1. Have You Prepared for Success?
2. The Presidential Office
3. V.P.O.E.
4. Does the Secretary Just Take Notes?
5. Managing the Purse
6. From Visitor to Toastmaster
7. Do People Know About Us?
8. Where's Our Stuff?
9. Back to Columbus-Whitehall Toastmasters Website

Have You Prepared for Success? Most people who join Toastmasters do so because they are committed to self-improvement. They don't just sit and whine about never being given a chance in life. Either they see a chance coming or they've had a chance and they realized that they needed to be better prepared for that chance. Bobby Unser said "Success is where preparation and opportunity meet." Toastmasters are wise people who are preparing for success! Toastmasters International has two tracks of preparation: one for becoming an effective speaker and another for becoming an effective leader. One of the required components for the leadership track is serving as a leader -- in your local club, in your area, in your district, etc. Use your local club as an "ice breaker" into the leadership track. Soon, we will have election of club officers and this is an excellent start toward the Competent Leader designation. Club officers for Whitehall Toastmasters serve for a one-year period. As with all leadership positions, officers are expected to be consistent in attendance at meetings. During the year's time, club officers have two training opportunities for their particular office at the district club officers training. These institutes provide excellent leadership skills that will easily transfer to the business world. Officers also attend to the club business by participation in officers meetings as scheduled by the club president. When the opportunity is present, club officers will help to start new clubs and help put on area contests. Interested in developing your leadership skills? This issue of the newsletter is dedicated to giving you more information about the club offices. So read on to learn which office is right for you at this point in your journey toward self-improvement. Then get prepared for your success by telling the Nominating Committee which offices you want to be considered for!

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The Presidential Office The president of a Toastmasters club is a very important duty! The president provides the leadership and guidance the club needs to meet its standards and to be a Distinguished Club. It is the president's responsibility to make sure that the club provides the positive, supportive environment its members need to fulfill their self-development goals. Presidents see that members participate in and benefit from the Toastmasters educational program. They also ensure that the club actively recruits new members and retains current ones.

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V.P.O.E. For those who like acronyms,V.P.O.E., stands for the Vice President of Education. If ever the president has to miss a meeting, the V.P.O.E. presides over the meeting in his or her absence. The V.P.O.E. is everybody's advocate. He or she encourages each member to stay on a steady track of moving toward their next Toastmaster designation. The V.P.O.E. ensures that the members sign up for hat duties at the upcoming meetings. He or she also handles the new member orientation and induction of new members. The V.P.O.E. also helps determine the theme for each meeting.

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Does the Secretary Just Take Notes? While the secretary's job is to keep records, it involves more than just taking notes. The job includes maintaining meeting agendas, filling in information on the form for minutes of regular Toastmaster meetings, keeping minutes of officers' meetings, keeping a current roster of members, and sending follow up postcards to guests. Along with the duties specific to being the club secretary, there are other duties that go with being a Toastmaster officer, including helping to start new clubs, taking part in running club level and area level contests.

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Managing the Purse The treasurer handles the funds of the club, but just what does that mean? In a nutshell, the treasurer is responsible for the following: Invoicing members for semi-annual dues Collecting the dues & depositing them in the bank within 3 business days after receipt Paying Toastmasters International fees for each paid member within 5 business days after receipt Entering new members information into Turbobase Maintaining accurate, up-to-the-minute records on the income and disbursements of the club. Reconciling the club check book with the bank statement Providing a monthly status of the club income, expenses and balances Paying any club bills or reimbursements promptly

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From Visitor to Toastmaster A second vice president position is that of the Vice President of Membership. This person is a "people-person" who works to increase our membership. He or she may schedule events to encourage club members to bring more visitors to our meetings. The Vice President of Membership maintains a ready supply of new members' kits and applications. He or she will greet visitors and ask them to consider joining. When visitors make a decision to join, the Membership V.P. will help them complete the membership application and determine dues to be paid at that time. Both the application and dues will be forwarded to the treasurer for processing.

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Do People Know About Us? If nobody knows about us -- our purpose and our meeting times -- no visitors will be coming to the meetings. Getting the word out is the function of the third vice president position, the Vice President of Public Relations. This person creatively looks for ways to let others know what we can do for them. He or she may send brochures and other material to groups from which we might find new members. In addition, this V.P. will notify the media of meetings and other Toastmaster events.

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Where's Our Stuff? There are a number of items which must be utilized in every meeting. The sergeant-at-arms has a couple of duties, and one of them is to make sure that all the items are available before the meeting starts. The other is to make sure that guests receive all the appropriate materials. Before the meeting: The sergeant-at-arms must be present early to each meeting in order to greet any visitors, have them sign the guest book, present them with welcoming materials, and have them fill out the follow-up sheet for visitors. The sergeant at arms is responsible for setting up all club equipment prior to the published start time of the meeting. This officer will also make sure that each member and guest has a copy of the meeting agenda and the ballot. During the meeting: This officer will collect and count the ballots for each vote that is taken. At the conclusion of the meeting: At the end of each meeting, the sergeant-at-arms will retrieve all follow-up sheets and deliver them to the V.P. of Membership. The sergeant-at-arms will also collect all club equipment for storage in a reliable location.

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