The Online Audit - Intro & TI

1. What's an Online Audit?

One evening before a club meeting, a new guest let me know that our website had a calendar feature that wasn't showing any meetings. I realized immediately that if this one guest came despite that information being missing, what about the potential guests who just decided not to show up because they weren't seeing meetings on the calendar?

While having websites and other online resources are wonderful tools for building awareness of your club, gaps in your online presence can cause potential new members to look elsewhere. This can include broken links, wrong meeting dates and times, and failing contact methods. The online audit is an exercise designed to close these gaps by reviewing your online touchpoints for errors, out-of-date info, and how prospects can reach out to you. In this lesson, you'll get checklists and a how-to for conducting this audit.

What Will Be Covered?

In this section we'll cover the most common sites clubs use. This includes, but isn't limited to:

• Toastmasters International
• Easy Speak
• FreeToastHost
• Meetup
• FaceBook
• YouTube

If your club has other websites, you can put them on your own list to review.

What Will You Need?

Outside of the expected Internet access, it's highly recommended you do the following:

• Use a password manager like KeePass to save your logins for these sites
• Create bookmarks in your browser for these sites; if your browser supports synchronizing bookmarks across devices (like Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome), this is a huge help
• Logins (usernames and passwords) or appropriate access for the sites you plan to audit (NOTE: these logins are separate. Your login to TI is different than Easy Speak, and FreeToastHost is different than either of those, etc.)

2. Toastmasters International

NOTE: For this section, you'll need to be an officer to make changes.

The Toastmasters International (TI) site is not only our first step in the audit process, it's often the first place that prospects go to when looking up information about nearby clubs. Therefore, it's essential that your information there is spotless.

2.1. Getting Logged In to TI

Logging Into TI

Before continuing, make sure you add the domain "toastmasters.org" to your e-mail spam exclusion filters (also known as "spam whitelist" or "safe sender" list) to make sure e-mail from Toastmasters International (TI) gets to you.

You should have an existing username and password to access TI's member material and Club Central. In your browser, go to their website, then select the Login link to get to a screen like this:

If you don't have your account info, you can use the Forgot Password? option to go to another screen that will prompt you for your e-mail. Enter the e-mail that you used when you registered, then select Submit.

This should get your account information sent to your e-mail. If you do not receive this information within 15 minutes, try again after making sure your e-mail's spam filters allow all mail from toastmasters.org. If you still have trouble after that, you may need to contact TI's support line to make sure the e-mail they have on file for you is good.

Once you have your account information, go back to the TI homepage, and use the Login menu item, then make sure your login works.

After you are logged in, you'll want to verify your profile information is good. You can use this link or you can click the "Welcome <Your Name>" link at the top of the page. You'll then see your profile, and should verify that the contact information is correct. 

It's highly recommended that you save your login information into a program like KeePass so you won't lose it. Also, make sure you bookmark/favorite the TI website.

Accessing Club Central

Club Central is where you'll go to conduct online club business, such as adding members, checking the roster, and more. To access it, first start at TI's home page. Next, select Leadership Central, then Club Central.

If you are an officer at multiple clubs, you will be taken to a screen to select the club you wish to conduct business for. If not, you will be taken to the club you are an officer for.

Alternatively, just use this link to go directly to Club Central. 

2.2. Club Roster

Back in April 2009, one of our problems was that we had a few new members that turned in their check and application separately, and two different people ended up with them. This meant we had some members listed on our club list that weren't actually registered with TI.

To alleviate this, first we got the checks and applications together, then we went through TI's roster and compared it to our roster. If your club has gaps or delays in processing applications, auditing your rosters may result in a gain of a member or two. 

You should be able to see your club's rosters on your other sites as well (covered later). To access TI's roster, first login to Club Central. Once you're in, select the Club Roster option:

Once inside, you'll see a list of your members, including their physical addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and other info. You should compare this list against your own roster to make sure they align properly. For any discrepancies, you should find out if that member didn't renew, hasn't been entered yet, hasn't been paid for yet, or otherwise. Make adjustments to your club's roster as appropriate.

To make the comparison process easier, try opening TI's roster in one window and your roster in another, setting them side-by-side.

Note: If you have entered application details but don't see them on your roster, it may be because you have not paid for the member yet. This must be done prior to having them appear on the TI roster. You can do this by exiting to the main Club Central screen and selecting Submit Payment:

Once inside there, add the members you need to pay for to your cart, then select Continue to Payment Information. Fill in the necessary details, then Submit. Those members should then be added to your roster, so make sure to go back and check.

Perform this audit at least once a year, preferably during June. You may want to keep the roster open on one tab of your browser and open another when you do your Easy Speak and FreeToastHost audits so you have access to the various rosters.

2.3. Club Officer Assignment Audit

If your list of club officers with TI isn't current, it can mean your officers are not receiving critical communications from TI. Here's how to check.

First, login to Club Central. Then select Club Officer Assignment.

Once inside, you can use the dropdown boxes to assign officers. Make sure the appropriate member is set to the correct office, and that their term is set correctly. Once done, select Save.

You should make these changes whenever an officer changes. 

2.4. Club Demographics

Club demographics is a section in Club Central that lets you set some details of your club, such as:

• Officer terms (annual or semi-annual)
• Type of club (community or otherwise)
• Whether or not your club is open or has membership criteria (the latter is common to corporate clubs)

To access it, login to Club Central if you are not already, then select Club Demographics.

Review what is set here. If you're an open club, make sure that is set correctly. Make sure the club mailing address is set correctly (there is an option to use the President's address).

Once again, if you make any changes, make sure you select Submit to save the changes.

2.5. Club Contact & Meeting Information Audit

One of the other things we noticed in April 2009 was that our contact information on TI wasn't quite accurate. Because so many people find their club by finding TI's site then using the club finder, it's critical you make sure your club listing makes it as easy as possible to contact your club and find you.

First, login to Club Central if you haven't already. Then, select Club Contact and Meeting Information.

Inside, you'll have a number of fields to fill in, including a contact phone number, website, and e-mail address, as well as the address of the club and meeting frequency. Verify these are correct and the map points to the correct location.

Hint: Currently there are "Place or Venue" lines; make sure to take advantage of these! If your club has a room that is difficult to find, this is a good place to put hints in (if it's complex, "See directions on website" may work for you).

Make sure to select Submit if any changes are made.

2.6. Addendum of Standard Club Options Audit

This section of Club Central lets you review and change some of your club's bylaws. This should generally be done in an executive committee meeting. 

To access it, login to Club Central if you aren't already, then select Addendum of Standard Club Options.

Once inside, you can expand the various options to review and make changes as needed. This includes club dues, reinstatement fees, and so on.

It's a good practice to review this yearly. After verifying the settings and making changes, leave a note in the comments field about the last review & revision dates for future officers to see.

As with other sections, if you make changes, select Submit to save your changes.