How is Toastmasters organized?
When Toastmasters was initially formed it only consisted of a small number of clubs. For this reason, in the early days of Toastmasters there was no need for a formal structure. As Toastmasters evolved and grew throughout the United States and later to the rest of the world, a formal structure was required so that everything would run smoothly. This section explains how Toastmasters is organised.
Clubs
All Toastmasters members belong to one or more clubs. Clubs consist of at least 10 members and may have 40 or more. There are, at present, over 12,000 clubs around the world. There are 2 types of clubs, community and company clubs. Community clubs are open to anyone interested in attending, while company clubs are sometimes restricted to employees of the company. National Toastmasters is a community-based club. We welcome anyone who wishes to attend a meeting and/or wants to become a member.
In each club there is a club executive made up of several people who are elected by club members to run the club for 12 months. The executive is made up of a President, Vice President Education, Vice President Membership, Vice President Public Relations, Sgt At Arms, Treasurer, Secretary and Immediate Past President. See the Contact Us section for further information about National Toastmasters Club executive.
Areas
Clubs located close to each other are grouped into what is called an Area. Each area has an Area Governor, who usually is a member of one of the clubs within the area. The Governor represents the clubs at Division and District levels.
Winners of Club speech contests compete at Area contests, which are held on a regular basis. The winner of the Area contest progresses to the next contest level, Division.
Divisions
Groups of Areas are organized into what are called Divisions, with 4 to 6 Areas per Division. Like Areas, Divisions have a Governor. The Division Governor works with the Area Governors to motivate the clubs to high membership and to have good, effective educational programs.
Divisions have Division Speech Contests several times a year, with winners from the Areas coming together to compete. The Division winners progress to the District level speech contests.
District
Divisions are grouped together to form Districts. A District Governor, Lieutenant Governor Education & Training, and Lieutenant Governor Marketing are elected by the clubs to coordinate the Toastmasters International educational programs in the Divisions that comprise the District.
Districts in some cases are equivalent to "states" and in other cases are smaller or larger. If you think of a District as "the state office" you won't be too far off. Districts have speech contests several times a year, as the Division winners come together at the District Conferences to compete for the District crowns.
Above the District level is the Toastmasters International Board Of Directors and the World Headquarters, who oversee the worldwide operations of Toastmasters. They also organise the International Speech Contest, where winners of District competitions compete for the highest contest prize within Toastmasters.
Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is the world wilde parent organization of Toastmasters. Its headquarter is in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. More information about Toastmasters International can be found at www.toastmasters.org.
Where Does National Toastmasters fit in?
National Toastmasters is 1 of 6 clubs in Area 12 of Central Division in District 70. District 70 encompasses the 250+ Toastmasters clubs in the State of New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).