Program Quality Corner

The program quality portfolio directs all aspects of education and training within the district. This includes supporting quality club programming efforts, promoting the Distinguished Club Program, and planning, organizing, and executing the district conference. This portfolio also provides strategic direction to the District’s transformation journey to enable integration and alignment of people, processes, and technology.

Here are key contact officers on the program quality team. See additional contact details at Leadership Contacts page.

Program Quality Oversight Program Quality Director

Education and Training Coordinator Club Officer Training
District Conference Chair
District Contest Chair
District Contest Chief Judge

The Distinguished Club Program (DCP) is Toastmasters International general measure of club success and quality of service delivered to members.

A primary objective of clubs is to provide the best possible member experience so that existing members are retained and new members join. When clubs possess characteristics of quality, the member experience is enhanced.

The District supports clubs to enhance this experience through the working interactions of Area and Division Directors to promote the value of the program to the club’s reputation and to coach club officers in helping their clubs achieve their set targets in the DCP.

To help members achieve their educational goals in the Toastmasters program, clubs are encouraged to create a vision and develop a Club Success Plan, which for many clubs will be based on the targets outlined in the DCP.

By achieving a certain number of the targets in this program, a club can earn one of three levels of recognition:

Achieve five of ten goals   = Distinguished Club
Achieve seven of ten goals   = Select Distinguished Club
Achieve nine of ten goals   = President’s Distinguished Club

The following are DCP resources available for download.

How to be a Distinguished Club The Distinguished Club Program and Club Success Plan
Moments of Truth Materials – Club Quality Assessment Members Interest Survey
Creating the best club climate Distinguished Club Status Roadmap
The Toastmaster’s promise Right-sizing the meeting agenda
5 – Year Club Performance Scorecard Club Performance Dashboard

Pathways is the new educational program providing a unique journey filled with opportunities to develop skills from more than 300 unique competencies. Members complete projects giving speeches and receiving feedback in a safe supportive environment.

The District provides clubs with training and resources to help with the full adoption of the program so that the club can be Pathways ready to deliver a rich experience to new and existing members.

Here are useful resources available for reference and download.

Pathways Overview
Pathways Masterclass – A Deeper Dive
Pathways Companion Guide
Pathways Competencies by Path Guide

The success of a club and its members depend on how well club officers execute their responsibilities. By providing leadership training and support, club officers can foster a positive environment that’s conducive to members’ personal and professional growth, allowing them to achieve their Toastmasters education program goals.

There are two rounds of training sessions conducted in the program year, between June 1 and August 31 and between November 1 and February 28, with facilitators from the educational development team delivering a quality training experience.

A minimum of four club officers, preferably all seven, are required to attend each round of training which earns the club a credit in the DCP.

For officers with multiple roles, information is provided at each training session on how to get credit for multiple officer roles. If you miss this information send a note to and to request information.

Contact the Education and Training Coordinator at if you have any questions related to awarding credit for the training attended.

The following materials are available for reference.

Keynote Replays (From Past Training Sessions)

Keynote Video Replays Presentation Handouts and References
Linda-Marie Miller –  Speaking To Win
Jacqueline Smith – Online Contests
Kim Myers – Rethinking how we run our clubs
Keynote Video Replays Presentation Handouts and References
Dan McCosh –  Planning for Club Success Overview
Mac Curfman  Agile Leadership: Adaptive Mindset Handout – Agile Leadership: Adaptive Mindset
Richard Peck – Leading through Crisis
Dan McCosh – Completing the Club Success Plan Club Success Plan Template
Gloria Bosma – Leading for Club Success Handout – Leading for Club Success
Moments of Truth (MOT) Overview WHQ – MOT Club Quality Assessment
Gloria Shishido: Creating a quality club Handout – Creating a quality club
WHQ – A guide to club-quality
WHQ – Club Quality Checklist
Omar Nef – Creating a quality club
Kim Myers – Building a healthy team
Jim Kohli – Leading a hybrid club Handout – Leading a hybrid club

Role Specific Resources 

Video Tutorials Documents and other references
WHQ – Club Central Tutorial WHQ – Club Officers Resource Library
WHQ – Club Officers Foundation of Knowledge WHQ – Club Leadership Handbook
Cheryl Persson – Top 10 Club Officers Tools & Resources Sample – Club Officers Transition checklist
PRES, VPE & SEC Tools Tutorial Handout – PRES, VPE & SEC Tools
VPM, VPPR, TRE & SAA Tools Tutorial Handout – VPM, VPPR, TRE & SAA Tools
WHQ – Club President Role Tutorial Club President Expectations Agreement
Round 1 – Club President Breakout  – Handout Focus Checklist for Club Presidents
Club President resource materials & checklists
WHQ – VP Education Role Tutorial VP Education Expectations Agreement
Round 1 – VP Education Breakout  – Handout WHQ – Template: Right-size meeting agenda
WHQ – VP Membership Role Tutorial VP Membership Expectations Agreement
Round 1 – VP Membership Breakout  –  Handout WHQ – New Member Profile Sheet
WHQ – VP Public Relations (VPPR) Role Tutorial VPPR Expectations Agreement
Round 1 – VPPR BreakoutHandout WHQ – VPPR resource materials
WHQ – Treasurer Role Tutorial Treasurer Expectations Agreement
Round 1 – Treasurer Breakout  – Handout Treasurer resource materials
WHQ – Secretary Role Tutorial Secretary Expectations Agreement
Round 1 – Secretary BreakoutHandout Secretary resource materials
WHQ – Sergeant at Arms (SAA) Role Tutorial SAA Expectations Agreement
Round 1 – SAA Breakout  – Handout SAA resource materials
Past President Expectations Agreement

Other Resources 

Video Replays Presentation Handouts and References
Club Building Masterclass – Finishing Strong

Toastmasters International -Statistics and Data Hub

Every year, guests join clubs as new members and existing members leave for various reason. Flourishing clubs focus on both recruiting new members and retaining existing ones. To support all clubs to achieve excellence, the District provides programs through the Club growth portfolio to train and provide clubs with resources and materials for membership building. The program quality portfolio provides clubs with the training, tools and materials to support retention of existing members. Membership retention programs include mentoring programs for new members, creative programming that offer massive value to existing and a recognition program

Here are useful resources available for reference and download.

Blog: Membership Retention: Is Your Bucket Leaking? Features, Benefits and Value of Toastmasters
Mike Raffety – Membership Retention Tips & Tricks Webinar: Membership Growth and Retention
Membership Retention Checklist Member Welcome Kit
Mona Cooley: Mentoring Program Webinar Mentoring Manual

Speech contests are a Toastmaster’s tradition. Speech competitions provide an opportunity for Toastmasters to gain valuable speaking experiences. By stepping outside of their comfort zone, Toastmaster members can test the skills they have honed and developed during club meetings.

Due to the impact of the pandemic crisis, the Toastmasters International board directive is that Spring 2021 contests at the Area, Division, and District levels would be conducted online. The District’s leadership decision is to have the spring 2021 contest as the International speech contest format only. This helps us manage the learning curve impact associated with using technology to enable procedures required for conducting table topic or evaluation contests.

The international speech contest competition beyond the district level is in three stages – the regional quarter-finals, semifinals, and the World Championship of Public Speaking® finals.

The district mandate being communicated to the World Headquarters for the 2022 Spring contest is that we anticipate contests at the Area, Division, and District levels to be in person with the backup option of reverting to online if the situation suggests so by November when we start planning for the second half of the 2021-22 program year.

The final dates for contests are as follows:
  • Club Contests – TBD
  • Area Contests – TBD
  • Division Contests – TBD

Reach out to the program quality director to serve in the following role and be the District’s key contacts for the 2022 Spring contest:

Questions relating to Area and Division contests should be directed to the Area and Division Director respectively.

All other related questions should be directed to

The following are related resources for conducting online contests.

D99 Online Contest Procedure Manual D99 Taskforce – Slides: Conducting Quality Online Contests
TI – Webinar: Online Speech Contests Best Practice  TI – Slides: Online Speech Contest Best Practice
A World Champ’s Tips for Online Contests – Part 1 A World Champ’s Tips for Online Contests – Part 2
Lindy MacLaine – Become an A.C.E. in virtual speaking How to appear your best online
Speech Contest Tutorials (Chair, Judges & Contestants) Video recording guide for online contests
Online Contest Briefing Script Toastmaster script for International Speech Contest
2020-2021 Speech Contest Rulebook Sample Agenda – Online International Speech Contest
Additional Speech Contest Resources Digital Speech Contest Certificates

Online Speech Contest Bootcamp Resources.

Replay – Linda-Marie Miller: Keynote – In it to WIN it! Handout – Bootcamp Chat Discussions & Questions
Replay –  Contestants breakout with Linda-Marie Miller Replay – Mock Contest & Debrief
Replay –  Contest Chair Breakout Slides – Contest Chair Breakout
Replay – Judges, Timers & Ballot Counters Breakout Slides – Judges, Timers & Ballot Counters Breakout
Replay – Zoom Masters Breakout Slides – Zoom Masters Breakout

The District’s recognition programs are designed to recognize the efforts and achievements of clubs, officers and members each program year.  The focus is club quality and member satisfaction, and the objective is to promote, develop and sustain quality clubs.

Awards are presented at the Spring Conference to Toastmasters who demonstrate outstanding commitment, dedication and leadership to their clubs, areas, divisions and our organization as a whole. Club members benefit by understanding the qualities of past winners who are examples of those who go above and beyond in their participation in Toastmasters.

Here are resources for the recognition programs

District Recognition Program Manual Of the Year Awards
Distinguished Area, Division and District Programs

The district’s conference is an annual weekend event held in the Spring at the pinnacle of the District 99 Toastmasters’ year.

During the event, Toastmasters gather from all across the district for a time of learning, speech contests, conducting the district’s business, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. It is all about the power of the community expressed through a first-class program packed with exciting activities, food, entertainment, opportunities to network, awards, educational presentations by keynote speakers and thought leaders.

A critical element to creating a successful district that supports all clubs to achieving excellence is providing effective training for club leaders and division and area directors. Without properly trained leaders at every level, districts and clubs cannot meet members’ needs or introduce the benefits of Toastmasters to others.

Training for division and area directors occurs three times a year, in June, August and January. The August training provides the opportunity to train these district officers who couldn’t make the June session.

The following are useful training resources for the division and area directors.

Reference Library

2020 – 2021 District Executive Committee (DEC) Meeting Resources 
Video Replays Presentation Handouts
Sep 19 – Session 1 – A Day in the Life of an Area Director A Guide to Club Visits

A day in the Life of an AD

Sep 19 – Session 2 – Distinguished Club Step-up Campaign Distinguished Club Step-up Program

Distinguished Club Roadmap

Sep 19 – Session 3 – Club Growth & Retention Club Growth & Retention Guide

Club Status Guide

How to Reinstate Your Club 

Sep 19 – DEC Meeting Proceedings Sep 19 – DEC Meeting Minutes

July 2020 Orientation for Area and Division Directors
Video Replays Presentation Handouts
Session 1 – The District Team and the year ahead District Leadership Handbook
Session 2 – Technology and Resources  – Handout Distinguished Recognition Program
Session 3 – Program Quality Orientation Program Quality Orientation Manual
Session 4 – Club Growth Orientation A Guide to Club Visits
Session 5 – Concur Expense Overview/Leadership Q&A Establish and Support New Clubs

General References
District Central – download lists, submit area reports TI’s Division-Area Performance Dashboard
TI’s report – Almost Distinguished Clubs TI’s Clubs Performance Dashboard
WHQ – Working with low member clubs District’s collaboration using Microsoft 365
Vision, Mission, and Values Resolving Conflict
Sample – Team Operating Principles Sample – Meeting Ground Rules

Area/Division Directors Specific
Division Directors Area Directors
Division Directors Checklist Area Directors Checklist
Division Success Plan MS Word template Sample Area Vision Presentation – AD self-intro to clubs
Sample – Division Budget Worksheet Sample Prep Note  – First Area Meeting  in August with Clubs
Training Planning Checklist Sample – Area Success Plan in MS Word
Planning Club Officer Trainings The Big Push – growing and supporting healthy clubs
Training Planning Spreadsheet A Guide to Club Visits
DD 2020-2021 Planning – Club Officer Training Area Directors Club Visit Report Template
Organizing a TLI Mid-Year: Finishing Strong Supporting Clubs
TI’s report of Club Officers List Submitted WHQ –Template: Meeting Agenda for low member clubs
TI’s report of October Dues Renewal Status

Video Tutorials
Division Directors Area Directors
Roles and Responsibilities Roles and Responsibilities
Membership Renewal Quick Tips Filling Out Visit Reports Online
Area Director’s Success Roadmap
 District’s Portal and Microsoft Teams