By Henry Miller, DTM
As clubs prepare for the 2026–2027 Toastmasters year, one of the many questions club officers and members are asking is: How will we finish the year? Will we be recognized as Distinguished, Select Distinguished, President’s Distinguished, or Smedley Distinguished?
Luckily, the answers to those questions are not written in the stars, but in the best practices adopted and applied by every club member and officer from the beginning to the end of each Toastmasters year.
In 1989, Toastmasters International introduced the Distinguished Club Program (DCP) to help clubs and members track their progress. The 10-goal system was launched in 1999 and remains the method we use today to measure the success of Toastmasters clubs.
To earn Distinguished status, a club must meet the program’s qualifying requirements and achieve at least five of the 10 DCP goals. Achieve seven goals and your club can become Select Distinguished. Achieve nine goals and your club can become President’s Distinguished. Achieve all 10 goals with 25 members as of June 30 and your club can become Smedley Distinguished.
Each club must also submit its Club Success Plan in Club Central by September 30 to be eligible for Distinguished recognition. That Success Plan details the strategy your club will implement to achieve the goals your club and members are pledging to accomplish during the Toastmasters year.
Here are five best practices I recommend to clubs seeking recognition as Distinguished at any of the levels listed above.
1. Develop and Present Your Club Success Plan
The first successful practice clubs adopt is to develop and present their Success Plan to their members. Your Success Plan is integral to your club’s success and your members’ progress. It should be presented as the club’s strategic plan for success and should:
- Set specific membership and education targets.
- Identify members who have pledged to complete educational levels.
- Assign officers or members responsible for monitoring the club’s objectives.
- Review club and member progress at every Executive Committee meeting.
- Adjust the plan as necessary as the year progresses.
Best Practice: Maintain a simple monthly DCP progress scoreboard—physical or virtual—that lists each goal and its current status.
2. Help Members Achieve Their Goals
The most successful clubs don’t just chase DCP goals; they help members accomplish their personal goals, which in turn lead to DCP achievements.
A club should therefore encourage every member to be actively engaged in the Toastmasters education program and to progress toward individual educational goals. The Vice President of Education should:
- Know the Path each member is working on and their current level.
- Know what members want to accomplish by year-end.
- Schedule speeches and projects well in advance.
- Offer a mentoring program for new members.
- Work with members who seem stuck or are not progressing.
Best Practice: Conduct a quarterly progress check with members who may need help.
3. Make Membership Everyone’s Responsibility
Distinguished clubs have a strong core membership base. Therefore, membership retention and recruitment should be a 12-month activity and the responsibility of every member.
The best clubs make the following a priority:
- Give every guest a warm, personal welcome.
- Follow up with guests promptly.
- Establish a clear guest-to-member process.
- Celebrate member accomplishments publicly.
- Hold quality meetings that make guests and members want to return.
- Ask guests if they would like to become members.
Best Practice: Host at least one open house every six months to showcase your club and the Toastmasters program.
4. Develop Strong Club Officers
Encourage all club officers to attend officer training during both training periods so they understand their responsibilities and learn to work as a team. Teamwork makes the dream work.
In addition to attending training, officers should:
- Hold Executive Committee planning sessions.
- Ensure every officer understands and fulfills their role.
- Set regular dates and times for officer meetings.
- Work together to achieve the club’s goals.
- Develop future leaders by giving members meaningful responsibilities.
Best Practice: Treat every officer position as a leadership development opportunity for new club leaders.
5. Run High-Quality Meetings
Open with a brief greeting by your Sergeant at Arms (SAA), followed by a President’s update with relevant news from the District and Toastmasters International, if any.
Every meeting should include:
- A well-prepared agenda.
- Opportunities for everyone present—members and guests—to participate.
- Useful and constructive evaluations.
- Interesting and creative Table Topics sessions.
- An experience that is memorable for guests and members.
- A meeting that starts and ends on time.
Best Practice: Record and evaluate feedback, especially from guests and members.
Distinguished clubs take note of repeated comments. If the same comment appears three times from three different sources, it indicates a pattern worthy of attention and action.
Toastmasters International recognizes the Distinguished Club Program as a measure of club success. But at its heart is something more important: creating a positive, supportive learning environment that helps members achieve their individual goals. When members achieve their goals, their success contributes to the success of their club, Area, Division, and District.
Adopt and practice these five best practices, and at the end of each meeting, ensure that every guest and member leaves feeling they just had an experience that helped them become a better communicator and leader.
Do that consistently from the beginning of the Toastmasters year to the end, and you may discover that Distinguished recognition isn’t something your club chases. It’s the natural result of a club doing the right things well.
About the Author
Henry Miller, DTM, is a long-time Toastmaster and valued member of the District 101 Public Relations team. He serves as the District Blog Editor, helping members share their stories, insights, and pathways to success. You can read more of his writing at henryomiller.com.