Given that every club loses anywhere from 15% to 33% of its membership every year, it is vital that the clubs make it an ongoing habit of bringing in new members. Without new members, a club will eventually die.

The goal is for the club to remain at least at "charter strength". Charter strength is that magic number of 20. That is the number of members a newly forming club must have before they can submit a charter to Toastmasters International to be recognized as a club.

Membership building in every club in a unique situation. Some clubs get a steady flow of visitors who find them via the Internet. Some clubs rely on an annual open house or demonstration meeting to get new members. Closed corporate clubs can only draw from fellow employees. Some clubs must get mailing lists of people in their geographical area. Some clubs have members who continually invite guests. And some clubs just seem to magically stay at 35 - 40 members.

What is the secret to staying at charter strength? As stated above, it varies by club. Instead of one magic bullet, it takes a number of ways to bring in new members. Basically, it takes three things to get new members and to retain existing members.

One, a continual passive presence in the area served by the club, the audience served by the club. This presence can be handled in a number of ways such as a web page, strategically placed literature -- brochures, posters, flyers, mailers, etc. It is always there with no actual interaction with another person.

Two, a continual active presence among the people served by the club. This is the club members interacting with prospective members. The members are being a witness to what they gain from Toastmasters and how it can benefit the prospect. It is Toastmasters inviting others to be a guest at a meeting "just to see what goes on and how it works". And it is one person telling another how much fun it all really is - one of the best yet cheapest forms of entertainment while learning. You know what I mean.

Third, a strong, vibrant, useful club that allows its members to achieve their personal goals while learning what they need to learn. The fellowship, the support, the individual growth, the group growth. A well organized, well run team can accomplish amazing things -- much more than the sum of its parts. If the members believe that they are gaining something from their club, they will want to keep renewing as a member.

Of course, all this requires the right information at the right time. Toastmasters is not a quick fix. It is knowledge gained over time and applied to each person as they see fit. The abundance of information is available to anyone via the Toastmasters International manuals and literature, the websites of Toastmasters International and its districts and its clubs, and, the members themselves, especially a good mentor.

Here are some links to some additional information about club membership:

• Membership Building by the Soft Tap Technique
• Membership Presentation (pdf)
• Tips to Get and Retain Members
• Membership Building Resources
• New Member App Form (pdf)