District 106

Newsletter

May 2023

From the Desk of the District Director

We had a successful speech contest in April and completed all division contests as scheduled. We also ran a hybrid spring contest to prepare for the upcoming hybrid D106 Spring Conference, which went smoothly with a few minor adjustments. Therefore, our team is confident that the spring hybrid meeting will run smoothly.

We have made significant progress in improving the status of paid clubs due to the strong follow-up from the area and division directors. As a result, we now have 102 paid clubs helping us earn the SELECT DISTINGUISHED DISTRICT. However, we still need to achieve distinguished club status. We only have seven distinguished clubs, considerably short of the required 41 clubs needed for distinguished club status. Nevertheless, we have identified around 40-42 clubs that could achieve distinguished status with some effort. We encourage all club officers to hold open houses, picnics, and membership events to help us earn distinguished club status. We have two more months to go and hope to finish strong.

Our audit report has been finalized and accepted by WHQ, an outstanding achievement in keeping our financial status healthy and up-to-date.

We have invested heavily in preparing for business meetings and the spring conference, including ballot preparation, council member registration, and timely communication. We have also designed a Google form to collect council members' attendance to establish a quorum and send voting ballots. We thank Past District Directors Diane Windingland and Dave Gibson for supporting this effort.

We have received a positive response to recognizing long-time members within their clubs, and we plan to extend this recognition to all members attending the Spring conference in person. We have collected their intention to participate in person and asked for their testimonials, which will be posted on the District Website to help new members and guests learn more about Toastmasters and its members.

We have also sent personal invitations to the Spring conference to all non-renewed members, hoping to encourage them to renew their membership and help spread the positive message about Toastmasters.

We have installed a billboard in Duluth, which will be displayed for two months (April - May), and we hope it will help spread the message about Toastmasters to people visiting Duluth.

We are working hard to bring back the momentum of pre-pandemic times and encourage everyone to help us by participating in membership drives. The more members we have, the more dynamic our clubs will be, and together we can make our clubs thrive and become a DISTINGUISHED DISTRICT.

Yours in service,

Gopu Shrestha, DTM,

District 106 Director

From the Desk of the Program Quality Director



We are approaching the close of an excellent year for District 106 Toastmasters. Thank you for your continued efforts, which show the distinction which may very realistically carry us to our first-ever District 106 recognition as a Distinguished Toastmasters District. It is an honor to serve with members of such credit!

It is also a season of the year when our clubs and their members might lose heart. Be not afraid! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!" So many clubs in our district have or are very close to

having sufficient club plan points to become recognized as

distinguished. They may think that it isn't possible because they haven't

reached "net 3" new club members and are sitting at 1, 2, 3, or more

members needed to gain distinguished recognition.

Flood your calendars and the airwaves with notifications of open houses!

Need assistance? Reach out to your district trio! We can help you find open-house speakers. We can help you to promote your event. We can help you close the sale with guests you'd like to see as new members. Hold one, two, three, or more open houses before June 30! Yes, I hear and feel the grumbling but consider this: if your club is in a position to gain distinguished status, I want you to know that recognition as an outstanding club requires your club to take action between now and June 30. You will become recognized if you go after it full speed ahead, and you, your officer team, and your club members can become more energized, more closely bonded, and perfectly prepared to launch the new Toastmasters program year with energy and focus. So many good things will happen when you go after it with gusto! Try, try, and try again! Ask for help! Let's have a whirlwind of a finish to what has already been a fantastic year!

Ed Aylward

District 106

Program Quality Director

From the Desk of the Club Growth Director

Cowboy Up.

In Toastmasters, we have one year, July 1 – June 30, to reach our goals.

Each club has the opportunity to gain new members and earn educational goals through speeches given. When a club actively does both, they become a distinguished club and are strong as a result. 

Growing up on a ranch, we would gather the cows and calves annually in the spring for branding to prepare them for the cattle drive. On the cattle drive, cowboys are in front of the herd to scout for danger. Then other leaders trail behind the herd to keep pace. Everyone works together to keep the herd moving.

As leaders, we want to encourage everyone to do their best, acknowledge accomplishments, and make adjustments to reach the goal. Near the end of the trail, gathering up the stragglers is what a good leader does. 

Paradise is the final destination on the cattle drive. It is the name of the big meadow at the trail’s end. The last hill to this meadow is steep, but the reward is great when we finally reach the top. 

Becoming distinguished is our goal. Beat the Clock is happening May 1- June 30. If your club adds five members, your club will receive an award. 

Adding members and submitting education awards will make your club distinguished. In addition, your club could be distinguished if every speech given is recorded as a pathway speech. Have you been counting every speech? If you need help, ask your VP of Education, Area Director, or Division Director. We are here to help. 

 It’s time to Cowboy Up and be distinguished.  

Katy Hursh

District 106

Club Growth Director

From the Desk of the Public Relations Manager

Fellow Toastmasters and VP-PRs!

Greetings to you all from the Office of the District PRM [Bob, Margie, Johnny, and Ashok]. I hope you all are doing well.

Spring is here! It is time for your club to go outdoors and have some fun meetings. Encourage your club to get out and have a picnic. Take a few pictures, record a video of fun activities, and help your club create and promote a fun and inviting atmosphere for your guests. Tag and share your event's success story on social media #ToastmastersAtThePark to show the world what a great Toastmasters club is all about. 

District 106 PRM team is conducting a 3rd Practical PR Workshop of the year on June 3 rd (Saturday) at 10:30 AM. We are doing this workshop jointly with the District 6 PRM. Please mark your calendars. More

information will be sent in the coming week with Zoom registration details and the agenda of the workshop.

Thanks to all that have submitted your entries for the PR Contest. We will soon announce the winners at the Spring Conference from May 12-13 th at Duluth, MN. Please watch for the updates on our District social platforms and the D106 website.

I highly recommend that all the clubs leverage the free Canva Pro account to create content, schedule your social media posts, and use that content in your newsletters. If you don’t have an account

for your club, you can create one free Canva Pro account for your club. Click here for how to create a free Canva Pro Account.

I also request that all Toastmasters follow the brand guidelines when posting content on your Club website and social platforms. Click here to access the Toastmasters Brand Manual. You can access more PR content from our District 106 page Office of Public Relations

We are looking to fill in a few roles for the PRM Office for the upcoming year. If anyone is interested to serve the District PRM and learn by being part of a fun team for the following openings:

1. Web Editor
2. Content Creator
3. Social Media Manager

Please send your email to prm@d106tm.org. I would love to hear from you.

District 106 Social channel presence by the Numbers:

Facebook: 415 Twitter: 178 LinkedIn:193 Instagram: 271 YouTube: 143 TikTok: 16

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for exciting updates, inspiration and more.

If you have any questions, comments, feedback, or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out! 

Together we keep the Toastmasters brand strong!

PRM Team [Johnny, Bob, Margie, Ashok]

Ashok Sunkavalli

2022-2023 District 106 Public Relations Manager

ashoksunkavalli@gmail.com

Cell: (319) 431-2415

Applying for a Free Canva Pro Account

(U.S. clubs only)

Toastmasters International and Canva have joined to offer members of Toastmasters (U.S. clubs only)to share a Canva Pro account. Canva Pro allows you to produce great slide presentations, flyers, newsletters, and much more with an extensive library of templates, designs, images, and the capability to upload logos, fonts, and color palettes. In addition, Canva features a social media tool that gets your club seen. Post and engage on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

You will need to download a 501c3 document to get started. You can click here to learn how to download this document and follow the guidelines to get your free Canva Pro account.

Regards,

PRM team

Toastmaster of the Year 2022-23 Program

This is your friendly reminder that clubs should be considering who their Toastmaster of the Year (TMOY) is for 2022-23. May 31 is the deadline for clubs to select their TMOY.

Submission dates for 2022-23 TMOY:

• June 1: The club selects a TMOY, and Club President submits information to their Area Director.
• June 15: Area Director selects Area TMOY & forwards it to Division Director and TMOY chair.
• June 25: Area Director notifies the Area TMOY recipient.
• June 25: Division Directors forward nominations to the District Director and the TMOY Chair.
• Division and District TMOY awards are announced at the Summer 2023 Toastmasters YLeadership Institute (TLI).

You can find all the information on the District 106 website under the 'District" tab. Click on District Toastmaster of the Year for more details, dates, and the Outstanding Toastmaster Guidelines form.

Please let me know if your club wants a guest speaker to discuss the TMOY awards and process. In addition, I've developed a 6-8 minute PowerPoint presentation to help members learn more about this annual award.

Jackie Flaherty

jackieflaherty@yahoo.com

District 106 TMOY Chair 202-23

From the Desk of the Youth Leadership Coordinator

May in the ancient calendars was the first month of the new year. Happy New Year! What can we do to celebrate the new year? Volunteer.

When we volunteer for a charity, we are helping the recipient. That is true. However, the secret is that when you volunteer, you get more out of it than the recipient. How can that be?

It has been shown that volunteers lead happier, healthier lives. It 1. Improves physical and mental health; 2. Provides a sense of purpose and teaches valuable skills; and 3. Nurtures new and existing relationships.

Here is a quote from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN: "Research has found that volunteering among adults, age 60 and over, provided benefits to physical and mental health, and volunteers report better physical health than non-volunteers. Research also has shown that volunteering leads to lower rates of depression and anxiety, especially for people 65 and older."

To read the rest of the article, go to 3 health benefits of volunteering - Mayo Clinic Health System.

I know from volunteering for the Peace Corps that this is true. I got way more out of the experience of two years in Jamaica than the people I helped. But I left with stories, an open mind, and a much happier, healthy way to live than before I went. Lessons that have lasted me a lifetime.

Not ready to sign up for 2 years in the Peace Corps? How about 2 months right at home leading a YLP? Still a big commitment. Still scary and challenging. Every bit as beneficial to your health and happiness.

Want to be healthier and happier? Write me, and together we can get you started on a YLP of your own.

Daniel Grundtner

https://dan.grundtner@gmail.com

YLP Chair '22-'23

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!