Club Officer Positions
A Peak Inside Our Club's Organizational Heartland
A lot goes into running a Toastmasters club. Really, it's no different than any other concern. All organizations need an executive team to manage organizational growth, finances, marketing, public relations, customer relations, personnel development, inventory... In a Toastmasters club these are the responsibilities of the club officers.
Soft skills are all about interacting with others. While Pathways teaches Toastmasters about those skills, club leadership is an amazing place to polish them. Why not add to your resume with the experience in management, supervision, or leadership that these executive positions provide?
The links below contain a brief description of each office, its responsibilities and the skills sets which you will use in helping to keep VIP Online Toastmasters alive, well and making a difference in people's lives.
President
Summary
As club President, you will set the tone for your club. You are expected to provide helpful, supportive leadership for all the club’s activities and you will be the first to assume responsibility for the progress and welfare of the club. You motivate, resolve conflict, and facilitate as required. Though you must occasionally step in and make a difficult decision, you rarely do so without consulting club members and other club officers. You show respect for all members, even when you do not agree with them, and provide leadership for all.
President's Responsibilities
- Provide positive leadership to all officers and members
- Build a cohesive team and ensure all tasks are completed
- Oversee and facilitate club meetings
- Lead by example and treat all members fairly and equally
- Hold yourself and other officers accountable
- Be diplomatic in resolving conflict
- Encourage participation in Distinguished Club Program
- Ensure financial responsibility and accountability for club funds
- Remain current with the Leader Letter
- Represent club at district leadership and area council meetings
- Be familiar with all aspects of the Addendum of Standard Club Options and Club Constitution
Skills Learned as President
- Team building and delegation
- Positive small group leadership
- Organization and problem-solving
- Organizing communities to accomplish a specific task or event
- Critical thinking
- Networking and relationship-building
- Conflict management
- Delivery of tactful and constructive feedback
- Succession planning
- Compliance with standard procedures
Vice President
Education
Summary
As Vice President Education (VPE), you schedule your club members’ speeches, verify the completion of projects, and serve as a resource for questions about the Toastmasters Pathways learning experience, speech contests, and your club mentor program. You are an important source of Toastmasters knowledge for club members and it is your job to become familiar with all aspects of Pathways.
VP Education's Responsibilities
- Set club meeting agendas and assign meeting roles
- Manage club schedule and plan meetings
- Manage member progress in Pathways and act as the primary Base Camp Manager
- Encourage member engagement in the Pathways learning experience
- Plan speech contests
- Hold yourself and other officers accountable
- Keep current with Toastmasters programs
- Manage mentor program
- Provide positive and impartial evaluation on speeches/projects
- Remain current with the Leader Letter
Skills Learned as VP Education
- Strategic planning
- Evaluate individual’s performance and determine strengths/weaknesses
- Organization and problem-solving
- Successful mentoring techniques
- Positive small group collaboration
- Critical thinking
- Motivate others to set and achieve personal goals
- Strategic thinking
- Succession planning
- Compliance with standard procedures
Vice President
Membership
Summary
As Vice President Membership (VPM), you promote the club and manage the process of bringing in guests and converting them into members. By initiating contact with guests, helping them feel welcome, and providing them with information they need to join, you help maintain a constant influx of new people into your club. You also attentively monitor membership levels and strategize with the rest of the executive committee about how to overcome membership challenges when they occur.
VP Membership's Responsibilities
- Initiate contact with guests and help them feel welcome
- Provide hospitality and membership information for guests
- Reply to all communications from prospective members in a timely manner
- Manage the process of converting guests to members
- Monitor membership levels and strategize with the club executive committee to cover membership
challenges when they occur
- Conduct membership-building programs
- Promote the club and recruit new members
- Hold yourself and other officers accountable
- Remain current with the Leader Letter
Skills Learned as VP Membership
- Marketing
- Networking and relationship-building
- Strategic planning
- Critical thinking
- Internal/external communication skills
- Organization and problem-solving
- Positive small group collaboration
- Succession planning
- Compliance with standard procedures
Vice President
Public Relations
Summary
As the Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), you promote the club to the local community and notify the media about the club’s existence and the benefits it provides. You promote the club, updated web content, and safeguard the Toastmasters brand identity. It’s your job to notify the media whenever your club does something newsworthy. You will find yourself writing news releases, creating and distributing fliers, and maintaining the club’s presence on the web and in the community.
VP Public Relations' Responsibilities
- Promote the club to eligible guests and notify the media regarding the club’s existence and benefits
- Develop and maintain club social media pages and website
- Write new releases and distribute marketing materials
- Create club publicity campaigns
- Ensure the Club Contact and Meeting Information is up to date in Club Central
- Understand the importance and impact of the Toastmasters brand
- Update web content and safeguard the Toastmasters brand
- Remain current with the Leader Letter, Toastmaster magazine, and Toastmasters International’s social
media channels
Skills Learned as VP Public Relations
- Marketing and promotion
- Social and public media/developing media relations
- Development of a social media plan across multiple platforms while adhering to brand standards
- Communication and interaction with local communities
- Writing press releases
- Networking and relationship-building
- Critical thinking
- Organization and problem-solving
- Positive small group collaboration
- Compliance with standard procedures
Secretary
Summary
As Secretary, you maintain all club records, manage club files, handle club correspondence, and take the minutes at each club and executive committee meeting. You are also in charge of updating and distributing a roster of the current paid membership and keeping the club officer list current for Toastmasters International. Though some clubs combine the Secretary role with the Treasurer, it’s best to have a dedicated Secretary who can help reduce the workload of the treasurer and occasionally assist the Vice President Education as well. You will also order supplies for the club as needed.
Secretary's Responsibilities
- Take minutes at club and executive committee meetings
- Organize and maintain club records and files
- Update and distribute membership rosters
- Update the club and officer list at Toastmasters International
- Understand basic parliamentary procedures
- Order supplies as needed
- Remain current with the Leader Letter
Skills Learned as Secretary
- Organization and problem-solving
- Record maintenance
- Critical thinking
- Meeting organization
- Document decisions agreed to at meetings and communicate decisions to larger audiences
- Compliance with standard procedures
Treasurer
Summary
As Treasurer, you are the club’s accountant. You manage the club’s bank account, write checks as approved by the executive committee, and deposit membership dues payments and other club revenues. You are also in charge of submitting membership dues payments to World Headquarters (accompanied by the names of renewing members), filing necessary tax documents, and keeping timely, accurate, up-to-date financial records for the club.
Treasurer's Responsibilities
- Record and maintain accurate and up-to-date financial club records
- Manage club bank account, make deposits, and write checks as approved
- Collect and submit membership and renewal dues
- Create budget
- File necessary tax documents
- Prepare documents for the Annual Audit Committee
- Prepare quarterly financial reports
- Remain current with the Leader Letter
Skills Learned as Treasurer
- Basic bookkeeping
- Budget monitoring
- Financial record control and maintenance
- Adhering to financial controls
- Critical thinking
- Organization and problem-solving
- Compliance with standard procedures
Sergeant at Arms
Summary
As Sergeant at Arms, you keep track of the club’s physical property, such as the banner, lectern, timing device, and other meeting materials. You arrive early to prepare the meeting place for members and stay late to stow all the club’s equipment. You are also in charge of the meeting place itself, obtaining a new space when necessary, and maintaining contact with the people who allow you to use the space for your club’s meetings.
Sergeant at Arm's Responsibilities
- Store club equipment and materials
- Manage meeting facilities
- Provide hospitality and membership information for guests
- Understand physical logistics
- Distribute club materials
- Negotiate, as needed
- Remain current with the Leader Letter
Skills Learned as Sergeant at Arms
- Organization and problem-solving
- Maintaining records
- Inventory control
- Understanding of physical logistics
- Networking and relationship-building
- Compliance with standard procedures
Immediate Past President
Summary
As the Immediate Past President (IPP), you will provide advice and counsel as requested by the Club President. You are expected to provide helpful, supportive leadership for all the club’s activities, and you will provide counsel to the other club officers in a manner that is conducive to club success when called upon. You are a member of the Club Executive Committee and can vote on any matter discussed. You show respect for all members, even when you do not agree with them, and provide leadership for all.
Immediate Past President's Responsibilities
- Provide positive leadership to all officers and members
- Lead by example and treat all members fairly and equally
- Be diplomatic in resolving conflict
- Encourage participation in the Distinguished Club Program
- Be familiar with all aspects of the “Addendum of Standard Club Options” and “Club Constitution”
- Chair the Club Leadership Committee
- Provide advice and counsel when requested to by the Club President
- Remain current with the Leader Letter
Skills Learned as Immediate Past President
- Positive small group leadership
- Organization and problem-solving
- Organizing communities to accomplish a specific task or event
- Critical thinking
- Networking and relationship-building
- Conflict management
- Delivery of tactful and constructive feedback
- Succession planning
- Compliance with standard procedures
VIP Online Toastmasters
“The information on this website is for the sole use of Toastmasters’ members, for Toastmasters business only. It is not to be used for solicitation and distribution of non-Toastmasters material or information.”