February 2025 Leader Letter

Convention Registration Open — Are you ready to Envision Y(our) Next Move with Toastmasters from around the world? Put your stamp on a very special “Envision” board and join us at the 2025 International Convention in Philadelphia this August. You are invited to take part in a happy collage movement that blends the intersection of your near-future goals with those of the organization. Sign up now through April 9 for the early-bird discount—and help us get the next 100 years started!

Keynote Energy Announced! — Come experience Anne Bonney, a spirited speaker, author, podcast host, and workshop facilitator at the 2025 International Convention, where she will present her keynote speech: Ignite Your Next Move: Courageously Dancing into the Future, immediately following the Parade of Flags. Get ready to be empowered with practical strategies to handle change with courage, confidence, and resilience!

Call for Convention Sponsors — Is your company a good fit for taking part in the 2025 International Convention showcase? Know another business that is? Help companies you deem appropriate to present their products or services in front of thousands of communication enthusiasts from around the world! Point them to the convention sponsors webpage to get started.

Nurture Smedley’s Vision on His Birthday Month — Donate $100 USD or more to the Ralph C. Smedley Memorial Fund® in February (his date of birth: 2/22/1878) and you will receive a Smedley replica pin and get a sneak peek of the new education program as development progresses. Toastmasters is currently in the stage of conducting the necessary research to ensure that updated education products meet the needs of current and prospective members. Help keep his vision alive by giving during the month of his birth.

California Clubs: File Your 199N — California club presidents and treasurers should have received an email in mid-January from the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) with instructions for e-filing the 199N tax form for the 2024 tax year. View filing instructions and note that the deadline to e-file is May 15, 2025.

Grow Your Club — A great way to add new members to your club is by participating in the Talk Up Toastmasters membership-building program, which features the opportunity to earn a special ribbon and qualify for 10% off your next club order. To qualify, your club must add five new, dual, or reinstated members and pay membership dues. Please note that these members must join between February 1 and March 31, 2025.

April Renewal Dues — To keep clubs in good standing, a minimum of eight members—at least three of whom were members of the club during the previous renewal period—must be submitted, with all payments received on or before April 1. Payments for the next renewal period are also being accepted. If you have questions, feel free to read the Renewal Dues FAQ or email renewals@toastmasters.org. Club officers can start submitting payments for renewals through Club Central.

Ensure Good Standing — Is your club currently in good standing? Find this detail and more when you view the Daily Reports — October Dues Renewal Status; select your club's District and ensure your club is listed as Verified Complete. Refer to the Club Status Guide to determine how a club's status affects different features and areas of the Toastmasters program. Should there be a discrepancy, please contact Club and Member Support at renewals@toastmasters.org. The deadline to return to good standing and avoid suspension is March 31, 2025.

International Speech Contest Eligibility — If you're helping with a speech contest, remember to ensure thorough eligibility checks are completed for every contestant. As a reminder, the education requirement for the International Speech Contest was updated for Pathways. Members competing in this contest must have completed Levels 1 and 2 of any path or earned a Distinguished Toastmaster Award. Additional details and full eligibility requirements are outlined in the Speech Contest Rulebook.

Manage Speaking Times — It’s speech contest time! Read some tips for helping members stick to the time limits—and understand why Toastmasters emphasizes those limits.

Use Digital Storytelling to Promote Your Club — Your social media accounts and website copy can come alive through video, audio, animation, and other techniques. Learn the most effective ways to use digital storytelling to enhance your posts.

How Failure Can Actually Benefit You — No one wants to fail, but it’s something everyone experiences. Discover how to use it as a tool for learning and reflection; find out how a setback might be the first step to success.

Financial Records: To Keep or Not? — There are many different financial records your club may have on file with the Club Secretary. To determine how long they should be kept, you can refer to a chart created for this purpose, located in the Club Leadership Handbook within the Club Secretary section. If you have any questions, email the Club Quality and Service Team at clubofficers@toastmasters.org.

My Home to Club Central — Club Central is the main tool for a club officer where you will be able to perform activities related to club business including adding new members, paying dues, submitting education awards, viewing your current membership roster, making changes to your club's addendum and bylaws, and updating your club's contact and meeting information. As a club officer, a link to Club Central is available in your My Home page. Please note that Club Central can only be accessed by an active club officer.

Self-Pay Feature — Self-Pay is considered an optional club feature and a change to a club's Addendum of Standard Club Options. Club members must vote at a club meeting where quorum was present to determine whether Self-Pay will be enabled for their club. If the club has voted and decided by majority to allow Self-Pay, then a club officer can access the Club Contact and Meeting Information page in Club Central (accessible through My Home) to toggle the feature to the “on” position. Click “Save” to save your changes. If the club votes to disable Self-Pay later, the feature can be turned off by following the same steps and toggling the feature to the “off” position.

Base Camp Access Restored — Important Update — The unexpected Base Camp outage that occurred on February 1, 2025, which resulted in members being unable to log in, has been resolved. All access was restored by 2 a.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) -7 on February 2, 2025. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to prevent similar issues in the future. Please note that this technical glitch also caused pending completion requests and evaluation requests to move back to an unsubmitted state. To rectify, members can simply re-submit the request, and their Base Camp managers or evaluators will be notified.

The Answer Man Has Answers! — Encourage club members to submit a question to The Answer Man. Longtime member Bill Brown will tackle members’ questions on anything from finding speech topics, to competing in speech contests, to Table Topics. Email magazine@toastmasters.org for a chance to be featured!