Club Supplies

The treasurer should have a budget for buying new club supplies through the course of the year as appropriate. The sergeant at arms should monitor the club supplies; if something needs to be replaced, or resupplied, she should work with the treasurer to make the purchase, hopefully before it is needed.

But what supplies should a club have?

Your club should decide whether or not they wish to use an ah bell, if it will be a bell or some other audible signal, and if it will be a physical bell or a smartphone app.

A gavel is a common symbol of Toastmasters. A few clubs may opt to do without it, and occasionally in some meetings it may be substituted with a different object to match the day’s theme. Most clubs choose to get one from the Toastmasters store. Just make sure you use it correctly.

Almost as pervasive as a gavel is a lectern (“don’t you dare call it a podium!” cry out many exasperated Toastmasters). It may be sacrilegious to say so, but a lectern is not a vital necessity to public speaking. For one thing, they are expensive! Toastmasters offers one for $90. You might find a good deal on Craigslist for a used lectern, or a handy Toastmaster may even make one. But do you need one? After all, many speaking situations do not make use of one. In Toastmasters, speakers are often encouraged to step away from the lectern. Lecterns are common and they have their place—but if your club has difficulty getting a lectern, ask yourself if you need one.

A few clubs still use paper timing signals: green, yellow and red cards of one kind or another. A few clubs take a unique twist: XD, San Antonio’s Humorous Toastmasters club, used colored hats. Most clubs prefer to use electronic signals. Some clubs use homemade kits, some use the battery-powered $90 signal light from Toastmasters. Here’s a secret: there are many smartphone and tablet apps explicitly for this purpose. You don’t need to purchase an expensive piece of equipment, add to the club supplies you have to manage and maintain, you don’t have to worry about power outlets or batteries. Best of all, the apps will do the timing for you. The timer simply needs to tap the screen to start and stop, the device will change color on its own, and will often note if the speaker qualified or not.

Toastmasters International provides paper “ballots and brief evaluations.” These can be great to use as-is. Just remember, it is your responsibility to monitor the supply and ask the treasurer to place an order, long before they run out, so try to always have enough to last at least a few months. Consider alternatives; spoken brief evaluations, emailed feedback, electronic votes through PollEverywhere, and so on. However, most clubs will want to regularly purchase the ballots.

Pens: it seems a tiny little thing, but your duty as SAA is to think of all the tiny little details and be prepared for anything. Have a supply of pens at every meeting for people who forget pens when they want to write out an evaluation, sign the guestbook, write votes or comment slips, or—gasp—fill out a membership application. Definitely not a time where you want it to be hard to find a pen!

Projector: a projector is not essential in a club, but it is very handy. Of course, you might have a location that provides a large TV/monitor for use instead. Depending on the situation, you might need to set up a projector, projection screen, laptop, VGA or HDMI cable, power cords and media with speaker presentations on it. (Helpful tip: visual equipment like this can also be used to show an agenda, word of the day or other useful meeting content.)

Batteries: if your club uses a battery-powered timing signal or other devices, make sure to have spares occasionally. You may even want to track the date of when they were last replaced, or of when they should be replaced.

Extension cord(s): if your club uses electronic devices with power plugs, such as laptops, projectors, a tablet or timing signal, make sure to have at least one extension cord (preferably a spare). Using a surge protector is a nice touch. If you are unfamiliar with the room, it can be important to scope out the plugs. It might be hard to find a position where you can plug everything in. Also be aware of tripping hazards; you may want to tape cords down out of the way.

It can be handy to have a set of Table Topics ideas in the club in case a Topicsmaster fills the role impromptu or has to come up with more ideas than expected. One way to do that is to have a set of Table Topics cards, like some mentioned in this article.

Does your club have a Jokemaster, Humorist or Joke of the Day role? You may want to consider having a supply of jokes on hand, perhaps in the form of a joke book, cards, printouts or a smartphone app.

Do you open meetings with an invocator/inspirational thought of the day/quote of the day? Can be handy to have some inspiring quotes or deep thoughts on hand. If someone is dropped into the role unexpectedly, they can just pick one and run with it.

Although your Wordmaster should be finding and picking their own word to bring to the meeting, it can be useful to have a supply on hand for one you need to pull one out on short notice. You can print out some sheets of words yourself, or get the club to purchase a good word of the day product.

Have better resources we could link to? Please add them in the comments!