Toastmasters VP Education Guide: Your First 90 Days

You said yes to VP Education, and now a whole club's schedule is yours. The role is the busiest on the officer team, but most of the work is repetitive, which means most of it can be set up once. Here is a plan for your first 90 days, with the exact steps in Toastmanagers.

What the job actually is

The VP Education plans meetings so that every member gets the chance to reach their goals. In practice that means being the club's chief scheduler, its go-to person for education awards, and the officer who makes sure new members get started and find a mentor. Scheduling is the part that eats your week, so fix that first.

Week 1: Get set up

• Get the handover. Ask the last VPE for the current schedule, promised speech slots, and anything members were told in passing.
• Sort out Base Camp. Find out who approves level completions for your club, and make sure you can sign in.
• Create your club in Toastmanagers. Set your timezone and date format, then import your roster from a CSV or add members by hand.
• Ask members to set their preferences. Each member can mark roles "prefer", "avoid", or "never" and enter the dates they will be away. This is the information that used to live in your head.

Weeks 2 to 4: Build the schedule

1. Click New meetings and choose your pattern: every week, every 2 weeks, every month, or selected weeks of the month, such as the first and third Tuesday.
2. Generate at least the next two months, so members can see what is coming.
3. Use Auto-assign to fill every empty role. It works from role history, preferences, and absences.
4. Review the draft and change anything by hand. Tap a name to swap it.
5. Place the speeches you already promised, then attach each one's Pathways project.

From here, reminders take care of themselves. Every assigned member gets an email 7 days and 1 day before their role, and you can turn on a same-day reminder in Settings. For the theory behind a fair rotation, read how to schedule roles fairly.

Month 2: Help members move forward

• Have a short goals chat with every member. Ask what they want this year and what they are working on in Pathways.
• Track Pathways progress. Record paths, levels, and projects in Toastmanagers, so you can see who is close to finishing a level.
• Handle requests in one place. Members can ask for a role or a speaking slot, and you approve them from the schedule.
• Check on new members. Make sure each one has a mentor and an early, low-stakes role, such as Timer.
• Approve levels promptly. A level waiting in Base Camp is an easy win for the member and for your club's goals.

Month 3: Review and adjust

• Look for members who haven't spoken or held a role lately, and give them the next opening.
• Compare your progress against your club's Distinguished Club Program goals. Our Club Success Plan guide can help.
• Ask the Toastmaster and Timer what would make meeting night easier.
• Extend the schedule by another couple of months.

Your meeting-week routine

Once this is running, your week can shrink to a few minutes:

1. Open the schedule and look for anyone marked Unavailable or who has not confirmed.
2. Need a headcount? Send an availability request, and members answer with one tap in the email.
3. Download the Agenda PDF. It includes the timed agenda, evaluation forms, and sheets for the Timer, Grammarian, Toastmaster, and Sergeant at Arms.

Three mistakes new VPEs make

• Doing it all from memory. Put preferences and absences somewhere the schedule can use them.
• Sending every reminder yourself. Your time is better spent with members.
• Only planning next week. When members can't see further ahead, they can't plan their speeches.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far ahead should a VPE schedule?
At least a month, and two or three if you can. Members can prepare better speeches when they know the date.

Can another officer help with the schedule?
Yes. In Toastmanagers, other officers can manage the schedule with you, so nothing depends on one person.

Do I need to stop using Base Camp?
No. Official Pathways completions still live in Base Camp. Toastmanagers keeps progress next to the schedule, where you plan.

Questions? Email us at managerstoast@gmail.com. We read every message.