September 13, 2017

Dear Toastmaster,

Have you ever wondered how your Toastmasters Club got started? Chances are it was started by someone just like you! A member of a community club who thought it would be great to have a club located in their office. Or a member of a corporate club who wanted a club closer to home. Or someone who heard about Toastmasters from a friend (you?) and didn’t belong to a club at all … yet. Or even someone who thought it would be great to have a club that focused on Humorous Speaking, or Fine Food, or Photography, or Technical Presentation Skills, or … you see that the list of possibilities is endless really! Helping to start a new Toastmasters Club is a great way to broaden our leadership and communication skills, and by working together with a group of like-minded people, it’s also a lot of fun. We have two District Recognition Programs, A Club for a Club and Bona fide Best , to support and recognize our members who help add diversity and energy to our District by starting new clubs. If you’d like to find out more, reach out to Pavan, our Club Growth Director, at growth@d101tm.org . We’d love to help you make it happen.

It's already time to renew our membership dues so be sure to speak with your Treasurer and renew yours today if you haven't done so already! This will ensure you are able to continue to participate in Toastmasters uninterrupted! Clubs that renew at least 75% of their membership base by September 15th will be recognized as Stellar September Clubs and receive $50 in District Credit. And that's just the beginning, so be sure to check out our Stellar September page to see how your club is doing, and to find out how you can receive even more!

The Club Ambassador Program can help us explore the world that exists beyond our club, helping us meet new friends and discover how other Toastmasters Clubs function. It is often the first step in our journey to Experience more of The Value of Toastmasters by getting involved in District activities outside our home club. Learn more about the Program and find out how you can receive a free entry to the Sunday Breakfast at this year's Fall Conference by visiting the Club Ambassador Page on d101tm.org .

The Fall Contest Season is well underway. Be sure to attend your Area Contest to cheer on your club’s champions, and consider volunteering to help make your Area Contest the best one yet. Contact your Area Director for more information and for ways to get involved. Our Fall Conference is scheduled for November 11-12 at the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Clara. Be sure to register now to get the Early Bird rates. If you'd like to be part of the amazing team that plans the Conference please reach out to Francoise, our Program Quality Director, at quality@d101tm.org . Congratulations to Anna Garcia on leading our conference team as this year's Fall Conference Chair. If you or your company would like to make a donation to help support the educational mission of our Fall Conference, please contact me at dd@d101tm.org .

Pathways is the exciting new Toastmasters education program and it's coming to our District very soon. By now you should have heard all about it from your Pathways Guide when they visited your club. Check out the Pathways page on our website for more information about the program and to stay up to date with the rollout schedule.

As always, there's a lot going on in our District, with lots of opportunities for each of us to Experience the Value of Toastmasters by getting involved outside our club. If you’d like to find out more about any of these opportunities, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for more information, or with questions or suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you, and connecting with you at a District event soon.

Dave
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David Spence, DTM
District Director, 2017-18
650-464-4746