Toastmasters International recommends clubs stay at or above charter strength and believes that clubs with 19 or fewer members may be in jeopardy. Clubs with 12 or fewer members are considered in need of help.These two recommendations are accepted by Club and District leadership as club-health indicators.

Two additional and rather effective signals occur:

• 1) when a club quits meeting, and
• 2) when it does not submit a semi-annual report.

These latter two signals often reach District leadership awareness, without discussion---even with well established Area and Division Governor communication.

Are there other indicators available---which could act as an early detection system of declining membership?

There are two:

• 1) Number of new members
  
• 2) Average club attendance

New members

T.I. suggests that the future of a club is in its new members. Clubs not experiencing an influx of new members therefore may have an uncertain future. No new members at a healthy club for 6 months, or less, could be cause for concern; for a 19 or fewer member club it might be reduced to 10-12; and for a 10-12 club, it may signal its extinction.

Attendance Vitality

Club membership rosters and Semi-annual report figures can be misleading. Practically every club carries inactive memberships---members for whom dues are paid to T.I. but who do not attend meetings. Therefore a 21 member club (according to the most recent semi-annual report) may actually have an effective membership of much less. The average attendance of a club may provide a more accurate picture of its strength. Attendance levels are considered important because of its direct effect on the vitality of club meetings. If the energy level is diminished, a club’s ability to attract new members is also reduced---contributing to an even greater potential decrease in programming vitality.

New Members & Attendance

New member figures considered in conjunction with average attendance may allow action to be initiated early enough to avert lower meeting attendance levels.

For several years District 3 has been enrolling about 1000 new members (not counting new clubs) and losing about 1000 members a year. If we have an approximate membership of 2500 to 2700, then our turnover is about 35%. It may be reasonable to assume that clubs will reflect the District average. For a 21 member club, that amounts to 7-8 members a year. If it does not get seven-to eight new members a year, it begins to slide towards the under-charter-strength group.

The Distinguished Club Program recommendation of adding one new member a month seems to anticipate club turnover. Dr. Ralph Smedley once expressed his desire that each club “secure five new members in the next six months.” Perhaps there is a correlation.

• Focus on new member recruitment
  
• Focus on establishing desired meeting attendance levels
  
• Monitor new member figures with attendance levels to indicate club strength

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GlennPike, DTM
Valley Toastmasters, Club #5056-3
Copyright 1996, 1997. All rights reserved.