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Managing the Speaker Pool

Configure and manage the Speaker Signup Pool to help fill open speaker slots quickly when members decline.

Before You Begin

  • You must be a club officer (President, VP Education, Secretary, or Admin).
  • Your club must use Algorithm Mode for scheduling (the pool does not work with Volunteer Signup Mode).

Enabling the Speaker Pool

  1. Go to Club Settings in the left sidebar.
  2. Find the Speaker Signup Pool section under Schedule Options.
  3. Toggle the pool on.
  4. Choose a pool mode:
  5. Auto-Assign — When a speaker declines, the system immediately assigns the top eligible pool member. The assignment is auto-confirmed.
  6. Manual — When a speaker declines, the pool is notified. Pool members get a 12-hour exclusive window to claim the slot before it opens to all members.
  7. Click Save.

Once enabled, members will see a Speaker Signup Pool section on their dashboard where they can join with a single click.

Pool Modes Explained

Auto-Assign Mode

When a speaker declines a role:

  1. The system automatically picks the top-priority eligible pool member.
  2. That member is assigned and their status is set to Accepted immediately.
  3. The new speaker receives a notification email.
  4. No action is required from officers.

Manual Mode

When a speaker declines:

  1. All eligible pool members receive an email with a claim link.
  2. Pool members have a 12-hour exclusive window to claim the slot.
  3. After the window expires (or if the meeting is within 12 hours), the slot opens to everyone.

The Replacement Flow

When a member declines a Speaker role, an inline modal appears on the schedule page. The declining speaker can optionally name a specific replacement by searching for a club member.

Officer vs. member decline experience: Officers see a different modal when declining on behalf of a member. The officer modal asks "Is there a replacement speaker ready?" with three buttons: Yes, No, and Cancel. Clicking Yes reveals a member search to select the replacement; clicking No declines immediately and triggers the pool process. The member modal uses a checkbox pattern instead ("I have a replacement").

If a replacement is named: - The replacement receives a notification email. - They have 24 hours to accept (or 4 hours if the meeting is same-day). - If they don't respond in time, the system clears the replacement request and sends notification emails to the VPE and Toastmaster. The slot is left unassigned for manual officer attention. The system does not automatically fall back to pool assignment or re-notify pool members.

This reduces VPE involvement when members already have someone lined up.

Priority and Fairness

The system assigns pool members based on this priority order:

  1. Never spoken — Members who have never completed a Speaker role get highest priority.
  2. Longest gap — Among members who have spoken before, the one with the longest time since their last speech gets priority.

Automatic Exclusions

A pool member is skipped if they:

  • Have an absence marked for that meeting date.
  • Are already assigned to any role in that meeting.
  • Have a restriction status (declined after being auto-assigned).
  • Are inactive.

Managing Pool Members

To view and manage the pool:

  1. Use the sidebar to navigate to Manage Speaker Pool (under Club Administration).
  2. You will see a list of all pool members showing:
  3. Member name
  4. Date joined the pool
  5. Restriction status (if any)

Clearing Restrictions

When a member is auto-assigned from the pool and then declines, they are restricted from the pool. This is the "one-chance policy" — it prevents members from joining the pool without genuine availability.

To allow a restricted member to rejoin:

  1. Go to Manage Speaker Pool.
  2. Find the restricted member.
  3. Click Clear Restriction.
  4. The member can now rejoin the pool from their dashboard.

Removing Members

To remove a member from the pool:

  1. Go to Manage Speaker Pool.
  2. Click Remove next to the member's name.

Switching Modes

When switching between Auto-Assign and Manual mode, existing pool members are removed and notified. They can rejoin immediately. This ensures everyone in the pool is aware of the current club mode.

The 12-Hour Exclusive Window

When a slot is posted to the pool (Manual mode):

  • Pool members get a 12-hour head start to claim the slot before it opens to all members.
  • Exception: If the meeting is within the next 12 hours, the slot is immediately open to everyone.

Tips

  • Auto-Assign mode works best for clubs where pool members are reliably available. It fills slots instantly.
  • Manual mode works well for clubs where availability varies — members self-select based on their schedule.
  • Review restricted members periodically — some may have had legitimate reasons for declining.
  • Not to be confused with Fast Track Pool — the Fast Track Pool is a separate feature used during schedule creation to prioritize new speakers. The Speaker Signup Pool handles backfill when a speaker declines an existing assignment.

Troubleshooting

A member says they can't join the pool

  • They may have a restriction from a previous auto-assignment decline. Check Manage Speaker Pool for their restriction status and clear it if appropriate.
  • They may already be a pool member.

The pool isn't activating when speakers decline

  • Verify the pool is enabled in Club Settings.
  • Confirm your club is using Algorithm Mode, not Volunteer Signup Mode.
  • Check that at least one eligible pool member exists.

No one was assigned from the pool

  • All eligible members may have been excluded (absent, already assigned, or restricted). Check the exclusion criteria above.

A named replacement's deadline passed but nothing happened

  • Replacement timeouts are processed the next time someone loads the schedule detail page, with a 5-minute cooldown between checks. If the deadline just passed, wait a few minutes and reload the page. Once processed, the system clears the replacement request and notifies the VPE and Toastmaster so the slot can be filled manually.