Welcome to the second episode of  From Guest to Great series. I’m still deciding on the final name, but for now, let’s roll with Episode Two. Today’s spotlight is on the incredible work being done at Sandton Toastmasters Club – and as they say, charity begins at home.

What strategies have been most effective in attracting new members to your club?

Honestly, Meetup has been a total game-changer for us. That platform has done wonders – some meetings have had more visitors than members! We’ve seen upwards of 10 visitors in a single meeting.

Find-a-Club also brings in a few leads. Our VPE often gets direct messages from there.

But it’s not just about where people find us – it’s about what they experience when they arrive. We constantly improve our meeting quality, and that’s been key to keeping visitors coming back.

And then, our new members are just phenomenal. One of our latest additions, Musa, is already running educationals just two to three months in – and absolutely smashing it! That kind of leadership and value delivery is contagious.

We also made a big decision recently: we’ve moved away from hybrid and now host fully in-person meetings. That shift has made a big difference in the type and number of visitors we’re attracting. We’re even considering alternating between fully online and fully in-person sessions (instead of hybrid), and early signs are promising.

How does your club ensure members feel welcomed and integrated into their Toastmasters journey?

We plug new members in from day one. As soon as they join, we assign them roles so they can get involved and feel like part of the team.

We also reintroduced an initiative called Productivity Tuesdays, designed to help members grow outside of regular meetings. It’s a chill, focused space for intentional growth and connection.

One small but powerful thing we’ve started doing: welcome posters and renewal shoutouts. Simple graphics that say things like “Welcome to Toastmasters, [Name]!” or “I’ve reinvested in myself!” – and the response has been beautiful.

Next, we’re planning to revive and rotate in a Mentorship Tuesday to run alongside Productivity Tuesdays. It’s all part of creating a journey, not just a series of meetings.

What are the biggest challenges in member retention, and how are you addressing them?

Retention is often about continued value. We once had a member ask, “What am I still gaining here?” – and that question forced us to reflect.

Sometimes, members join, get what they came for – confidence, public speaking – and by Level 1 or 2, they’re done. So now we’re thinking: How do we excite people about Levels 3, 4, and 5?

The answer? Keep meetings fresh and valuable.

We’ve run sessions like a full panel discussion on property investment, which was the entire meeting. It was packed with real value, and people loved it.

More recently, Musa ran an educational on identifying your customers. It was relevant, practical, and created incredible engagement. People came for Toastmasters, but they left with business insights and connections.

We’re also inspired by dynamic clubs like Transformers – they show what’s possible when you build meetings around value-driven themes.

Which tools, events, or initiatives have helped increase member value in your club?

We haven’t done open houses or demo meetings lately, but we’ve leaned into theme-based meetings and skill-focused educationals that directly serve our members’ goals.

Pathways is still our core program, but we’re now being more intentional about complementing it with practical learning experiences.

And we’re starting to ask members directly:

“What do YOU want to get better at?”

That simple question helps us tailor content and formats that are useful and meaningful.

How does your club gather feedback from members, and how do you act on it?

We’ve previously used the Moments of Truth framework, and it was incredibly insightful. Tim Knight, a past VPM, facilitated one, and it sparked some valuable changes.

We’re now exploring adding QR codes at meetings. The idea is: scan the code at registration, and you get a feedback link sent to your phone.

We also want to follow up with short email prompts for post-meeting feedback – so we don’t just collect it, we act on it.

It’s all part of building a feedback loop that’s continuous and easy to engage with.

Final Thoughts

At Sandton Toastmasters, we’re on a mission to build more than just confident speakers – we’re building an experience.

Whether it’s welcoming new members, designing unforgettable meetings, or rethinking what it means to stay in Toastmasters long-term, we’re doing it with purpose and passion.

We’re not perfect, but we’re committed. And most importantly, we’re listening.