Configuring Club Settings

Quick Summary

Club settings are organized into three main areas, each accessible to club administrators:

Club Profile: Basic club information and administrator role assignments
Schedule Options: Meeting schedules, timezones, and schedule generation settings
Reminder & Notifications: Email reminder settings and notification preferences

Who can access settings: Only club administrators (President, VP Education, and Secretary) can view and modify club settings. Regular members cannot access these pages.

Club Profile Settings

Access: Navigation Menu → Club Profile

Basic Club Information

Configure your club's basic identity and contact information:

Setting	Description	Example
Club Name	Official name of your club (required)	"Springfield Toastmasters Club"
Club Number	Official club identification number (optional)	"12345678"
Meeting Address	Physical location where club meets	"123 Main St, Springfield, IL 62701"
Phone Number	Billing contact phone number (optional)	"(555) 123-4567"
Club Email	General club email address (optional)	"[email protected]"
Website	Club website URL (optional)	"https://springfieldtoastmasters.org"

Administrator Role Assignments

The Club Profile page also allows you to manage club administrator roles:

President

Responsibilities: Chief executive officer, full access to all club settings

Permissions: Can manage members, edit schedules, configure settings, assign roles

VP Education

Responsibilities: Oversees member education and meeting schedules

Permissions: Can manage members, edit schedules, configure settings

Secretary

Responsibilities: Maintains club records and member information

Permissions: Can manage members, view schedules, configure basic settings

Role Assignment Process: When you assign a new administrator role, the system sends an invitation to the selected member. The member must accept the invitation before the role becomes active. This ensures members are aware of their new responsibilities.

Schedule Options

Access: Navigation Menu → Schedule Options

This page controls how schedules are generated and when meetings occur.

Timezone Settings

Select the timezone where your club meets. This ensures meeting dates and times are calculated correctly.

Timezone	GMT Offset	Best For
America/New York	GMT -5:00	Eastern US (NY, FL, GA, etc.)
America/Chicago	GMT -6:00	Central US (TX, IL, MN, etc.)
America/Denver	GMT -7:00	Mountain US (CO, UT, MT, etc.)
America/Los Angeles	GMT -8:00	Pacific US (CA, WA, OR, etc.)
America/Phoenix	GMT -7:00	Arizona (no DST)
America/Anchorage	GMT -9:00	Alaska
Pacific/Honolulu	GMT -10:00	Hawaii

Note: Currently, only US timezones are supported. International timezone expansion is planned for future updates.

Meeting Frequency Settings

Configure when and how often your club meets:

Meeting Interval

Choose how frequently your club meets:

Weekly

Description: Meets every week on the same day

Example: Every Thursday

Best for: Traditional Toastmasters clubs with weekly meetings

Monthly (1st/2nd/3rd/4th week)

Description: Meets once per month on a specific week

Example: 1st Thursday of every month

Best for: Clubs that meet less frequently

Bi-weekly (various combinations)

Description: Meets twice per month on specific weeks

Options:

1st & 2nd week of each month
1st & 3rd week of each month
1st & 4th week of each month
2nd & 3rd week of each month
2nd & 4th week of each month
3rd & 4th week of each month

Example: 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month

Best for: Clubs with semi-monthly meeting patterns

Custom

Description: Use manually entered specific dates

How it works: You enter up to 6 specific meeting dates

Best for: Irregular meeting schedules or special events

Note: Custom dates must be entered each time you generate a schedule

Meeting Day

Select the day of the week when your club regularly meets (Monday through Sunday).

Example Configuration:
Meeting Interval: Weekly
Meeting Day: Thursday
Result: The system will generate meetings for every Thursday

Schedule Generation Settings

Meetings to Generate

Choose how many meetings should be included in each schedule:

2 Meetings: Short-term planning (best for monthly clubs)
4 Meetings: Medium-term planning (recommended for most clubs)
6 Meetings: Long-term planning (best for weekly clubs)

How this works: When you generate a new schedule, the system creates enough meetings to reach this number. If you already have 3 future meetings and your setting is 4, only 1 new meeting will be added.

Major Role Gap Weeks

Set the minimum number of weeks required between major role assignments for the same member.

Major Roles:

Toastmaster
General Evaluator
Table Topics Master

Gap Setting	Club Size	Description
0 weeks	Very small (<8 members)	Members can have major roles every week if needed
1 week	Small (8-12 members)	At least 1 week between major role assignments
2 weeks	Medium (12-20 members)	At least 2 weeks between major role assignments (recommended)
3+ weeks	Large (20+ members)	More time between major roles for better rotation

Example:
Setting: 2 weeks
John is Toastmaster on January 9.
❌ John cannot be General Evaluator on January 16 (only 1 week gap)
✅ John can be General Evaluator on January 23 (2+ week gap)

Role Claiming Permissions

Control whether members can claim roles that have been declined by others:

Enabled: Members can volunteer for declined/placeholder roles
Disabled: Only administrators can reassign roles

⚠️ Important: Changes to Schedule Options only apply when you generate a NEW schedule. Existing schedules (both draft and published) remain unchanged.

Reminder & Notifications Settings

Access: Navigation Menu → Reminder & Notifications

Configure automated email reminders and notifications for your club members.

Email Reminder Settings

Reminder Days Before Meeting

Set how many days before a meeting the system should send reminder emails to assigned members.

Days Before	Best For
1 day	Last-minute reminders for weekly clubs
3 days	Recommended for most clubs
5-7 days	Monthly clubs or clubs needing extra preparation time

Reminder Email Template

Customize the email message sent to members when reminders are triggered.

Available Placeholders:

{member_name} - Member's full name
{role_name} - Name of assigned role (e.g., "Speaker", "Toastmaster")
{club_name} - Your club's name
{meeting_date} - Date of the meeting
{meeting_location} - Club meeting address

Example Template:

Dear {member_name},

This is a reminder that you are scheduled for the role of {role_name} at our {club_name} meeting on {meeting_date}.

Meeting Location: {meeting_location}

Please confirm your attendance or let us know if you need a replacement.

Best regards,
{club_name} Leadership Team

Notification Preferences

Control which types of automatic notifications are sent:

Notify All Members - New Schedule Published

When enabled: All club members receive an email when you publish a new schedule

Recommended: ✅ Enabled (keeps everyone informed)

Notify VP Education - Assignment Updates

When enabled: VP of Education receives an email when members accept/decline assignments

Recommended: ✅ Enabled (helps track assignment status)

Notify Toastmaster - Assignment Updates

When enabled: Toastmaster of the Week receives notifications when assignments for their meeting are updated

Recommended: ✅ Enabled (keeps Toastmaster informed)

Send Reminder Now (Manual)

In addition to automatic reminders, you can manually send reminders at any time:

Go to Reminder & Notifications page
Click "Send Reminder Now" button
System sends emails to all members with pending assignments in upcoming meetings (next 7 days)

Note: The email system integration is currently in development. Once configured, all email features will become fully operational.

Configuration Best Practices

Initial Setup Checklist

When first configuring your club, complete these tasks in order:

Club Profile: Set basic club information and contact details
Schedule Options: Configure timezone, meeting day, and interval
Schedule Options: Set meetings to generate and major role gap weeks
Club Roles: Add and configure club-specific roles (see Club Roles help)
Members: Add club members (see Member Management help)
Reminder Settings: Configure email reminders and notification preferences
Generate Schedule: Create your first schedule to test settings

Recommended Settings by Club Size

Small Clubs (8-12 members)

Meetings to Generate: 4 meetings
Major Role Gap: 1 week
Reminder Days: 3 days
Role Claiming: Enabled

Medium Clubs (12-20 members)

Meetings to Generate: 4-6 meetings
Major Role Gap: 2 weeks
Reminder Days: 3 days
Role Claiming: Enabled

Large Clubs (20+ members)

Meetings to Generate: 6 meetings
Major Role Gap: 3-4 weeks
Reminder Days: 5 days
Role Claiming: Can be disabled (admins handle reassignments)

Tips for Success

Test before publishing: Generate a draft schedule and review assignments before publishing to members
Review settings quarterly: As your club grows or changes, adjust settings accordingly
Communicate changes: Let members know when you update important settings like meeting times or frequencies
Keep contact info current: Update club email and website to ensure members can reach you
Customize email templates: Personalize reminder emails to match your club's communication style
Balance role gaps: Set major role gaps based on club size to ensure fair rotation without overwhelming members

Common Configuration Issues

Q: I changed my meeting day, but schedules still use the old day. Why?

A: Schedule Options changes only apply to NEW schedules. Delete your draft schedule and generate a new one to apply the updated meeting day.

Q: Custom dates aren't being used. What's wrong?

A: Make sure Meeting Interval is set to "Custom" AND you've entered at least one custom date. Custom dates must be future dates.

Q: Members aren't receiving reminder emails. How do I fix this?

A: Check that: (1) Email system is configured, (2) Members have valid email addresses in their profiles, (3) Members have email notifications enabled in their preferences.

Q: Same person keeps getting multiple major roles. What should I do?

A: Increase the Major Role Gap Weeks setting. If you have a small club, you may also need to add more members or use the "Eligible for All Roles" override sparingly.

Q: I can't access Schedule Options. Why not?

A: Only club administrators (President, VP Education, Secretary) can access club settings. Contact your club president to request administrator access if needed.

Q: Can I change timezone after creating schedules?

A: Yes, but be careful. Changing timezone affects future schedule generation but doesn't update existing meetings. It's best to set timezone correctly during initial setup.