Toastmasters: Area Governor

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Area governor  serve as the direct liaison between the district and the clubs.

One way that you serve clubs is through the area club visits conducted at least twice a year. These visits are crucial to understanding how clubs are fulfilling member needs, and how the district is successful in supporting and meeting the needs of each club.

Insofar as practicable, the area governors shall have served as members of a district council. The area governor is eligible for reelection or reappointment for one succeeding term only.

Responsibilities:

Report regularly to the division governor and district leaders on area progress .
Advise district leaders immediately if your area falls below four clubs or grows above six clubs.
Serve as Area Council chair.
Hold at least two Area Council meetings each year and have the following topics on the agenda:
Discuss each club’s plans and goals in the Distinguished Club Program and needs for district/area assistance.
Review attendance at club officer training.
Achieve Distinguished Area status.
Motivate and assist each club in the area to become a Distinguished Club.
Participate in area governor training provided by the district.
Make at least two club visits per club per year:
Assess club membership and its leadership’s willingness to grow.
Assess who will achieve educational achievements and when these will be completed.
Submit the Area Report of the Club Visit form online.
Contact club presidents monthly about:
Distinguished Club Program performance.
Follow-up on items identified during previous visit or contact.
District training or other district events.

Visiting Clubs

Quality clubs are those that meet their members’ needs. As an area governor, you play a critical role in maintaining club quality through club visits, which are required twice a year and should take place between July 1– October 31 and again between January 1– April 30. As you prepare for your club visits:

Review the online Distinguished Club Program report. Familiarize yourself with the online Area Governor’s Club Visit Report – it will act as your evaluation tool during your visit.

Contact the club president at least one month prior to your visit.
Request the Club Success Plan from the club president and spend time reviewing it prior to the visit.
Ask that the club president share the club’s historical information and demographics.
Work with the club president to determine the club’s specific needs so you can customize your visit and ensure the club gets the most out of it.

• Area Governor election proxy form
• Area Governor club visit report

Each club visit will vary depending on the arrangements you have made with the club president. Focus on those items that are applicable based on your agreements:
Observe the club’s meeting and review the club mission.
Discuss characteristics of successful clubs through best practices.
Ask club leaders how they know when they are successfully meeting the needs of their members.
Set a good example by presenting a project from a communication manual.
Review the Toastmasters programs (e.g., Membership Building, Distinguished Club Program).
Identify prospective future leaders – talk about leadership opportunities within Toastmasters.
Spend time with the club leaders. Ask how communication between you and the club can improve. Discuss yearend goals and strategies to ensure that those goals are achieved. Use the Distinguished Club Program and Club Success Plan as your guide. Recommend methods for moving forward and point out opportunities for enhancement.

Although your visit with the club has ended, there are additional items you must complete:

Submit the Area Governor’s Club Visit Report online. A copy of the form will automatically be sent by email to your district leaders and the club president. Reports are due twice a year, by November 30 and May 31.
Follow up with the club to learn how things have been since the visit. Ask if the club needs additional support then ensure you provide it.
Keep records of your area club visits and pass them on to the next year’s area governor. This will ensure that clubs’ needs are continually met.

Dues Renewals

World Headquarters emails dues renewal notifications to club officers the first week of September and the first week of March. Clubs renew online by visiting www.toastmasters.org/renew. Area governors should follow up with each club to ensure ontime renewal submission.

When renewals are submitted on time, clubs and districts benefit. Club members continue to enjoy the benefits Toastmasters offers and the club receives credit toward one of the goals in the Distinguished Club Program. Your district will be able to identify clubs that are having membership problems so they can offer assistance. The district also receives a portion of each dues payment a club submits. 

District funds shall not be used for payment of charter fees or payment of club dues. If a district check is received for either of these, it will not be accepted, and processing will be delayed. Likewise, World Headquarters will not accept a check drawn on a division or area checking account, nor any check drawn on the personal account of a district leader unless that officer is a president, vice president, or treasurer of the club.

Toastmasters International encourages all clubs to maintain a membership level of at least 20 members. However, in order to keep its charter in good standing, a Toastmasters club must maintain a minimum of six members, at least three of whom were members of the club during the last dues period.

Articles:

Club Officer Elections and Leadership Training

Club officers are elected either annually for terms that begin July 1 and end June 30, or semiannually for terms that run from July 1 through December 31 and January 1 through June 30. Club leadership training programs should be scheduled to accommodate these election schedules.

Installing Club Officers

One district function is to install officers of Toastmasters clubs when invited to do so. The area governor is the district team member best suited to handle this important opportunity, although a division governor or a past president of the club can do it. In a company or government club, a key executive or public figure, such as the corporation president or military officer, may be willing to perform the ceremony. A sample installation ceremony script is included in the Appendix.

Club Officer Training

One of the area governor’s responsibilities is to ensure club officers in the area have access to training sessions conducted by the district that will equip them to succeed during their terms of office.

The way the training program is organized and administered will vary from district to district. With your district leaders, determine what plans have been made for club officer training. In some districts it is conducted on a division level, coordinated by the division governor, and assisted by the area governors of that division. In other districts, the entire program is the responsibility of the area governor. Whichever the case, you will want to encourage club officer participation in these programs.

Additional Resources

Effective Club Service and Club Visits (Item 219)

How to Build a Toastmasters Club (Item 121)

District Leadership Handbook (Item 222)

Distinguished Area and Division Program (Item 1481)

Distinguished Club Program and Club Success Plan (Item 1111)

Speech Contest Rulebook (Item 1171)

Training Club Leaders (Item 217)

Procedures for Area Governor Elections by Area Councils

Article VII (c) of the District Administrative

The District Administrative Bylaws provides for the selection of Area Governors either by appointment by the district governor or by election by the area councils.  In our District, Area Governors for existing Areas are elected by the respective Area councils.

The following information outlines the procedures to be followed for the election of Area Governors.

Area Council Election Meeting Time: Each Area will convene an Area Council meeting during which an election for an Area Governor will be included on the agenda. The area council meeting at which the election for area governor is conducted must be held at least two weeks before the annual meeting of the district council. The time and place of the meeting is determined by the current area governor.

Election Notice: Written notice of the election must be given to the president of each club in the area at least four weeks before the election. Notice should include the qualifications for candidates and list the voting members of the Area Council.

Qualifications of Area Governor Candidates: Each candidate, if practicable, should have served at least six months as a member of a district council (club president or vice president education). “Practicable” is defined as “desired, but not required.”

Voting members of the area council: The voting members of the area council are the president, vice president education and vice president membership of each club in the area. No other member of the area council has a vote.

Quorum: A majority of the voting area council members or their proxies, shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum is not present, an election cannot be held unless another meeting is conducted which is properly noticed and at which a quorum is present.

Proxies: Either the club president, vice president education, or vice president membership may designate, in writing, any member of the club to act as a proxy for him or her at the area council election meeting. In the event two of those officers are not in attendance at the meeting and have not designated, in writing, active members of the club to act as their proxies at such meeting, the officer or proxyholder in attendance shall be deemed to hold the proxy of the others and may therefore cast the club’s three votes. If two valid proxyholders are present and cannot decide among them who shall cast the third vote, the third proxy goes to the highest-ranking officer present or his or her proxy. The intent of this provision is to assure that every club will be represented by three votes.

Nominations and Elections: Each club in the area may submit to the area governor, in writing, any member in good standing as a candidate for area governor. The names of candidates from the clubs will be placed in nomination by the area governor at the election. Nominations will then be accepted from the floor.

Election Procedure: After the nominations are closed, if there is only one candidate, the area governor shall declare that candidate elected.

If two or more candidates are nominated, each candidate is entitled to a two-minute speech. The speeches shall be delivered in alphabetical order of the candidate’s last name. If a candidate is not present, the speech may be given by that candidate’s representative.

Each member of the area council in attendance, or his or her proxy, is entitled to one vote. No area council member or proxy may cast more than three votes, even if he or she is a member of more than one club. The area governor may act as a club proxy and may cast up to three votes. However, in the case of a tie, the area governor is entitled to only one additional vote to break the tie.

Voting shall be by secret ballot: Any candidate who receives a majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected. In the event no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for a contested office, voting shall continue without the name of the candidate that received the fewest votes. Such procedure shall continue until one of the candidates receives a majority of the votes.

Notification of Results: The area governor should then notify the district governor of election results.

CHECKLIST FOR AREA GOVERNORS

•  Decide the date for the Area Council meeting and include the Area Governor election on the agenda.
•  Provide written notice to all Clubs of the election, including qualifications of candidates and identify voting members of the Area Council.
•  Receive nominations
•  Verify proxy holders
•  Election

-       If only one candidate has nominated declare that person elected.

-       If more than one candidate has nominated have the candidates give their speeches and conduct the election by secret ballot.

•  Notify the District Governor of the election result.

Area Governor election guidelines from District Leadership handbook:( Brief)

As per this, the following are the procedures for the AG election:

1. The area Governor should conduct the new AG election at least two weeks before the next district council meeting.
2. The Area Goevrenor should call for the Area council meeting with giving sufficient advance information.
3. The nominations should be called from every club of the Area, so that you give sufficient opportunity and time for any one to make nominations for self or for others.
4. The Area council members, comprising President, VP Ed and VPM will have voting rights.+ the Area Governor
5. If any of the council member is not able to attend, they can send proxies through another officer.
6. If there are more candidates, then the election should be done by secret ballot.

• Area Governor election proxy form
• Area Governor club visit report