Tag: Business Meeting

Call to Meeting: September 21, 2023

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Hello fellow D53 officers:

Thursday, September 21, 2023, 7:00-9:00pm

Online via Zoom

All Club Presidents and VPEs and all DEC members are expected to attend.

Note that the Zoom information and the .ics calendar file have been corrected since the “Save the Date” email on 08/06/23.

Zoom Info

If neither Zoom link works by clicking it, copy and paste it into your web browser address bar.

Meeting Details

In accordance with District Bylaws, this is the official call to hold the next District Council Business Meeting online at 7:00 PM on Thursday, September 21, 2023.  

The District Council consists of the District Executive Committee and the President and VP Education from each active club in the district. The District Executive Committee consists of all Area Directors, all Division Directors, District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, Public Relations Manager, Administration Manager, Financial Manager and Immediate Past District Director.

The District Council meets twice annually, in the Fall and Spring.  The fall meeting is always online and the spring meeting is typically held in-person during the District 53 Annual Conference, but may be held online on a date prior to the Conference.

Participation at this meeting is one of the responsibilities of all District Council members, and it is especially important that every club participates so that we can achieve quorum.  Since proxy votes are not allowed at District Council meetings, your club can only be represented if your President and/or VPE attends.  Either officer can cast both club votes if only one is present.

The District Council is the governing body of the Toastmasters District and conducts all business of the district including district officer elections, officer appointment confirmations, club, area and division alignment, district budget approval, conference location approval, and other matters important to effective district operations. The business items for discussion and approval at this specific meeting will include:

  • Approval of the April 2023 District Council meeting minutes
  • Approval of the Year-End 2022-2023 Financial Audit;
  • Approval of the 2023-2024 District Budget;
  • Approval of the 2023-2024 District Success Plan (DSP);
  • Confirmation of appointed 2023-2024 District Officers;
  • Decision on 2023-2024 Area and Division contest format (in-person, online, or hybrid)

We will also have reports from the District Sr Staff, with time for questions and feedback.

Links

Links to supporting meeting information:

Emails with additional details, such as the Meeting Info Kit and your voting credentials, will be sent on:

  •  August 21 – Official Call To Meeting (CTM) Invitation
  • September 7 – Two-week reminder and draft Meeting Info Kit
  • September 14  – Final Meeting Info Kit, voting credentials and ballot links
  • September 19 – Final reminder including any late-breaking info

Please refer any questions to DAM@D53TM.org & DD@D53TM.org,

Thank you.

Sent by:

Norm Thibodeau, DTM, PMP
District 53 Administrative Manager 2023-24

On behalf of:

Patti Walter, DTMBettyann Peck, DTMMohan Padamati, DTM
District 53 DirectorD53 Program Quality DirectorD53 Club Growth Director

Proxy Assignment

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM | 1 Comment on Proxy Assignment

There are several steps to casting votes at the Annual Business Meeting. It is your role to ensure the completion of Step 1 by August 11 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) -4:

Step 1: Assign Proxy for your Club

Hold a Business Meeting: The club should meet to discuss the international candidates and to choose a proxyholder.

To learn and understand the roles, attributes, and responsibilities of International Officers and Directors, please review the leadership roles. Learn more about the International Officer and Director Candidates.
Your club’s proxyholder must be able to attend the Annual Business Meeting, either online or onsite, on August 18, at 7 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) -4.
The Club President or Secretary designates the proxyholder through the Toastmasters International website.

  • A proxyholder must be designated, even if the Club President or Secretary is assigning the proxy to themself.
  • Only one person may carry the votes for your club.
  • Once your club has chosen the proxyholder, follow the instructions below:
  • Log into www.toastmasters.org with your member ID/email and password.
  • Scroll to the Annual Business Meeting section on My Home (directly below the My Education and Achievements section).
  • Click on “Club Proxy & Voting Instructions.”
  • If you are an officer in multiple clubs, select the club(s) for which you are assigning the proxy.
  • Click on the Start button next to “Designate Proxyholder.”
  • Select from the three options for designating a proxyholder: A member of the club, the 2023-2024 District Director, or another active Toastmaster.
  • Follow the prompts to complete the process. To submit your proxyholder designation, enter your name into the Signature box, click the checkbox, and press “Confirm proxyholder.”
  • If your club wants to use the option to provide instructions to the proxyholder, click on Go to “Designate Voting Instructions”. Voting instructions can also be provided at a later time from “Club Proxy & Voting Instructions.”
  • Once your club’s proxy is assigned, please advise the proxyholder they will receive a communication on how to complete Step 2: Credentials. Credentials/the acceptance period starts on August 12.

If your club is the home to the Club Growth Director, or Program Quality Director, or another District officer who will be attending the meeting, consider assigning the proxy to them so they get the practice at exercising that responsibility.

If the officers in your club have changed, please notify World Headquarters immediately by going to the Club Officer Assignment section of Club Central on the Toastmasters International website. You can also email the changes to clubofficers@toastmasters.org or call the Club Quality and Member Support Department at +1 720-439-5050.

For questions or additional information, please email proxyinfo@toastmasters.org or visit the Annual Business Meeting page of the Toastmasters International website.

Please plan to attend the Annual Business Meeting, either onsite or online, on Friday, August 18, at 7 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) -4. Please note, due to legal requirements, there will be no 24-hour voting period. Voting for each election will be opened, closed, and tallied before proceeding to the ballot for the next election, so be sure to attend from the start.

Call to Annual Business Meeting: April 2023

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM | 1 Comment on Call to Annual Business Meeting: April 2023

Notice of the Annual Business Meeting of Toastmaster District 53!

The official Call To Meeting for the District Council Business Meeting was emailed to all delegates on 03/27/23.  If you are a delegate but didn’t get your copy, please contact RegMgr@D53TM.org.

The entire Meeting Info Kit can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/D53DC-InfoKit2023-04-27.

About the District Council Annual Business Meeting

The District Council, consists of the District Director as presiding officer, plus the District Program Quality Director (PQD), the District Club Growth Director (CGD), the District Public Relations Manager (PRM), the District Finance Manager (DFM), and District Administrative Manager (DAM), plus the five Division Directors (DVDs) and the Area Directors (ADs) of District 53, plus the President (PRES) and Vice President of Education (VPE)of each club in good standing in the District.

The District Council holds two meetings a year: one before September 30 to finalize and approve the annual budget; and the Annual Business Meeting in April or May, to elect officers for the program year beginning on July 1. Quorum is one-third of the Club Presidents and Vice Presidents of Education. A majority of the votes cast is required to pass most motions.

In the event that any business is transacted at a District Council meeting when a quorum is not present, the action shall be deemed as valid as if a quorum were present if it is thereafter expressly approved. Approval can be granted by affirmative vote of a majority of the Member Clubs in the District on the basis of two (2) votes per club in writing, personally, by mail, fax, e-mail, electronic transmission, or by any other reasonable means. 

Proxies for District Council meetings are not permitted. The Club President and/or Vice President Education of any member club may vote on behalf of the club as its representative. Either club officer may carry the club’s two (2) votes or each of these club officers may carry one (1) vote, as determined by the club membership. The representative from any Member Club in good standing is entitled to a maximum of two (2) votes. District Executive Committee members are entitled to one (1) vote and may cast up to two (2) additional votes as a Club President and/or Vice President Education.

October 2022 DC Business Meeting Results

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM
D53-DC-2022-10-27-Meeting-ResultsDownload

These are “at a glance” business meeting minutes. The draft of the formal minutes will be presented as part of the meeting package for the May 2023 District 53 Business Meeting, and if approved will become formal minutes.

District Director’s Letter, 11/1/2022

Posted on | by Andrew Watt, DTM

Dear District 53 Toastmasters:

First and foremost, I am grateful to the members of the District Council: District Executive Committee and club Presidents and Vice-presidents: for their participation in the Fall Business Meeting of October 27. Participation was so robust that we easily met quorum. Well done! All business items, including annual budget, District Success Plan, 2021-2022 audit report, and the roster of appointed officers, were adopted with comfortable margins.

The District 53 Trio recognizes and thanks the functionaries who made the meeting run so smoothly and on time. These functionaries include Timekeepers Selina Tourjee and Silva Abadjian, as well as Zoom Masters Steve Lanning and Rick May. District Administrative Manager Norm Thibodeau kept us all on track with displays, meeting scripts, and ballots. Without these engaged Toastmasters, the meeting would not have been possible.

I am instituting a monthly “Coffee Hour with the District Director.” This will be every second Saturday, November, 2022 through June, 2023, from 8:30 to 9:30. Here is the link to copy and paste in your browser: 

https://tinyurl.com/DD-Coffee-Hour

Finally, this is a great time of the year to revisit, review, and revise your Club Success Plans (CSPs). Are your goals for your club realistic? Do they reflect your members’ interests? Do they support your club’s growth and vitality? Club officers can work with their Area Directors in creating or modifying a CSP that will result in a vibrant program for your members. Be sure to reach out to your Area Director for their support. They are anxious to assist you in succeeding.

Thank you for your kind attention, Toastmasters!

John J. Hogan, DTM
District Director, 2022-23