Is your club struggling to find new members? Try Meetup. It is the best way for a Toastmasters community club to get more guests, who will turn into new members.
For those new to Meetup, it is an online social networking portal that facilitates group meetings in various localities around the world. The site allows members to find and join groups unified by a common interest. In Toastmasters’ case, those interests are public speaking and leadership. However, there are groups for every interest you can imagine: politics, books, games, movies, health, pets, careers and hobbies.
In particular, Meetup is a great tool for Toastmasters community clubs to invite guests to upcoming meetings. (I wouldn’t recommend Meetup for Corporate or Advanced clubs as they have a different prospect pool than community clubs.)
How does Meetup work?
- Your club signs up with Meetup, which costs less than 100 dollars a year and easily pays for itself.
- When you are creating the club account, you are prompted to give a description of your club, your meeting dates, and meeting times.
- People looking for things to do are asked about their interests. This is how guests and future members will find your club.
- The more active your clubs is the more it attracts new Meetup group members with the goal of gaining your club new members.
- To make sure your club appears active to potential members have current members mark that they are attending the next meeting. This shows positive activity, which attracts new people to attend as guests.
Why should my club use Meetup?
Toastmasters clubs that currently use Meetup commonly have multiple guests attend every meeting. These clubs also have the biggest membership growth.
As an added incentive to gain members, the upcoming Smedley Membership campaign runs from August 1 – September 30. In order to earn the award, your club must add a minimum of 5 new members, so it is the perfect time to see how Meetup can benefit your club. Also, your club earns 1 Distinguished Club Point for adding 4 new members and additional club point for adding an addition 4 new members.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me at billatkins@icloud.com. With a plan and a strategy, you can add new members to your club.