Anne Myers, DTM, District 49 Governor for last year (2010-11) was kind enough to sit down with me for an interview via Skype.

Mike: Good morning, Anne!  So D49 did something last year that no other district achieved — you renewed every single club in the district, no clubs lost.  How did you do it?

Anne: We can look at two areas of focus, one is the new clubs that are formed and the other is the existing clubs, like other districts.  I believe the biggest success we have in not losing clubs is that for new clubs, we focus on prescreening new clubs to ensure they are able to be sustained for the long term and not just a short term fix for a situation.  Case in point, we had a corporate contact approach us where the group only wanted to form for help in doing some short term presentations.

We encourage corporate clubs to really think about being an open club so that when there is a membership lag they are able to sustain themselves.

Mike: What do you tell a company that wants a TM club, but you think they won’t be able to sustain it in the long run?

Anne: We can offer to help them by meeting with them.  We can help to understand their goals and it may not be forming a TM club.  This way it is a win-win for them and us.

Mike: Something like a Speechcraft?

Anne: An example of doing a needs assessment, a company had ten in a management group that wanted to have sessions just to improve their presentation to upper management. I did have the contact come to a club meeting to observe what happens in a club and after that she decided not to pursue forming a club as she was looking for a very quick fix.

Mike: What do you see as good indicators that a company will be able to make a TM club work for them?

Anne: The key is the one key contact person – without that the company will never go forward.  That person has to understand what Toastmasters is all about.  Sometimes it takes some courting time like a few months and to see if there is real interest.  Assess the long term goals of the company.  For some companies, the time is not right.  The companies are just too busy in the company’s life cycle to devote time to a club.

Mike: Sort of a spark plug.  Have you had to go back into an existing (but maybe struggling) company club and re-sell management on the value of TM, and why they need to support it and continue?

Anne: We had a club last year that was struggling and possibly not continuing on.  However, our Lt. Governor of Marketing had strategized to get a letter out to upper management that the Toastmasters club was in trouble.  This helped to revitalize the club.  The turnaround was that the club members needed the support of management and getting the letter out did that for them.

Mike: Turning to community clubs, what’s the secret to long-term success there?

Naturally, we focus on the health of the clubs.  However, Cat (Carolyn Sawai, District 49 Governor for 2009-10, just before Anne) says that looking at the number of members of a club does not tell the whole story.  It is going out to the clubs to see how they are.  Try and understand the difference between clubs in trouble and ones with small numbers.  Is there a core go to person?  Be positive and don’t try and get rid of clubs.  There are two clubs that have low membership.  However, they go out into the community to do Youth Leadership and are devoted to having their club serve the community they live and work in.

Mike: Is the actual attendance rate at club meetings a good measure?

Anne: Yes, but there are other factors.  There are clubs in the community that have low numbers but they meet every week no matter who is in attendance.  They also do community outreach to try and attract more members.  And, clubs also accommodate members with their needs.  There are clubs with high attendance rates that sometimes may not always put the members first.

Mike: Tell me more about what they do to accommodate members?

Anne: Personalized attention.  I have seen this at a particular club.  The leader recognizes that a member has to do some briefing.  Then, she would prepare table topics questions and fire them at the member for a few minutes to help the member with her situation.

Mike: Is there any easy answer on how to identify struggling clubs that need help, besides low membership or attendance?

Anne: The Area and Division Governors stay close with the clubs and if there are clubs in trouble we spring into action.  Not too quickly though as timing is always key.  We have a one-on-one conversation with the go-to-person as it is not necessarily the club president.  Then we identify what the problem is, and try and address the problem.  Common problems include not enough corporate management support, meeting time or place, conflict within the club, or lack of time or energy.

Mike: Have you been able to use the club coach program to turn clubs around?

Anne Myers: We don’t do much club coaching in the district though our current DG is looking seriously into this.  When I was an LGM, I did assign 2 club coaches and they were successful.  However, one club reverted back to low numbers.  So, I don’t know what long term solution can be put into place.

Mike: Anything else that helps keep the clubs strong and growing?

Anne: Personally, keeping in contact with the clubs but it is more than that. It is knowing that the key leaders in place understand the TM programs.  The best leaders in the club are those that have transitioned into knowing it is all about the members in the club and how they can help them and in turn help the communities they live in.  When the realization strikes that it is not me, it is we, that is when you know that the club will remain strong because of the commitment of the individuals in the club.

Mike: What do we do with a club that doesn’t have a key member, a leader, a spark plug, like you describe?

Anne: Ask one of them to become an Area Governor.

Mike: What a great idea!

Anne: In District 49, it is a habit of not losing very many clubs.  In fact in the past five years, we only lost six clubs.  It is a habit.  We identify clubs that are in trouble and usually it is a long process to work with them.  To let a club go is the easier answer but working with them to continue on is the most rewarding thing to do.

Mike: Quite a strong foundation that keeps things working so well over the years.  Anne, thanks for your time this morning, I appreciate all that you’ve shared.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Anne: Aloha and we here in District 49 are truly blessed with such wonderful, giving people who truly exemplify the word ALOHA.