Note: The vote to move forward with reformation was passed at the Saturday, April 30, 2016 Spring Convention Business Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the District 6 reformation would take affect on July 1, 2018 (two years from now). The proposal is now going to the Toastmasters International Board of Directors for review and approval. This approval (vote) will happen at the International Convention in August 2016 or at the February 2017 Board meeting. District 6 has requested that District X become District 106 (no guarantee that it will become that number)..
Link to D6 Reformation Proposal (PDF Document)
What Is Reformation?
Merriam Webster’s definition of reformation: the act or process of improving something by removing or correcting faults, problems, etc. Toastmasters International uses this terminology when reforming or consolidating Districts.
The Toastmasters International Board reviews the status of districts with more than 240 clubs to determine if reformation is in the best interests of Toastmasters International and the clubs (Policies and Protocol 7.4). During the Spring 2015 Business Meeting the District Council approved formation of a Reformation Committee.
Research Results
Investigation and interviews conducted by the Reformation Committee revealed two major reasons to reform: time commitment expectations of district executive leaders and distance challenges are a hindrance in attracting members to district executive leadership roles. Benefits expected from the proposed reform are reduced workloads for the district executive leadership team, reduced travel and travel costs, and most importantly each leadership team would focus on fewer clubs and members so they can provide greater attention to quality and greater support to their members. The proposed reform attempts to evenly split District 6 into District X (north) and District Y (south), each containing five divisions and an average of 30 areas. No additional boundary changes are required, because the realignment approved at the Spring 2015 Business Meeting contained clearly defined geographical boundaries. Thorough financial analysis has been completed to ensure the sustainability of both districts.
What Does Reform Mean to Me and My Club?
Your club will continue to be in the same Division and Area, unless your club has moved since June 30, 2015. The Realignment Committee will assign the club to the appropriate area. Your club members will continue to work the Toastmasters International education program and participate in club officer training and area/division speech contests.
Who will be able to vote on the proposal?
The proposal will be presented to the District 6 District Council for their consideration on Saturday, April 30, 2016. Only members of the district council: Club Presidents and VPs Education (or their proxy holders), Area & Division Directors, Administration Manager, Finance Manager, Public Relations Manager, Club Growth Director, Program Quality Director, District Director and Immediate Past District Governor will be eligible to vote.
Are there costs for reforming District 6 into two Districts?
There is no direct cost to reform. All District financials would be split evenly between the two Districts in July 2018. At that time the two Districts would operate independently, each with their own budget.
What is the affect on the Clubs, Areas, and Divisions?
With the reformation, there is no change to Clubs, Areas or Divisions. Clubs would remain aligned to their appropriate areas and areas would stay aligned under their divisions. Our 10 divisions would simply have five divisions in District X and five divisions in District Y. Again the areas and clubs in those divisions would remain the same.
By having District X and Y with a smaller number of clubs, this allows the District as a whole to provide improved and high quality support for the clubs, members, areas and divisions. This in turn will help to have higher quality clubs and enhanced member experience. This also allows more opportunities for members to part of the District leadership team in elected roles or as a chair.
How big is District 6 compared to other Districts?
As of July 27, 2015, District 6 was the 4th largest District in the world out of 99 Districts. This is in regards to the number of clubs. The average number of clubs per District is 157 clubs. After our reformation, Districts X and Y would be in the range of 140-155 clubs.
In our region, Region 4, District 6 is the second largest District. District 42, the largest District, is currently under reformation. After our reformation, Districts X and Y would still remain towards the top as far as size. Besides District 42, the other Districts in our region are much smaller ranging from from 87 to 110 clubs.
Proposed Districts
| District | # Clubs | # Areas | # Divisions | # Members | Population |
| Propose X | 142 | 29 | 5 | 2,463 | 2,517,000 |
| Proposed Y | 152 | 32 | 5 | 2,800 | 2,524,000 |
| Base Total | 287 | 61 | 10 | 5,263 | 5,041,000 |
Reform Committee Members
Dru Jorgensen, DTM, PDG – Chair
Clinton Hunt, DTM, IPDG
George Kane, DTM
Heather Hegi, Cartographer
Jon Chalmers, DTM
Mary Swanson, DTM, PDG
Sharon Rollefson, DTM, PDG
District Reform email: Contact – select “Reformation Chair”
Timeline:
| Date | Event | Status |
| 2015 – May 2 | District 6 District Council approves formation of Reform Committee at the Spring Convention Business Meeting | Complete |
| 2015 – August | Discussion of Reformation for District 6 at Toastmasters International Convention | Complete |
| 2015 – October 10 | District Executive Committee approves Reformation Committee | Complete |
| 2015 – October 17 | District 6 Fall Conference Reformation Progress Communicated | Complete |
| 2015 – October 23 | Communication to Toastmasters International Headquarters | Complete |
| 2015 – December | Complete Reformation Business Case | Complete |
| 2016 – January | Reformation Business Case sent to Toastmasters International Headquarters | Complete |
| 2016 – February | Toastmasters International: Board of Directors Meeting – District 6 Reform plan presented | Complete |
| 2016 – March/April | Information will be shared at each Division Speech Contest | Complete |
| 2016 – April 30 | Question and Answer Reformation Forum at the District 6 Spring Convention | Complete |
| 2016 – April 30 | District Council votes on proposal at the District 6 Spring Convention Business Meeting | Complete |
| 2016 – August or 2017 – February |
Proposal presented to Toastmasters International Board of Directors for consideration, Toastmasters International communicates number of new District (new District # is District 106) | Complete |
| 2017 – May | At the Spring 2017 Business Meeting, we would elect two Program Quality Directors and two Club Growth Directors (one for each future district) | Complete |
| 2017 – July 1 to 2018 – June 30 |
Transition year, preparing for reformation | Almost complete! |
| 2018 – July 1 | Both Districts (X and Y) would begin operating independently |
