D98 Times - July 2024

                                                              Welcome to D98 Times

                                                                                                                       What’s happening in your District

Dear District 98 Members,

The Toastmaster year always begins with the wisdom of experience, the vitality of new beginnings, and the collective excitement to learn, grow and thrive together.

We have all witnessed the impact of Toastmasters in our personal and professional lives. It’s not just our own experiences that have been enriched, but also the lives of those around us. Toastmasters has been transforming lives for 100 years now.

At the club level, we’ve seen success stories in member’s communication and leadership journeys. In District 98, we want to ensure that you are regularly updated on what’s happening within your District.

To achieve this, we will be sending you monthly updates in the form of “D98 Times”. Through this newsletter, your District leaders will connect with you every month to share the progress and information regarding District Activities. So, let’s kick off with the July edition of D98 Times.

District Director’s Office:

I congratulate the District Admin Manager’s office in introducing the D98 Times as a monthly curated source of information to help keep us updated with District Activities.  

Program Quality Director’s Office: 

1.The first District Officers Training Program – The Blueprint was held between 28th – 30th June 2024 – where leaders dived into an extensive and rigorous brainstorming exercise to identify 3 Pillars where we want to focus this program year – all our initiatives will be in line with these 3 pillars that will help our members to achieve excellence in everything we do. 
A. Member Focus 
B. Membership Growth 
C. Program Excellence

2. At the recently concluded District Executive Committee Meeting, it was resolved that for this program year 2024-25, District 98 shall host all four contests as guided by Speech Contest Rulebook, namely the Humorous Speech Contest (HSC),  Evaluation Speech Contest (ESC), Table Topics Contest (TTC) and International Speech Contest (ISC). HSC and ESC will be conducted between July and Dec 2024 while TTC and ISC will be conducted between Jan and Jun 2025.        

In accordance with the contest rulebook, it was further resolved that if eight weeks prior to the area contest, the area has four assigned clubs or fewer in good standing, a club will be allowed to send two contestants to compete in the Area Contest for each contest type. It was also resolved that the one highest-placed available contestant for each contest type will progress from the Area Contest, to the Division Contest and to the District Finals which is to be held during Eloquence 2025.        

Do refer to the latest Speech Contest Rulebook before commencing with the contest. The latest mode of contest for Area and above level will be offline as resolved in the District Executive Committee meeting recently concluded.

Contest documents will be uploaded on D98 website latest by first week of August 2024.

3.   Level Up – a train the trainers initiative was conducted on 7th July 2024 to train our trainers for the upcoming Toastmasters Leadership Training Program.

4.   Toastmasters Leadership Training Program – Power Up is scheduled offline in the month of July 2024. Details are enlisted below:
         14th July – Jamnagar (concluded with 50 members getting trained) 
    21st  July – Mumbai (SDA Bocconi) | Rajasthan (IPS Business School, Jaipur) | Indore (TCS Campus)
      28th  July – Mumbai (TCS Olympus) | Ahmedabad (Ahmedabad Management Association) 

An online TLTP will be arranged on 4th Aug 2024 for all online clubs ExCom Officers to get trained.       

Several District Hall of Fame awards require the attendance of all 7 officers at the District-organized Toastmasters Leadership Training Program. Please plan accordingly.

Club Growth Director’s office:

Following are the set of awards for club Vice Presidents of Membership. Please be mindful of the deadlines (Refer to Hall of Fame for detailed eligibility and process requirements)

Bulls Eye 

Criteria:  Add 3/5/7 or more new members to the club by the 31st July 2024

 

Power of Two 

Criteria:  A new/reinstated /dual member joining a club in July or August and paying membership fees in a single transaction to TI till 31st March 2025 by 30th September 2024

 

Super Sponsor 

Criteria: An individual member to sponsor between 3-5 new members in any club in District 98 between July- October 2024

Supreme Sponsor 

Criteria: An individual member to sponsor between 6-8 new members in any club of District 98 between July- October 2024 

Exceeding Everest 

Criteria: Club to achieve maximum net growth percentage in Membership count on 30th September 2024 compared to 1st July 2024

Formula: b-a/a X 100 = x%

a- Base membership as on 1st July

b- Membership to date on 30th September 2024 

Nominations open for Club Coaches: 

Any paid member in good standing of a club in good standing can nominate themselves for Club Coaches to sanjan@district98.org by the 31st of July 2024 

Club Coaches are recommended at clubs whose membership is between 3-12 members 

Minimum requirement:  Level 2 completion and completing Club Coach program on the Base Camp by the Club Coaches as well as any one executive committee member of the club ideally the Club President  

Upcoming Clubs:

 Any members of District 98 who can refer another prospective member for an upcoming Community Club 

Mira- Bhayandar, Thane District, can reach out to Division B Director Ashwini Arondkar (+91- 9820938031) and Area B4 Director Juzer Udaipuri (+91- 9820065619)

Adani Shantigram Toastmasters Club, Ahmedabad can reach out to Division J Director Hiren Dholakia (+ 91- 9586375818) and Area J3 Director Priyanka Panigrahi (+91- 95720 52463)

Naroda Area, Ahmedabad can reach out to Division J Director Hiren Dholakia (+ 91- 9586375818) and Area J5 Director Manisha Chandiramani (+91-9427113380)

District Administration Manager’s office: 

 

1. Attached Appointed District’s Officers contact details for ease of reference. 

2. District 98 Hall of Fame Awards and GEMs awards will be released shortly and will be available on our website for reference. 

3. The Annual Business Meeting (ABM) is a yearly assembly of the voting members of Toastmasters International. It is primarily held for the election of Board Members and to conduct other business of the organization. Club Presidents / Secretaries are encouraged to assign their proxy to District 98 Director who will be interviewing all candidates and representing District 98 at the convention. This is a step-by-step guide to assigning a proxy on the TI website

4. Following New Awards are launched by DAM office in Hall of Fame Awards:

               – Transparency in Administration – For Secretary of the Club (Check the D98 HoF for more details)

               – Excellence in Logistics – For SAA of the Club (Check the D98 HoF for more details)

5. Congratulations to the following clubs celebrating their club anniversaries in the month of July.
  a. Asian Paints Toastmasters Club – 2 years
  b. Sobo Toastmasters Club –  6 years
  c. Powai Toastmasters Club – 11 years

District Finance Manager’s office: 

  1. Community clubs are encouraged to operate a bank account in the name of the club. Clubs having an existing bank account should get their signatories updated
  1. All clubs should get their Income & Expense budget for July to Dec 2024 approved by the club at a scheduled business meeting.
  1. Following New Award is launched by DFM office in Hall of Fame Awards:

               – Transparency in Treasury – For Treasurer of the Club (Check the D98 HoF for more details)

District Public Relations Manager’s office: 

The theme for July 2024: Leadership in Action!

We encourage all clubs to conduct their meetings and activities based on this theme. 

Don’t forget to tag @d98tm on Instagram—we’ll be happy to showcase your posts on our Instagram stories and highlights.

Stay Connected:

Follow us on social media for the latest updates and to engage with the Toastmasters District 98 community. 

Connect with us to celebrate each other’s growth!

Be in Touch:

If you have any questions about VPPR activities or brand compliance, please contact DPRM at akshay@district98.org

We look forward to a month filled with leadership and learning!

Warm Regards

Khushal Lalwani, DTM
District Administration Manager 
www.district98.org
www.toastmasters.org
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