European Reformation Committee Report
UPDATE: The proposal has been approved by the Toastmasters International Board of Directors in August 2016!
In the last Toastmasters International Board Meeting, the numbers of the new districts were assigned. They are:
– 59 District “B” (FR, NL, BE, LU, MC)
– 107 District “A” (ES, PT, AD)
– 109 District “E” (IT, CH, AT, BG, CY, GR, FL, MK, SM, VA).
You may find this information in the meeting minutes of 14th December meeting in www.toastmasters.org
Following instruction from Toastmasters International Board of Directors in August 2015 to districts 59 and 95 to set up a joint reformation committee.
The committee’s task was to conduct a needs analysis and develop a reformation proposal to create district structures in Europe that are:
- In line with Toastmasters Policy (policy 7.0)
- Sustainable
- Operationally manageable
- For implementation on 1st July 2018, if approved by the Board of Directors
Analysis was conducted regarding expected club growth, club strength, financial feasibility, leadership potential and geographical considerations from September 2015 to January 2016.
The final report from the European Committee is now available here
European Reformation Draft Proposal
During Executive Committee meetings in Nice and Budapest on February 6th, European Reformation Committee Chair Morag Mathieson presented the draft proposal for the reformation of our two districts during a joined streamed session. The draft proposal is the result of an intense exploration of over 20 possible options. On scrutinizing, most of them turned out to have too many disadvantages to be viable options.
The draft proposal was open for discussion until March 19th. Until that date questions were sent to the committee and all questions and the answers posted in the FAQ section bellow. On behalf of the Reformation Committee, we thank you for taking the time to send questions and comments about the reformation process and proposal.
There were three webinars held in both Districts:
- Monday 15th February 20:00 hosted by District 95
- Thursday 18th February 20:00 hosted by District 59
- Wednesday 16th March 20:00 hosted by both District 59 and District 95
You can access the replay at the end of this page.
After March 19 the reformation committee will finalize the proposal and send it to the District Directors by April 2nd.
On April 16 the final proposal will be sent to all district council members so they can prepare for their vote at the District Council Meetings in May.
We invite you to send your questions and feedback to the European Reformation Committee and look forward to the final proposal being approved in May.
Timetable for Reformation of Districts 59 & 95
| Dec, 16th 2015 & Jan, 7th 2016 | Webinars for members to ask about reformation (the proposal will not be prepared) |
| Feb, 7th 2016 | Presentation of proposals to district officers at District Executive Commettee Meetings (DECM) |
| February 2016 | Proposal avaliable on district websites & webinar for club officers & members |
| February, 18th 2016 | Webinar for club officers & members Discussion on Division, Area and Club Level |
| Until March 19th 2016 | Question & Answers to Reformation Committee |
| April 2th 2016 | Final proposal send to District Directors |
| May 2016 | District Council vote on proposals - D95 on May 14th and D59 |
| August 2016 | Proposal APPROVED by Toastmasters International Board of Directors |
| July 1st 2017 - June 20st 2018 | Transition year, preparing for reformation |
| July 1st 2018 | New district structures are implemented |
Reformation FAQ
In December 2015 D59 has 203 paid clubs and D95 has 229 paid clubs. Once a district has 200 clubs it can apply to the Board of Directors at Toastmasters International to request permission to begin the reformation process.
This approval was given in August 2015.
- Reformed districts will have no fewer than 100 clubs each
- Number of clubs, club strength, growth trends, growth potential, population, education, languages spoken, and geographic influences for all districts
- Reasons why the reformation is in the best interests of the members, the clubs, the districts, and Toastmasters International
- Marketing plan projecting growth and identifying key market opportunities for all districts
- Succession plan identifying qualified future leaders in all districts
- Financial projections demonstrating the anticipated income and expense for all districts
The number 95 will go to district C because the oldest club in district 95 is Ramstein Speakers Bureau. The other districts would be assigned their number by World Headquarters by July 1st 2017.
The possibility of combining Germany, Switzerland and Austria in a single district was considered but encountered some challenges:
- The district that would be created would have had approximately 160 clubs at the time of reformation and within 2 years would begin thinking about reforming again. Meaning this combination would be short-lived. It also made it difficult to construct adequate districts around this one with strong countries with enough leaders and resources to be sustainable.
- One option considered was to divide the country of Germany to make a district of an adequate size but the consultation with division directors from Germany indicated that this was not a desirable option for them and also was not desirable for the district leaders or for Toastmasters International.
- Also considered was that in the last reformation the district did not want to create a German block of countries. In the proposal combining Austria with Switzerland gives a possibility of shared interest in the German language within that district.
Reformation of Districts 59 & 95
Toastmasters in Europe has been growing steadily for many years and this trend looks set to continue. District leaders in D59 & D95 recognized the need to offer a good support to clubs and maintain growth, whilst keeping the leadership challenge manageable. Supported by the Board of Directors, both district directors appointed a reformation committee to analyse the situation and propose future district structures. In this session you can find out more about the reformation and the work of this committee. Some members of the committee will answer questions and share information so D59 members are briefed on this development.
Download European Reformation presentation
Joint District 59 and 95 European Reformation Webinar – March 16th, 2016
European Reformation Webinar – February 18th, 2016
European Reformation Webinar – February 15th, 2016
European Reformation Webinar – January 7th, 2016
Want to know more? Check the 30 minutes webinar presentation delivered by Morag Mathieson