Sunday, March 15, 2020

Dear Fellow Boston Toastmasters,

We are writing to keep you informed about the measures that Boston Toastmasters and Toastmasters International are taking in response to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. 

First, in-person club meetings at Boston Toastmasters have been suspended until further notice.  

We have taken this action for several reasons: our meeting venue, the Old South Church has suspended all community meetings and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has severely limited public gatherings. Although the heart of the Toastmasters Experience is the face-to-face meeting of our members, we support these measures in order to protect our membership and their loved ones. 

We recognize that the current situation with COVID-19 impacts you in many ways, in- and outside of Toastmasters. We on the Boston Toastmasters officer team are committed to supporting our members in this difficult time.

If you have a speech scheduled for Tuesday March 17, 2020,  Shruti and Tristen will be reaching out; you will have priority in rescheduling your speeches. Toastmasters International has allowed us to operate as a virtual club until we are able to return to in-person meetings. You can view more information on Toastmaster.org here: https://www.toastmasters.org/covid19

This is an excellent opportunity for us as a club to explore new techniques and learn new, relevant skills. We at Boston Toastmasters are currently exploring suitable technology and talking to other clubs to ensure a smooth transition to online meetings. Look for an update from us as this process unfolds. If you would like to (re)schedule a speech, you have the option to schedule for a virtual meeting or wait for an in-person meeting. 

It happens that we are in the middle of our spring dues renewal season. Traditionally, we handle renewals in-person. However, we also use Paypal to accept renewal payments online. You can find out if you owe dues by logging into your Toastmasters.org profile and clicking “membership history,” or by contacting Joe, our Treasurer. If your dues are expiring this month, you can renew them quickly and easily at: www.bostontoastmasters.org/renew

Although we will not be meeting at the Old South Church this week, March 17th, we want to be available to you, our members. We will be hosting a virtual chat room this week, from 6:15 to 7:15. This is a time for new members to learn about the software we use in Toastmasters, and for established members to talk to officers and each other. The meeting information is currently shared on Easy-Speak. 

Although the circumstances dictate a temporary change in the way we interact, what has not changed is the power of our community of public speakers. We look forward to joining you in these virtual meetings, and even more so to seeing you face-to-face later this year, stronger than ever.

With much respect,

Your Boston Toastmasters Leadership Team:

Evan LeCompteShruti MehtaTristen GrannumJoe Marini
Erik StrickerSean FultonJesse WeltyChris Buonincontri