Leadership, Change, and the Power of Community

What should we do when a Toastmasters club begins to struggle?

Many leaders face difficult questions:

• Should we continue operating with declining membership?
• Should we remain online because change feels risky?
• Or should we make bold decisions to rebuild?

These questions became very real for the Circle T Toastmasters Club.

Like many clubs during and after the pandemic, Circle T survived because of a small group of dedicated online members who worked tirelessly to keep meetings running. Their commitment deserved enormous respect. They preserved the club during one of the most challenging periods in Toastmasters history. But over time, survival mode became difficult to sustain. Membership steadily declined. Energy decreased. Members became burned out. The club was struggling to maintain good standing, and there was growing concern about whether the club could continue long-term.

At that moment, I realized something important:

• Sometimes leadership is not about maintaining the current situation.
• Sometimes leadership requires rebuilding.

A Club Worth Saving

Circle T is not just another club. It has more than 60 years of history and is the only remaining Toastmasters club in Medicine Hat. As I learned more about the city, I saw tremendous potential. Medicine Hat has a strong community spirit, friendly residents, and many organizations that value personal growth and connection. I believed that if we could protect the Toastmasters presence in Medicine Hat, the club could grow again. The challenge was that rebuilding required change.

The Difficult Reality of Change

When I shared my vision of transitioning the club back to in-person meetings, several online members expressed concern. Some explained they would not be able to continue attending if meetings moved back to Medicine Hat. Their concerns were understandable. Online meetings have helped many members stay connected during the pandemic.

But I also recognized an important leadership reality:

• What helped a club survive during one season may not be what helps it grow in the next season.
• The club needed renewed local energy, stronger community visibility, and opportunities for face-to-face connection.
• The transition was not simply about changing the meeting format. It was about changing direction—from maintaining decline to rebuilding growth.

Rebuilding Through Community Connection

To rebuild the club, we first needed to reconnect with the local community.

We identified RibFest in Medicine Hat as an opportunity to introduce Toastmasters to the public. I registered for a booth and organized a promotional campaign during the September event, followed by an Open House in October. The response was encouraging.

People were genuinely interested when they heard about the club’s long history and mission. Many residents were looking for opportunities to improve communication, build confidence, and connect with others. By the end of the weekend, we had gathered approximately 20 potential member contacts.

This experience reinforced another important lesson: Struggling clubs often still have value. The community simply may not know they exist.

Leadership Is Never a Solo Effort

This effort succeeded because members worked together.

Several members volunteered their time to help promote Toastmasters during RibFest and support the Open House. Other local core members worked hard to create welcoming meetings and invite coworkers, friends, and guests.

Their efforts helped rebuild momentum and meeting energy. After the promotion, I personally followed up with prospective members and invited them to attend the Open House at Medicine Hat College. Very quickly, several individuals expressed interest in joining the club, and membership applications began arriving shortly afterward.

Managing Resistance During Change

One of the hardest parts of rebuilding a struggling club is managing resistance.

Not everyone agreed with the direction I chose. Some members and leaders advised me to let the club close instead of investing time and energy into rebuilding it. Others questioned whether the effort would succeed.

Change can feel uncomfortable, especially when people fear losing familiar routines or existing relationships. But leadership sometimes means making decisions based on long-term sustainability rather than short-term comfort. Rebuilding a club often requires new vision, new energy, and occasionally a new management approach.

It means shifting conversations from: “How do we maintain what is left?”
to: “How do we create a future?”

Creating a New Foundation

To establish stability, I contacted local businesses and community organizations to secure a meeting location.

Eventually, the public library agreed to recognize the Toastmasters club as one of its community programs and allowed us to use its facilities for meetings. This became a major turning point. The club gained visibility, credibility, and access to new guests from the community. Attendance gradually increased, and the atmosphere became more energetic and hopeful.

Today, the club has officially grown to 13 registered members, with additional membership applications still in progress. More importantly, the club has regained belief in its future.

Lessons for Rebuilding Struggling Clubs

Through this experience, I learned that struggling clubs should not automatically be viewed as failures. Sometimes they are simply clubs waiting for renewal.

For leaders facing similar situations, here are several lessons I learned:

1. Clarify why change is necessary.
2. Define the long-term vision for the club.
3. Focus on community engagement and visibility.
4. Build a strong core leadership team.
5. Be willing to make difficult decisions.
6. Accept that resistance is part of change management.
7. Shift from survival thinking to growth thinking.
8. Create opportunities for members to reconnect face-to-face.
9. Follow up consistently with prospective members.
10. Believe that rebuilding is possible.

Strong clubs are not built overnight. They are rebuilt through courage, persistence, teamwork, and a willingness to embrace change.

Sometimes saving a struggling club is not only about preserving meetings—it is about preserving community, leadership opportunities, and the future of Toastmasters International itself.

Daisy Wei, DTM
D42 Immediate Past District Director