Dues are Due



Dues are due.  Those are words you’ll hear often as a member of a District 25 Toastmasters club. Experience has shown it takes considerable effort and many reminders to get members to decide to renew their memberships and render payment. When you hear the words “dues are due,” it’s actually a reminder of what’s necessary to keep you eligible to compete in speech contests (which we hope you’ll want to do): being a member in good standing of a club in good standing. For that, you must have paid your dues into a club that has at least six members paying dues, with at least three being renewals.

The Toastmasters International (TI) website notes that, for this six-month dues renewal period, the deadline is October 1. The safest, easiest method is online payment. Club officers can log in at http://www.toastmasters.org/Members.aspx, click on the Club Central link, and click their club name and number. Under the Conduct Club Business heading, click on Pay Dues. Checks must be payable to Toastmasters International. For this, print the list with the renewing member(s) indicated and mail it with payment to TI.

 

Club Treasurers may be interested to know that FreeToastHost (the content management software that supports most club Websites) provides an invoicing mechanism to request payments from members or remind them. Of course, there are many viable ways to do that. Personal outreach is nice and effective.

After-deadline payments can occur during a 30-day grace period, but why wait when the cost is such a bargain at just $36? Those who defer payment until October will see a “G” recorded in their membership status. Perhaps your club can issue a challenge this fall and ask all members to pay their dues on time. Everyone could avoid the dubious distinction of “G” member status. It stands for “graced,” not “good.”

Because member payments remain a critical success factor, you can expect two things from D25 leaders:


1. We’ll offer incentives that will reward your club if your membership level is “at base” or better by the end of one or both renewal periods (with base referring to your membership level on July 1, 2012).

2. We’ll issue periodic reminders that “dues are due.”


We’ll do these things not to nag, but because we love our clubs and want to help keep them healthy. Please join us in making member payments a priority.



Marylee Mims

Lt. Governor, Marketing

 

By Julie Cosgrove