In this post, I would like to tell you more about a team of people who do a lot of heavy lifting to make sure the club runs smoothly. Our Club, and others like it, is akin to a small business - we need to ensure that we are putting out a quality product (our meetings), attracting customers (our guests and eventual members), and managing finances appropriately (our Club budget). While the whole club has a hand in these activities, the Executive Team is intimately involved in the smooth operation of the Club. Let’s have a look at who makes up this group of people.
First, the Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for setting up our Club meeting (with help from others of course) and opening the meeting. During votes they will also make sure that guests, visitors, and others who need to leave the meeting temporarily for Club business to be conducted will be led to a private area. Like everyone on the Executive, they have a hand in deciding on Club matters at hand in our Executive meetings. It is a great role, often taken by someone just starting out on their Toastmasters journey.
The Secretary is a critical role within the Club. Without a Secretary, there is no Club! It is a role that must be filled. The Secretary ensures that minutes of all Club meetings and Executive meetings are taken and promptly distributed. The Secretary also keeps track of quorum at meetings, to ensure that business can appropriately be conducted. It is a harder role than most realie, and requires a lot of paying attention to what is happening at meetings.
The Treasurer role is all about the Club’s finances. At the beginning of the year, the Club secretary will create a budget that will outline how money will be collected and spent. The secretary will handle all Club cash flows and ensure that the bank, Toastmasters dues, and any bills are taken care of. Along with the rest of the Executive, they approve club expense reimbursements. The Treasurer will also report to members how our finances are doing (at our Club, we do this twice per year). It is a very important role, as Club finances make or break a Club.
The Vice President Public Relations is responsible for ensuring that our Club is visible in the community, helping to attract members and promote our Club and Toastmasters as a whole. The VP PR (as they are called) may organise events, put out marketing materials, keep up a website, and more. A solid VP PR can have a huge impact on a Club!
The Vice President Membership makes sure that members and potential members are taken care of. They are responsible for recruitment of guests, ensuring that they have all the information they need to join, and will follow them all the way through their first meeting to when they are inducted. The VP Membership and the VP PR often work together to ensure that membership recruitment efforts are synchronised and effective.
The VP Education might have the toughest job of all in managing the agenda of every meeting and ensuring that people are participating in the educational program Pathways. The VP Education will also manage the submission of awards for Level and Path completions. The quality of our meetings is most heavily dictated by the VP Education. The more time and effort this member of the Executive puts in, the more every member gets out of the Club!
Finally, the President is responsible for the overall Club and ensuring an effective team dynamic between all of the Executive Team. The President will also be the main liaison with District Officers outside Toastmasters. The President is responsible for safekeeping the values of the Club, ensuring all members are feeling engaged and welcome, and supporting the rest of the Executive in doing their roles. The President also runs Executive committee meetings. An effective President will keep all members feeling part of the Club.
There’s lots to learn by being on the Executive and people grow tremendously from their Executive roles. Why not come by a meeting one evening to meet our current Executive, and learn more about what they do? Who knows, you may find yourself in their shoes one day - and we will be glad for it!
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