope because of the plans and efforts we do today. Please continue to keep in mind that these changes will impact several districts including District 25.

So what can you do to help?

  •  Coming soon District 25 will request your feedback on the proposed plan.
  •  Continue to be “positive and supportive” and bring more guests to your local club meetings.
  •  Rest assured the committee is doing our best to consider the member with every proposal made.

Now I know this was a lot so the last thing to note is that all these changes WILL TAKE PLACE 7/1/2025. Now don’t worry…This is a positive change and in the end it will be better for everyone. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Trio. Here we GROW!