President's Tip of the Week

President's Tip of the Week

The Distinguished ClubProgram
(3/18/08)

You may have seen the initials DCP in our agenda and wondered what they stand for. They stand for Distinguished Club Program, an initiative by Toastmasters International to encourage excellence in all Toastmasters clubs. Clubs are challenged to achieve 10 goals each year, with the year running from July 1 through June 30. The goals focus on club membership and the educational achievement of the club's members. There are three levels of achievement in the DCP recognized by TI.

Clubs that reach 5 of the 10 goals are Distinguished Clubs,
Clubs that reach 7 of the 10 goals are Select Distinguished Clubs, and
Clubs that read 9 of 10 goals are President's Distinguished Clubs.

Gilbert Toastmasters #499 is a President's Distinguished Club and has been for 9 years. Just to impress you even more, we have been President's Distinguished every year since the Distinguished Club Program was established. Gilbert Toastmasters is a highly successful club, thanks in large part to the efforts of its individual members.

Achievement in communication is one of the key components of the Toastmasters program. We need members who are willing to commit to completing CC and AC goals for next year. Contact Emi if you will commit to earning a communication award in 2008 - 2009.

Achievement in leadership is the other key component of the Toastmasters program. We need members who are willing to commit to completing CL and AL goals for next year. Contact Emi if you will commit to earning a leadership award in 2008-2009.

We love guests, because so many of them become new members. You can help us achieve our membership goals by inviting guests, by welcoming guests when they arrive at the meetings, and by sitting with the guest during the meeting. (Don't forget that sitting with a guest during a meeting counts toward a project in your CL manual!) You can also help us attract guests by working on PR campaigns with our Vice President of PR or membership campaigns with our Vice President of Membership. (These activities also count toward a project in your CL manual.)

Retaining members is also an important part of meeting our membership goals. The best way to retain members is by providing effective mentorship to new members. You can help us by learning more about becoming a mentor, then letting Emi know that you are available to serve in this capacity. I will be discussing mentorship in the next two tips, so stay tuned.

The remaining goals have to do with officer training and timely payment of dues to Toastmaster International. Dues are due to our Treasurer, Wayne Otteson, by 3/27/08 so that he can submit them to TI before the April 1st deadline. The most important way you can help us achieve our DCP goals right now is to pay your dues on time.

Recognition from Toastmasters International for President's Distinguished Club

Every club that reaches a DCP level of select or above will receive a ribbon that indicates their achievement. When you see our banner display this week, look for the black ribbons that indicate our President's Distinguished status.

In addition, any of our members who attend the Spring Conference will receive a black ribbon to wear on the badge that identifies you as a member of a 3D club. A 3D club is a club that has been President's Distinguished for at least 3 years in a row. Check out Emi's badge to see what a 3D ribbon looks like, then go to the Spring conference and get a ribbon for your badge.