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2. The DCP & Club Success Plan
What is the DCP?
The DCP, or Distinguished Club Program, is a set of ten metrics that are designed to measure club performance in different areas. Here's a summary table of the goals:
| Goal Type | # | Goal | Old Goal | Responsible Officer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | 1 | Four Pathways Level 1s | Two Competent Communicators | VPE |
| Education | 2 | Two Pathways Level 2s | Two more Competent Communicators | VPE |
| Education | 3 | Two more Pathways Level 2s | One Advanced Communicator | VPE |
| Education | 4 | Two Pathways Level 3s | One More Advanced Communicator | VPE |
| Education | 5 | One Pathways Level 4 | One leadership award (CL, AL, DTM) | VPE |
| Education | 6 | One Pathways Level 5 | One more leadership award (CL, AL, DTM) | VPE |
| Membership | 7 | Four New Members | (Same) | VP PR / VPM |
| Membership | 8 | Four more New Members | (Same) | VP PR / VPM |
| Training | 9 | At least four officers trained at both winter and summer sessions | (Same) | All officers |
| Administration | 10 | Officer lists and membership renewals turned in on time | (Same) | Secretary / Treasurer |
As you can see, six of the goals are education based, two are membership based, one is based on officers attending training, and the final (and easiest) one is turning in renewals and officer lists.
There are a few items to note:
- If your district still allows submissions of the previous educational awards (Competent Communicators, etc.) you can mix and match to make the six educational goals. For example: Your club turns in two CCs and two Pathways Level 2s. This would be two points.
- The same member cannot submit for the same award twice in one year at the same club. For example, if you turned in a Level 1 to your club, you could not turn in another Level 1 to the same club. You could turn in that second Level 1 to another club in that same year, however.
- There is a minimum number of membership that is required for DCP eligibility. You must either have 20 members, or your base membership (what you start the Toastmasters year with) plus five. For example, if your club starts with 12 members, you need 17 to qualify. If you start with 17, you need 20 to qualify.
- For clubs founded during the current year, different criteria apply. Consult the DCP & Club Success Plan manual for details.
DCP Awards
If your club completes a set amount of goals in the year, the club will receive Distinguished status. The table below illustrates the available levels:
| Number of Goals Met | Status |
|---|---|
| 5 out of 10 | Distinguished |
| 7 out of 10 | Select Distinguished |
| 9 out of 10 | President's Distinguished |
Some districts may recognize 10 out of 10 clubs with a special ribbon or other awards.
For the purposes of RDG, it is better that a club more consistently achieves select distinguished status rather than has a one time president's distinguished club, then nothing for several years. If your club has been strong for some time, consistent 10 out of 10 years are doable. If your club has been struggling for quite some time, just getting baseline distinguished for three years in a row may be a challenge. Start where you are, and work to steadily improve.
Why Does the DCP Matter?
As mentioned, the DCP is a series of metrics, which indicate if the club is fulfilling its purpose: training people in public speaking and leadership skills. If the club is not achieving goals, it shows that the club isn't planning and executing well. A focusing tool that should be used (especially at the start of the year) is the Club Success Plan. This is provided with the DCP booklet (or PDF). This should be the subject of the first two officer meetings, and the plan should be reviewed on a monthly basis. Promoting the DCP to club needs be an ongoing effort. If it isn't, members will generally ignore it. The president should recognize progress at end of every meeting start; some clubs use wall charts to show progress in a visual way as well. The VPE committee, VPM committee, and mentors/accountability buddies should be driving progress toward educational goals throughout the year.
You may have members that, even with prodding about the DCP, don't really care about it. They want their club just to be a social outlet. For them, progress isn't really their goal, but getting to know others may be. Present them with a new perspective: Performing projects will let the rest of the club know about what they know, what they like, and who they are, promoting the social aspect they're looking for.
Planning Your DCP Goals
While every club's situation is different even from year to year, you can get some barometer on when you expect goals to be achieved. Goal #10 should be completed by the first week of June (you should have your renewals done from earlier in the year and that's when the secretary turns in the officer list). Goal #9 happens after the second training session of the year (usually by February). The rest can vary, but you use this plan out to have a rough schedule to measure if you're on schedule or not.
| Goal # | Goal | Due When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Four Level 1s | Every third month |
| 2 | Two Level 2s | Every third month |
| 3 | Two more Level 2s | Every third month |
| 4 | Two Level 3s | December, June |
| 5 | One Level 4 | June |
| 6 | One Level 5 | June |
| 7 | Four new members | One new member a month |
| 8 | Four new members | One new member a month |
| 9 | Officers Trained | February |
| 10 | Officer lists & Renewals On-Time | June |
Note that "one new member a month" will net you 12 new members; this is over what is required, but is a good number to shoot for.