Does anyone have any ideas on how to get new members and/or keep current members?

Lexi Oulsnam‎The Official Toastmasters International Members Group

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get new members and/or keep current members?
Our club is struggling, I have come up with a few ideas but thought I would see if anyone has anything different.
Thanks in advance

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4 people like this.
Mark Holtz Can you give us more details? What type of a club is this? How often does it meet? How closely are you following the Toastmasters program? Is everyone giving manual speeches with evaluations? How fun are your meetings?

3 hrs · Like · 2
Omar Tahiri How big is it. How many members do you have and what is the ratio of new to experienced members

3 hrs · Like · 1
Vishal Diwan Make members feel Special... Support them positively... Help them Grow.
Good Food and Beer usually works in all occasions...

3 hrs · Like · 3
Marietta Wetzig All of the above, plus, go to Area Governor and check if a club mentor could be found.

2 hrs · Like · 1
Sandra Lizioli Make your meetings fun!

2 hrs · Like · 1
Fabiola Cleofa Strengthen your mentoring program. Come up with a great simple membership campaign involving the club members to bring e.g. a minimum of 2 new prospect each meeting. Culminate the campaign with the Smedley Award Drive and recognize those members that participated.

2 hrs · Like · 2
Merv Olsen "Good Food and Beer usually works in all occasions"... I think they're joking!!

2 hrs · Like · 1
Margy Sneeden No they are not Merv.

1 hr · Like · 3
Merv Olsen "Good Food and Beer usually works in all occasions".... while the meeting is happening???

1 hr · Like
Margy Sneeden I don't think so. We have a dinner break of 25 minutes.

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Merv Olsen Hard to have a dinner break in our one hour 7am to 8am meeting, Margy! (smile) On a rare occasion we have breakfast before our meeting - without the beer!

1 hr · Edited · Like · 2
Margy Sneeden Well you know how long our meetings are. It is excellent having a dinner break as the Evaluators have a meeting and discuss the speeches, which results in good evaluations.

1 hr · Like · 3
James J. Simms Bring in a Guest Speaker for an Open House ...maybe your District's International Speech winner. Survey your Members. Encourage dual members from other clubs. Visit other clubs and see how their meetings are conducted. Offer speaking slots to other clubs when you have an opening on your agenda. Become friends! - Suncoast Toastmasters goes out to a local restaurant after every Tuesday evening's meeting. We call it Afterwords. Carrollwood Toastmasters does so once per month! Guests are always welcome to join us.

1 hr · Like · 2
George Chiesa See http://vimeo.com/103703597

1 hr · Like · 1
Ricardo Rodriguez Take 15 minutes at the end of the meeting have every member make a list of 5 people they could invite with phone numbers. Have them call each one and do an invitation (if possible at that very moment). Track how many say yes. Make sure each member does a follow up call of those that said they would attend the day before. Repeat (no need to rinse) When you get new members make sure you explain the commitments the club expects. I have found many times struggling clubs will do anything to get members. Try to make sure you get quality members that are willing to come and work on their skills. Your club provides an extremely valuable service. Advertise it as such. Remember Toastmasters is for everyone, but not everyone is for Toastmasters.

1 hr · Like · 1
Ingrid Thomas I'm not sure where you're located but if you can use Meetup it's worth a try. You'll need to work it into your budget or find sponsors. It has been a great resource for Lake Ridge Toastmasters, that's how I found that club! I joined as a result and recruited someone. So have others, at this point it's practically paying for itself!

58 mins · Like · 1
James J. Simms District 48 pays for Meet-Up which individual clubs then use to promote their meetings! You need four "Yes" each time for it to get broadcast to a larger audience

55 mins · Like
Phyrne Parker First off, you need to make sure all your meetings offer a high quality product, especially if guests are present. This means starting and stopping on time, sticking to the agenda, explaining to guests what is going on, explaining the major roles (why Table Topics, why we evaluate), and supportive, insightful evaluations with valid and valuable growth points. Guests want the WIIFM (What's in it for me?) question answered before they'll convert to members.

Members leave for a number of reasons (new jobs, new relationships, new babies etc) but they generally only drop out for no good reason if their needs aren't being met. Is the club environment encouraging members to reach their education goals? Does the VPEd even know what the members' goals are? Are their restrictive club "rules" that make members uncomfortable (eg the VPEd refuses to sign off on a speech because s/he felt all the objectives were not met perfectly)? Are achievements celebrated? All the way from CC to DTM? Are evaluations positive, encouraging, insightful? Or are members getting whitewash evaluations? Is anyone guilty of obnoxious behaviour, thereby scaring off some members? Are the meetings fun? Is there laughter at every one?

BTW, my own opinion, supported by many people, is that a club Open House should have less experienced members speaking (not district champions or other excellent speakers). You want guests not to feel intimidated; you want them to feel "Yep, that would be me standing up there." Where you do want your best is in the speech evaluators for the Open House, folks who are known for giving great evaluations and that's where the Open House guests will see the value of the TM program.

54 mins · Like · 5
Ian Murray No-one's mentioned Moments of Truth?

51 mins · Like · 2
James J. Simms Check with your Division or Area Governors and get a Club Coach appointed....hopefully someone who isn't just doing it for the DTM points. I like Phyrne's comment about a District Champion possibly bring counterproductive!

50 mins · Like · 1
Merv Olsen Good point, Ian re MOT! Glad to hear in today's BRIEFING that in the near future clubs will be expected to do it twice a year!

49 mins · Edited · Like · 1
Margy Sneeden Fantastic post Phyrne Parker

49 mins · Like · 1
Ingrid Thomas What are Moments of Truth? I'm rather new and haven't heard of those.

48 mins · Like
Merv Olsen MOT - see this link Ingrid ...

http://www.toastmasters.org/momentsoftruth
and
http://www.toastmasters.org/290amot

46 mins · Edited · Like · 2
Lalaine Gemperoa membership and other dues and expenses , and its not even formal schooling,

41 mins · Like
John Elrick Phyrne Parker, I think you've captured the idea very well! May I suggest you take your ideas and convert them to an article for TM magazine?

27 mins · Like · 1
John Elrick In addition to the suggestions made, I'll ask "what are you doing now to increase membership?" Be honest with yourself -- don't make it better or worse than it is, be objective. You have to know where you are to know what must be changed.

25 mins · Like · 3
James J. Simms Does you Club hold Contests?

22 mins · Like
Margy Sneeden Phyrne Parker that is a really good idea that John Elrick has made! I am looking forward to reading that post as in our magazine.

20 mins · Like
Ian Murray Another one I don't see ... particularly for those you risk losing.... "Ask"! So many times issues can be avoided, if you simply ask people ... "What would make your time here worthwhile?"

14 mins · Edited · Like · 2
Ian Murray It's also useful... I think...to consider... that a group of people is solidified through the buy-in to a common goal. If people aren't passionate about that goal, they will fall by the way-side... for some, it's time. Whilst focusing on getting new members, and keeping those who are aligned with your common goal... Don't think you HAVE To keep those who don't have the passion/desire still. Just saying.

7 mins · Like