Chartering A Club In 1 Hour

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Jan 21, 2026

By Linda Patten

“Chartering a club in an hour? That’s impossible.”

That was my first reaction. You can run a program in an hour—but charter a club? Too much has to happen. But that question became the project: How do we make it possible?

The idea was based on a template created by Cassandra Cockrell, an outstanding leader and former Presidential District Director. With my High Performance Leadership team—Ashley Harkness and Jeff Young—we refined her process and updated it for both in-person and Zoom settings.

The Who

Most of our clubs were corporate clubs. We worked with HR, reframing Toastmasters as a training investment, not a cost. We also engaged senior leaders who wanted their teams to communicate better. Once the right people were involved, chartering became possible.

The What

We delivered a 45-minute Toastmasters-style meeting:

One prepared speech on “Why I’m still a Toastmaster”
All meeting roles filled
A real Toastmasters experience, not a sales pitch

Before the meeting, participants completed a short worksheet identifying what they wanted most from the experience.

The Turning Point

For Table Topics, participants spoke about what they wanted to gain from Toastmasters. In doing so, they convinced themselves. We didn’t sell Toastmasters—we demonstrated it.

The When

We aimed for about 15 people present, with a few more committed. At the end of the session, we immediately finalized:

Club name
Meeting time and place
Officers (all volunteered in advance)

The company handled finances, and seasoned Toastmasters served as mentors, coaches, and sponsors.

The Result

Each club launched with structure, coaching, and six months of support. Members were eager to speak, motivated, and committed.
That year, I chartered four clubs, and Jeff chartered four more—with more in progress.

We had a plan.

We worked the plan.

And it worked.

Video Link:

https://youtu.be/47n39nMQLTM

Linda Patten, a highly sought after Leadership Trainer and Mentor, joined Toastmasters in 2019. She has earned her DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster Award) twice. She has been selected and elected to many leadership roles at all District levels and was Toastmaster of the Year in 2021. As Club Growth Director, she has facilitated the chartering of four new club, reinstating/transferring two others. Do you think she knows training and leadership?

Whether you are new to Toastmasters or a seasoned Toastmaster, you are always welcome as our guest at Heart2Heart Toastmasters Meetings. Our club meetings are the fourth Thursday of every month on Zoom from 6-7 pm PT and the first Saturday of the month is our Hybrid Meeting on Zoom and in person from 3:30 PM to 6 PM PT.

You are always welcome as our guest! We hope to see you soon!