Ascot Speakers
I started a new Toastmasters public speaking club in Ascot.
Toastmaster clubs are non-profit. I worked on the club full-time on a volunteer basis for a year, funding the start-up costs myself.
I researched, organised, designed materials, wrote guides, and took the role most of the committee the first year. I wasn't happy at my previous club, feeling that they could do more for members. I put all my ideas into Ascot Speakers. This project is a good example of my organising and creative skills.
My club roles
- Club founder
- VP Education
- VP Marketing
- VP Membership
- Treasurer (2 years)
- Sergeant-at-Arms
- Secretary
Members with their meeting certificates
Tasks during start-up
- reviewing Toastmasters policies and brand manual
- designing and distributing advertising materials
- creating and managing a Meetup group
- using social media to recruit and engage with potential members
- visiting other Toastmaster clubs with prospective members for research
- budgeting and buying club supplies
- event planning & recruiting people to fulfil roles for future meetings
- planning & organising the public demonstration meeting
- promotion at networking events
- set-up and management of club mailing lists
- register domain, set up mail forwarding
- design and build of a Drupal club web site
- information design, documentation
After five months, the club had over 20 members and meetings twice a month.
Club cards design
On-going tasks
- one-to-one orientation meetings with every new member - solicit their background and goals
- recruiting and advising club officers
- mentoring of new members
- organising monthly club socials to bring for promotion and member retention
- as VP Education, scheduling speeches, assigning meeting roles, writing role guides
- innovating with club materials and meeting format
- constantly reviewing and improving the club experience for members
Videographer
I videoed every meeting for over a year, made videos for members to upload as private links on YouTube. It's good to get feedback from other members but it's really good to see yourself, what you did well and what could be improved.
Member spreasheet
Web sites
I designed, built and maintained a club web site in Drupal 7. Visitors could look at the meeting diary and agenda. Members could track their progress.
Before leaving the club, I recreated a version of the web site in Wordpress so that it could be maintained by other people.
Drupal web site home page
