You are considering helping a weak club build its membership back up to charter strength. That is quite an endeavor that takes several things such as:

• Desire
• Appropriate Knowledge
• The Proper Tools
• A Team
• Acceptance of the Club
• Support of the Club

A club is in trouble. Its continued existence is threatened because its membership is dwindling. The cause could be one or more of several reasons such as:

• Loss of leadership due to attrition or other circumstances
• The key spark plug person has left the club
• The loss of the support base such as a company or organization or community
• The meeting facilities are no longer available
• The company has moved or has made staffing cutbacks
• The schedule of the members no longer allow regular participation
• The club no longer meets the goals of its members
• The club has simply failed to bring in new members

This is when the help of a Club Coach is needed. The Club Coach will gain valuable experience and knowledge. The Coach will also earn credit towards the ALS (Advanced Leader Silver).

Toastmasters clubs usually go through a life cycle. The educational productivity and usefulness to its members follows a bell curve.

When a club is first formed it is defining itself. The members are enthusiastic and motivated to become involved. The educational programming gradually grows. Leaders begin to rise and take on more responsibility.

As the club matures during its second, third and fourth years of existence, the quality of its educational programming reaches its high. The needs of most members are being met. The charter members of the club have gained much useful Toastmasters experience. As new members join they can quickly be brought up to speed and at the level of standards the club has set for itself. This is the point where the club wants to be -- at the top of the bell curve.

At some point, some clubs start letting the status quo take over. Less effort is put into maintaining the high standards of the club. Club programming slowly, almost unnoticeably, slips to lesser quality. Cliques have formed within the club, making it harder for new members to quickly feel a part of the club. Long-time members may resist changes, either within their club or within Toastmasters. The club becomes more of a social club rather than a experimental lab for learning. The high-energy sparks of the early years have begun to shine less brightly. Fewer members are earning educational and leadership awards. Meeting attendance begins to drop. The same few people are running the meetings and giving the speeches. Simply put, the club rarely earns a Distinguished Club Plan status level. Few guests attend meetings. Even fewer guests join the club. Membership dwindles. The club begins to die.

It is when a club is in this state and its membership is between 8 to 12 members. At this point, there is hope. There is still enough of the club remaining to be the foundation for rebuilding the club. However, the club members must want to rebuild.

The Club Coach is appointed by the District Governor. A Club Coach is a Toastmaster who is not a member of the club in need. This person is a counselor, a source of knowledge and a fountain of ideas. S/he has a new and more objective perspective. The Coach will need to use the skills of speaking, thinking, listening, persuasion, inspiration and motivation along with some hard work, determination, and patience in order to succeed in rebuilding the club.

The duties of the Club Coach include:

• Build a rapport with the club leadership and its members
• Assess the environment -- observe and analyze -- then recommend solutions
• Develop a plan with goals for improvement
• Implement the plan, ensuring that the changes are performed by the officers and members as much as possible
• instill enthusiasm, loyalty and a sense of responsibility for the club's future

The requirements for a Club Coach include:

• Appointed by the District Governor
• Up to two coaches can be appointed per club
• The club must have 12 or fewer members when the coach is assigned
• Help the club become distinguished using the Distinguished Club Plan
• May join the club as a member
• The term lasts until either June 30 when the club becomes distinguished or until June 30 of the following year
• Upon successful completion as a coach (ie. the club becomes distinguished), the coach receives a pin, a certificate and credit towards ALS

A Club Coach needs help to succeed in the mission. It will at least the assistnace of the club officers and probably the entire remaining membership of the club to be successful. Remember, this is a club with 12 or fewer members so the resources are limited. However, there is also other assistance available -- other district officers and members of the district Rescue Team. The coaches should coordinate the efforts for rebuilding the club. However, as much as possible, the club officers and members need to do most of the work. Afterall, it is their club.

The Club Coach needs to build a rapport with the club leadership and members. This needs to be done early. The coach should visit the club and meet the members. This goes towards gaining their trust and respect. Participate in the meetings and set a good example. Wait until after the appointment as Coach has been formalized at World Headquarters.

Once the appointment is completed, contact the club President to request a meeting with the club officers. The purpose of this meeting is to:

• Discuss the purpose of a Club Coach
• Review the role of the Coach for their club
• Offer your assistance as a Coach
• Ask for their support
• Discuss their perception of club strengths and weaknesses
• Formulate an action plan
• Set up a continuous review of the progress made towards the action plan

At this meeting should be the Area Governor and any other district officers and members of the Club Rescue Team. This demonstrates to the club the commitment of the Coach and the district for this club.

From this point, the Coach can become a member of the club. The coach should continue to be an active participating member of the club vs. a counselor and critic.

All club members need to be committed to rebuilding the club. Their support is needed. Avoid telling them what to do or criticize them. Rather, gently guide them towards achieving club excellence and distinction. Be optimistic, friendly and positive.

Everyone involved has a stake. The club members have time and money invested. The Area Governor was to achieve Distinguished Area status. The District Governor wants to earn the Distinguished District status. The Club Coach wants to earn credit towards ALS plus the feeling of a job well done.

A Club Coach needs access to the appropriate resources in order to be effective as a Coach. The most valuable asset is the Toastmasters experience possessed by the Coach. That can be easily proven because, the first time the Coach visits the club in need the Coach probably quickly formed an idea of what is holding the club back.

Other resources available to the Coach include dozens of manuals and brochures found in the Toastmasters International sales catalog. The articles in past issues of the Toastmasters magazine can provide assistance. Certainly there is the vast experience of the many current and past district officers that can be tapped into. And, just plain old brainstorming can go a long way to helping the club in need.

What are the successful clubs are doing that can be utilized by the club being coached? Ask around to see what tips you can gather. Read the mission statement of Toastmasters clubs (see it here). To accomplish that mission, a club needs to have regular frequent meetings with quality education programs, with manual speeches, in a friendly atmosphere.

As a troubleshooting guide, use Appendix A in the Toastmasters manual "How to Rebuild a Toastmasters Club: A Step by Step Guide" (catalog #1158). Observe the club for several meetings to understand the true nature of the club before deciding its shortcomings. Try to objectively rate the club in several areas.

Examine the results from the club assessment. Note the areas that need improvement. Realize that membership decline is a symptom of what caused the decline. It is the cause(s) that is being sought here. Once identified, the next steps are resolving the areas of the biggest concern. List possible solutions for each area. Prioritize the steps for resolution.

Work with the club officers to develop an action plan. This plan includes a set of goals designed to return the club to a status of excellence. Most likely needs resolving are the quality of club programming, the attractiveness of meetings, the members of the club and their willingness to invite guests. Draft the action plan and make sure all of the club officers have a copy of it.

The plan should include:

• a statement of goals at least including levels of membership growth and a timetable for the growth
• specific actions and programs to undertake, including a timetable and the persons responsible for doing the actions

Encourage optimism for the action plan. Let the club officers know that their efforts will be valued and appreciated. Encourage questions and opinions. Get them involved with district functions such as conferences, speech contests and club officer training. The club officer training is vital to the club success.

Look at when, where and how often the club meets. Is the meeting at a convenient day and time? How easy is it for people to find the club meeting place? Is it in a good part of town? Is parking adequate? Is the meeting room itself comfortable, quiet, and conducive for productive meetings? Is there another Toastmasters club nearby that can be a "sister" club? Are there any local civic or community organizations to form a partnership?

In a quality club meeting:

• Club officers are decisively in charge, acting responsibly
• Meeting begins and ends on time
• Participants arrive on time and are prepared
• Members and guests are made to feel welcome
• Programs are well planned and well executed
• Program is fast paced, interesting and fun
• Transitions between meeting segments are smooth
• All members present have an opportunity to participate
• Evaluations are helpful, constructive and contribute to the growth of the speakers
• Emphasis is placed on educational development of all members
• Members are enthusiastic and appear to be enjoying themselves
• Meetings are varied, dynamic and enjoyable
• Members receive positive support and recognition
• Members are encouraged to get involved in Toastmasters activities outside the club

For assistance, consult "Master Your Meetings" (catalog #1312). In it are ways to:

• Create the right environment
• Elements of a club meeting
• Roles of club officers
• Roles of program participants
• Program ideas

Getting guests to attend meetings is one step. Once they are there, they need to feel welcome. Once they join, they need to get special attention while they transition from a new member to an experienced member.

Here is how guests should be treated:

• Greeted enthusiastically by several club members, preferably not all at once
• Their name is pronounced and spelled correctly
• Asked to sign the guest book
• Given a guest packet that contains literature about Toastmasters and a membership application
• Explained, by an experienced Toastmaster, a bit about what Toastmasters is all about
• Explained about the meeting for that day
• Recognized by the presiding officer at the beginning of the meeting
• Allowed to say something to the club as a way of introduction
• Given the option of participating in Table Topics
• If they arrived after the meeting starts, welcomed at the earliest convenience
• Asked at the end of the meeting to make comments to the club about their experience of the meeting
• Thanked for attending
• Encouraged to join the club
• Contacted later as a follow up

Assure that the club officers each have their manual sent in May to the outgoing club President. These manuals are the basis of the semi-annual club officer training. Assure that they are thoroughly familiar with the duties of their respective offices. Review the Distinguished Club Program with them and how to do each aspect of the DCP. Explain how the DCP is a planning tool that benefits the members of the club.

Assure that all club members understand how to perform each of the meeting roles. Encourage them to serve every role at least once every six months. Encourage them to always have a speech ready to give should a vacancy arise at a meeting.

Stimulate recognition for achievements made by the members and by the club. Encourage members to give manual speeches and work towards their next educational award level. Have some means of tracking where the members are with their speeches and show progress towards their next goal. Work with the club to build a solid educational program and an appropriate recognition system. Ensure that the accomplishments are truly valid instead of just doing them for the sake of doing them and at the expense of quality.

The Club Coach should continue to let the district officers know of the progress of the club. If questions or special problems arise, contact either the district officers or World Headquarters for assistance.

One of the main tasks for rescuing a club is to find new members. Toastmasters International sponsors several programs each year the promotes building membership. See "Membership Programs" (catalog #1620) for more information on these programs.

In addition to these programs, each club should have its own membership building programs. Successful programs have:

• Objectives - Set goals for the number of new members to attain by a certain date
• Awards - Incentives normally produces better performance. This can be inexpensive items or the winner club team treated by the others.
• Time - A length of time for the program needs to be set. Three months is usually a sufficient period for a membership building contest. However, the club can set it to whatever they decide.
• Promotion - The participants need to understand the program and its objectives. They also need to be reminded of it on a periodic basic.
• Success - Someone must set the example and make it happen. This will show others it can be done and inspire them to do likewise.

• Send periodic press releases to local newspapers, radio stations and television stations. Use the "Public Relations Kit" (catalog #1150) for the needed materials, ideas and article formats. Be consistent and persistent in submitting press releases, even if the releases are not appearing. Eventually the releases will appear.
• List the club with the local chamber of commerce, public library and other community bulletin boards.
• Produce Toastmasters posters (catalog #367) at appropriate places including businesses and government buildings. Make sure the club meeting and contact location are clearly visible on these posters. If possible, include a map of the meeting location.
• Leave extra copies of the Toastmasters magazine in doctors offices. Include the club contact information with them. Have a booth at local events and shows.
• One club member could be a "plant" that asks questions when others are around.
• Conduct a Speechcraft program.
• Invite community leaders and personalities -- newspaper editors/columnists, politicians, local personalities -- to be a guest or speaker at your club.
• Put on a demonstration meeting for the community/company. Send formal invitations to the potential audience. Promote the meeting with posters and flyers and articles. Then have the best motivational speakers in the club be the demo meeting speakers. Hand out brochures while warmly greeting the guests.
• Judge a debate contest at a local school. Or, host a community debate on a topic of local interest.

For more information, see the Toastmasters booklet "How to Rebuild a Toastmasters Club: Step by Step Guide" (catalog #1158)