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The following membership building ideas were gathered at Toastmasters Membership Building seminars and from various workshop resources.

Who are potential members?

  • Anyone over the age of 18 years
  • Someone with a need
  • Students - Postgraduates
  • Lawyers/Accountants/Teachers
  • Boards of Trustees
  • Anyone with a speech difficulty
  • Managers
  • Other similar training organisations
  • People for whom English is a second language

Go to Programmes and Joining Toastmasters for more information about the Toastmasters Programme and how to join.

Why do we need new members?

  • New blood and ideas
  • Replace lost members
  • Add enthusiasm
  • Toastmasters provides benefits to new members
  • Fulfil our Mission
  • Toastmasters is not a secret
  • Strong clubs - vibrancy
  • More revenue for the club
  • Display confidence
  • Provide an Audience
  • Prove you have speaking skills
  • Achieve Distinguished Club goals
  • Lead by example
  • Make new friends
  • Upskill population of New Zealand
  • New members will challenge us
  • Satisfaction of helping others

Go to How Toastmasters Works for more information on what Toastmasters can offer you!

50+ ways to attract new members ...

  • Talk to people about the benefits of Toastmasters
  • Advertising via media
  • Listen out for opportunities
  • Bring a guest to meetings
  • Personal invitation
  • Demonstrate a meeting in local library
  • Learn how to close a sale
  • Use club business cards
  • Put business cards in library books - eg wedding
  • Printed T-shirts
  • Poster on community hall noticeboards
  • Editorials/articles in local newspapers
  • Staff and work colleagues
  • Articles celebrating successes
  • Fax local businesses
  • Letterbox flyer drops
  • Run a Speechcraft Course
  • Approach local Chamber of Commerce
  • Create bumper stickers
  • Promote the District Website (http://www.toastmasters.org.nz)
  • Promote your Club website
  • Listings in community and Council websites
  • Advertise in local What's On Guides
  • Library promotions
  • Leave pamphlets at Citizens Advice Bureau
  • Publicise at your local Rotary club
  • Promote the 0800 number
  • Run a Membership Clinic
  • Read books for other ideas
  • Posters in Stores
  • Adopt the "Fly the Flag" Campaign
  • Run the Successful Clubs series
  • A club's own members
  • Leave Toastmasters magazines in public places (eg waiting rooms)
  • Membership Vice President manual has lots of ideas
  • Talk to other clubs about their membership building plans
  • Club or personal business cards
  • Advertise Speech Contests as open to the public
  • Hold Club Membership Building Contests
  • Use your Training Leadership Institute Officers to run seminars
  • Give spare copies of Newsline to interested people (eg HR departments)

For more information and ideas, contact Lt Governor Marketing, email marketing@toastmasters.org.nz.

Check the article "17 Ideas on how and where to promote Toastmasters in your Community", June 2003, The Toastmaster, page 11.

  • Send a thank you note for a job well done
  • Give an incentive such as a free gift to members who renew their membership early
  • Give a special certificate of thanks to members who renew their membership for the first time
  • Establish and promote a member-mentoring plan, and assign mentors to new members quickly
  • Keep experienced members active and interested with special tasks or jobs, such as running speech contests, holding training workshops, coordinating speechcraft courses
  • Set up a frequent flyer points scheme for members with prizes
  • Establish and adhere to club communication standards, such as response times to requests or enquiries
  • Look for opportunities to recognise long-standing members for special contributions to the club
  • Encourage contributions to the club newsletter or website
  • Obtain testimonials from long-standing members for publicity purposes

Share your ideas with others!
Do you have any tried and proven membership building and membership retention ideas?  Send your ideas to webmaster@toastmasters.org.nz for posting on this page. 

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