A message from Kris Pool
Even though the Spring Convention for District 35 has been cancelled, there still a lot going on around our district!
The annual business meeting will still take place on Saturday, May 2, 2020. See details below from Immediate Past District Director Ed Thelen for details. We have some great information about the annual meeting and everything you need to know on the district website at
https://district35.org/district-council-resources/
Club Presidents and Vice Presidents and members of the District Executive Committee – please be sure to follow the instructions from Ed and respond to his emails. We need you! We need you to uphold your responsibility as a club officer and attend the business meeting, learn about the updates in our district, and vote for the incoming district leadership for 2020-2021. All members are invited to attend and listen. The Zoom link is on the district calendar.
At the Spring Convention, we usually have a candidates corner. This year, the candidates’ corner is online on the District Council Resources page. Additionally, there is a Candidate for the Club Growth Director position. The moderator, Paula Houlihan, interviewed our three candidates, asking them the same questions. Take the time and listen to each candidate and learn more about them before you cast your ballot. All members are encouraged to watch the videos and share their insights on who to vote for with their Club President and Vice President Education.
Club renewal dues must be paid by April 30, 2020. In order for your club to be considered in “good standing,” you must have a minimum of 8 club renewals dues submitted and paid. Please make sure your clubs have met this minimum requirement, especially payments for the President and Vice President Education. Without these payments, your club is not eligible to participate in the annual business meeting.
Clubs have until June 30, 2020 to continue striving to achieve Distinguished status, meaning they have achieved 5 of the 10 DCP goals and met the minimum membership requirement. Clubs can visit the dashboards at any time to review their status. The dashboards are available here:
http://dashboards.toastmasters.org/District.aspx?id=35&hideclub=1 Once on the page, you may need to “refresh” to get the latest information. The dashboards are updated daily at 8am.
In other news…. have you been to the “News” section of our district website lately? Posts from the District 35 Facebook page are being added regularly for those members and clubs not using Facebook. Get all the updates without having to sign up for Facebook!
Is your club meeting virtually during this Safer at Home order? If yes, have you updated Club Central that you are meeting online? This is one way to still bring in guests. Also, email Club Growth Director Teri McGregor (
tmcgd35@gmail.com) if your club is meeting online. We have a listing on the district website at
https://district35.org/clubs-meeting-virtually/. Why not take the time to “visit” another club when there’s no travel involved? Share your experiences with your club members and tips you’re learning that you could use during your club meetings. Why not contact one today and offer to hold a meeting role.
Afraid to try a virtual meeting on your own? Reach out to Teri McGregor or Kris Pool (
Kris.Pool.DTM@gmail.com) and we can try to assist in hosting a Zoom meeting for you. Or do you want a tutorial session on how to navigate Zoom? We want to help you feel comfortable using the online technology, but we need you to reach out to us.
And after you’ve attended another club meeting, whether in Wisconsin, Georgia, Hawaii, or England, don’t forget to fill out your District 35 Toastmasters Ambassador form at
https://district35.org/ambassador-program/. Just answer a few quick questions, including what club you attended, something you learned, and something you’d like to implement in the future.
Elections for club officers for 2020-2021 should be done at the first meeting in May, according to club bylaws. Yes, you can vote online. If you only have one person per office, the secretary can cast a single ballot to unanimously elect all the officers. If you have more than one person interested in running for a position, each candidate should give a 2-minute speech on why they are the best candidate for the officer role. Then designate your ballot counter. Using your chat feature, each member should send a private message to the ballot counter with their vote. The ballot counter will count the “slips” and announce the winner. After your election meeting, be sure to go to Club Central and enter in the new officers for the coming year.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR – club officer training will be held virtually on Saturday, June 20, 2020. Time is to be determined. Yes, this training will count toward the Distinguished Club Program goal.
Looking for leadership opportunities beyond the club? We’re still looking for Area Directors throughout the district. Contact Program Quality Director Kris Pool if interested or to learn more.
And finally… don’t forget the traditional education program ends on June 30, 2020 and Pathways is the only education program moving forward. Educational awards for the CC, ACB, ACS, ACG, CL, and ALB must be submitted by June 30 for you to receive credit as a member and for your club. If you have any requirements that still need to be fulfilled for the ALS or DTM (traditional program), you now have until June 30, 2021 to completed. NOTE: individual members will receive education credit for the ALS, but clubs will not receive education credit. Requirements for the ALS include one year as a district officer, complete a High Performance Leadership project, and complete either a Club Sponsor, Club Mentor, or Club Coach role. Reach out to Program Quality Director Kris Pool with any questions.
A Message From Ed Thelen Regarding our District Council Meeting
District Council members (mark your calendars for Saturday, May 2nd from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for our virtual Spring District Council meeting that needs to be conducted. The District Council consists of the District Executive Committee (DEC) comprising of all of the District leaders along with the Club Presidents and Vice Presidents Education. (Note: Other members of District 35 are welcome to attend the District Council meeting but have no voting privileges.)
A Google Form will be made available on Monday, April 20th for individuals to fill out to register for the District Council meeting. You will have until 7 p.m. on Friday, May 1st to indicate you are attending the District Council meeting and be credentialed. NO exceptions will be made to this policy. Being credentialed means you will be supplied electronic votes as we come up to voting items during the District Council meeting
The District plans to use Zoom for the hosting platform for the meeting and Election Runner for voting. These will be tested prior to the District Council meeting and best efforts will be made to have instructions for the voting. The agenda and any supporting documents must be published at least 14 days in advance of the meeting. (Note: All pertinent documents are already posted on the District 35 website.
As a reminder no proxies are allowed for the virtual District Council Meeting. Therefore, we need as many members to attend at this time.
There will be two important votes for the District Council meeting. The first vote will be to approve any realignment changes proposed from the Realignment Chair. The other vote will be to elect our Division Directors, Club Growth Director, Program Quality Director and District Director.
As you can see, this is an important event to get District 35 prepared for the upcoming Toastmasters year. Block off your time to attend this event today!
Ed Thelen, DTM
Immediate Past District Director
