Dues are due! Learn tips and tricks to get your renewals in by March 15, 2020. (The final deadline is March 31, 2020). Members pay prorated international dues of $45 USD every six months. Some clubs may charge additional fees. All new members also pay a one-time fee of $20 USD. Download a membership application here.

Below are tips from Stephanie Chow with District 4 Toastmasters to make dues collection easy. 

When are membership dues due?

Renewals take place every 6 months from August 15 – September 30 and February 15 to March 31. This can be a strange few months for club management. You may have reminded members in meetings or via email, but every time you try to communicate a dues deadline to the club, you see nothing but glazed eyes and zero email responses.

Collecting dues (read: asking for money) is awkward but it doesn’t have to be slow and painful. This is the time to step up and take financial responsibility for the club. There are a few tactical and practical approaches to smoothing out the dreaded dues collection period.

We highly recommend you collect and pay the dues in February - if you can avoid the rush and pressure.

Educate the importance of paying on time

In addition to informing members that dues are due, take time to explain why it’s important. A little education and transparency is all it takes to get the ball rolling. Let members know months in advance that dues collection is approaching. No one likes surprises that involve paying money! Create a chart that breaks down where their dues are going, and remind them about the benefits they are getting out of the Toastmasters program. It also doesn’t hurt to explain that delinquency will result in the club losing its good standing, which has consequences such as contest eligibility.

For corporate clubs, ensure your sponsors are aware of the dues schedule, and have payment procedures in place so dues can be paid on-time.

Offer Annual Dues Option to your Members

Many clubs will collect annual dues rather than semi-annual. The club can then submit their renewals confidently every February and August well ahead of the time they are due. Consider adding a "one month off" discount for those who renew for a year - giving the club members the option to pay once a year and save on their dues. This has worked well for clubs like Prince George Toastmasters for years.

Leverage technology to collect payments

The great thing about living in the digital world is the availability of options to transact without needing to collect physical cash or checks.

If your club uses a Freetoasthost website, the club treasurer can email dues invoices, keep track of who has paid with the payment method used, and follow up with those who haven’t paid yet.

Technology such as PayPal, Venmo and Square can help collect dues at meetings with the swipe of a debit/credit card or send money electronically. Here is a step by step guide to setting up PayPal, as an example, to collect dues from new members and renewals. 

Note: Toastmasters International will be adding the option for individual members to pay by credit card directly at Toastmasters.org but for now, this is not yet in place.

Pay your Dues on Club Central

To submit renewals online, go to www.toastmasters.org/clubcentral and log in with your username and password. Next, follow these steps:

1. Under the Leadership Central button, click Club Central. It may require you to select the club name you want to pay renewals for.
2. Click Submit Payment.
3. Select Add to Cart for each member you want to make a payment for. You may be asked to select dates.
4. Provide your payment information and follow the prompts to process your payment.

Track your progress

Track your club’s daily progress to submit 8 or more membership renewal payments through Club Central before March 15 from this Toastmasters Dues Collection Leaderboard. What does status mean on the report?

• Verified complete: mm/dd/yyyy
  Minimum payments have been made. Your club is in good standing. The payments must be postmarked by the deadline for your club to score the DCP goal #10.
• Low: Minimum Requirement not yet met
  Less than eight payments have been made. Your club will not be in good standing if the minimum payments are not made by the deadline.
• Ineligible: Minimum Requirement not yet met
  Less than three renewals have been made. Your club will not be in good standing if the minimum payments are not made by the deadline.
• Renewals not here
  No payments have been made. Your club will not be in good standing if the minimum payments are not made by the deadline. The club is at risk of automatic suspension.

FAQ on Renewals

Read the Frequently Asked Questions page from Toastmasters for answers to the most common questions.

FAQ RENEWALS

If you have any questions, contact Mimi Vanderheide, Club Growth Director at mimi.vanderheide@outlook.com.

RESOURCES