Introduction
The Distinguished Club Program is the measuring stick for Toastmasters International to know the health of a club. There are two requirements that need to be met in order to qualify for the DCP (membership and goals).
For the Membership requirements three data points are listed (base, required, and to date). Your club’s Base number is the number of registered members at the start of the Toastmaster year (July 1st). Your club’s Required number is the number of members you are required to have registered at the end of the current Toastmaster year (June 30th) in order to qualify. Your club’s To Date number is the number of current members your club has registered as of midnight.
For the Goals requirement there are three levels a club can receive (Distinguished, Select Distinguished and President’s Distinguished). The associated points needed for each level is 5, 7 or 9 respectively. These can be attained through a variety of means such as Education Points by completing Pathway Projects, Club Officer Training and other Administrative milestones. In the Distinguished Club Program, there are ten goals that serve as targets to help a club become a stronger organization. The goals are summarized below.
What It Is All About
The Distinguished Club Program (DCP) was established by Toastmasters International as a general measure of club success. There is no possible way that Toastmaster International personnel can visit and asses every single club around the world. A method had to be developed to keep a minimum pulse on the health of the organization. Thus, the DCP was “invented”. Each year the Distinguished Club Program recognizes club achievements in education, membership growth, club leadership and club communication. For sure, this measure is in no way the whole of what makes a club successful, but it does reflect the activities that are required for a club to achieve success.
To help members achieve their personal goals, clubs are encouraged to define a mission statement and create a Club Success Plan, which for many clubs will be based on the targets outlined in the Distinguished Club Program. The Distinguished Club Program, therefore, has the dual benefit of helping both the club and its members. In October, January and April your club president will receive an e-mail reminder to check your club’s progress online. The report will show your membership base, current membership and progress toward the 10 goals. Following the June 30 close date, and after all data received has been processed, your club president will be sent a final, year end report showing how the club did and any recognition it earned. Any club member can track how his or her club is doing in the Distinguished Club Program by visiting the Dashboard on the Toastmasters International website.
Many people come up with a lot of questions when it comes to the Distinguished Club Program. Too many for me to answer them all here. Toastmasters International created a page of the most common questions. You can find the answers by clicking here.
Resources
High-quality clubs enhance the member experience. They encourage and celebrate member achievement, provide a supportive and fun environment, and offer a professionally organized meeting with variety. In those clubs, officers are trained in all aspects of club quality to ensure that members have access to a formal mentoring program, are provided evaluations that help them grow, and are motivated to achieve their goals. Click the picture to download this resource.
This is part of The Successful Club Series. It is terrific tool to use to explain and promote the Distinguished Club Program to the members of your club. Click the picture to download the resource.
This training teaches club officers about the importance of the member experience, the Toastmasters brand, Moments of Truth and the Distinguished Club Program. Click on the picture to download the presentation.