WordPress for Toastmasters*Does your Toastmasters club need a website upgrade? Are members having difficulty logging in to sign up for roles? Have you been complaining for months about the same website glitches? Are officers frustrated with the limitations of your toastmastersclubs.org site for marketing or social media promotion?
The WordPress for Toastmasters project is based on the world’s most popular blogging software, which is constantly upgraded and enhanced. But unlike a free account on WordPress.com, this version is customized with features specific to the needs of Toastmasters clubs — meeting role signups, a member directory, customizable agendas, and email reminders.
After running a great meeting or a successful contest, you can post photos or video of the best speeches to your site and cross-promote them on social media.
How to get it
I’m working on a self-service signup option, but for now you need to contact me with your club name and number. I’ll send you back a password to a move-in ready website at an address such as myclub.wp4toastmasters.com. You will have several options for a site theme (a set of templates with different colors, backgrounds, and fonts). If you prefer a different one from the WordPress directory, I can help you customize it to include Toastmasters branding.
I can help you customize the online meeting agenda / role signup form and will show you how to do it yourself.
I’m offering this for free because …
… that’s the only price cash-strapped Toastmasters clubs can afford. However, if your club tries it and likes it and maybe brings in some additional members because your website becomes a more effective marketing tool — then I’d ask you to consider a donation to offset the costs of this project and help make my efforts worthwhile.
You could also thank me by hiring me or recommending me for paying web development, writing, or editing work (see my LinkedIn profile).
I may also run advertising on free website accounts, if and when this service starts generating sufficient traffic to make that interesting to advertisers. My goal would be to make sponsor advertisements relevant and not a distraction.
Potential upgrades
I will make every effort to ensure that the base, free service is as capable as possible. If you prefer to have a site hosted at your own domain or want to make additional customizations, I may have to charge for those additional services. Try the free service first, and then we can talk.
