The 2008-2009 Distinguished Club Program[]
According to Toastmasters International, The Distinguished Club Program (DCP or Club Success Plan) exists to help a club provide an environment where members can learn speaking and leadership skills. To this end, the program focuses on club membership numbers and club members’ educational awards. Educational awards are the official awards issued by Toastmasters International when a member completes certain activities. Membership is the number of members in the club and how the club has grown over the past year. In 2006 the program went through some minor changes to reflect the changes made to the Toastmasters Educational Program.
How It Works[]
From July 1st of any given year to June 30 of the next year, Toastmasters Clubs participate in the program by attempting to achieve ten goals. By creating a Club Success Plan, you will have a guide to get all ten points over the twelve-month period. Toastmasters International tracks the progress of each club, and reports can be downloaded from its website.
Qualifying for Recognition[]
Prerequisite[]
To be eligible for any recognition your club must, by year end on June 30th, have either:
- At least 20 members, or
- A net growth of at least 5 new members
Goals[]
Your club must also meet at least five of the following goals:
- Two Competent Communicator (CC) awards given to club members
- Two more CCs
- One Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB), Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS), or Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG) recognition given to a club member
- One more ACB, ACS, or ACG
- One Competent Leader (CL), Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB), Advanced Leader Silver (ALS), or Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) recognition given to a club member
- One more CL, ALB, ALS, DTM
- Four new members added to the club
- Four more new members
- Minimum of four club officers attending district-sponsored club officer training during each of the two training periods
- One dues renewal report and one club officer list submitted on time
Recognition[]
Clubs fulfilling the membership prerequisite are eligible for one of the following three types of recognition at year end:
- If your club achieves five of the ten goals: Distinguished Club
- If your club achieves seven of the ten goals: Select Distinguished Club
- If your club achieves nine of the ten goals: President's Distinguished Club
If your club reaches the goals but fail to meet the membership requirement, it does not earn the recognition.
Comments[]
--ArthurOgawa 23:07, 3 August 2009 (UTC) Note that progress in the Toastmasters Educational Program by club members is strongly emphasized in the Distinguished Club Program. This means that adding new members who then participate vigorously in the Toastmasters Educational Program is key to a club's success in the Distinguished Club Program.
For example, suppose your club adds four new members in year 2010: it will thereby earn one point towards meeting the requirements of the DCP that year.
If each of these new members completes the Competent Communication program within 24 months, this will contribute two more points in year 2011. If each one also completes the Competent Leadership program within the same 24 months, this will contribute a further four points in that year.
If thereafter, each qualifies for one more award in the Communication Track and in the Leadership Track in the subsequent 24 months, your club will earn four more points in year 2012 and 2013.
A club of 20 members, each one working through Communication Track and Leadership Track simultaneously at a steady pace (an average of one award in either each year) earns some 20 points in the DCP each year. Taking into account attrition (of 50% per year), this number is more like 6 points, the maximum possible under the rules of the DCP.
This analysis indicates that a club of the minimum qualifying size (20 members) can realistically earn the highest recognition in the DCP (President's Distinguished Club) by doing nothing more than acquiring new members at a rate sufficient to offset attrition, and by getting each club member to participate in the Toastmasters Educational Program to the extent of earning a new award once a year as long as they remain.
This analysis might also shed light on the difficulty some clubs have in achieving DCP status: only by getting members to participate in the Toastmasters Educational Program (even if only achieving one award per year) can a club do well in the DCP.
Resources[]
- Distinguished Club Program/Club Success Plan ($1.25 ea)
- How To Be A Distinguished Club (script, PPT, Catalog No. 1111, $5.00) a module in the Successful Club Series.
- Distinguished Club Program Goals Wall Chart (25"X18" wall chart, $2.50)