How to Start a Club at School

One of the most fun parts of school — whether it’s grade school or college — is being in a club. You can meet new people who share the same interests, foster your love for the subject and potentially even get career experience. However, you may need to know how to start a club at school if there isn’t one that sounds appealing to you.

Here is a step-by-step look at the process behind how to start a club at school. With a few friends and some motivation, you could have the next best club on campus in no time.next-best

1. Come Up With Ideas

The first thing you need to do is get brainstorming. What kind of club do you want to start? What are you going to call it? What will your monthly or weekly activities be? While it could just be a group of people gathering to discuss a subject they love, clubs typically have activities, goals, and purposes. You also must determine if people will need to try out to join or if anyone will be able to sign up.

2. Register Your Club

If your school doesn’t have any similar clubs on campus, you should be able to register as an official club with your school or college. The first step is quite important because the school administrator you are registering with will ask you questions about the logistics of the club. If you’re still in grade school, they may also ask you if you have a teacher in mind to supervise or they will assign one to you.

At this time, you may also need to create bylaws. These outline club aspects like:

• Club officers, such as the president, vice president, secretary, and other necessary leaders.
• What meeting will be like and where they will take place.
• How to obtain membership.
• Any necessary committees, dues, or disciplines.
• When elections will take place.

Your club might not need all these, but it’s vital to write things down to avoid any future confusion. The school will also likely have a template you can fill out so you don’t have to figure out all the details by yourself.

3. Start Advertising

Now that you’ve become an official club, it’s time to start recruiting new members by getting the word out. Design some eye-catching posters so people will stop and take a look at what you’re offering. You should also include all the information they need on the signs, like where and when your first meeting will be and what your club is all about.

Before you start printing out hundreds of copies, make sure you know where the school is allowing you to meet. If they didn’t tell you during your registration meeting, check with them again to ensure another club or class won’t be meeting in the space at the same time. They may also want you to ask them where you can hang posters as well.

4. Have the First Club Meeting 

Congratulations! You’ve finally reached the first of hopefully many club meetings. If you can afford to do so, new members might enjoy a few snacks — these might also entice passers-by to stop in and see what your club is. Don’t worry about doing too much at this introductory gathering. Allow people to mingle, introduce themselves, and offer suggestions on what they would like the club to focus on. Their ideas can help you encourage continued membership and plan future meetings.

To gather the most opinions, have everyone who wants to contribute raise their hands and offer their thoughts. If you didn’t have enough people to fill the officer positions, you can also see who would like to run and schedule elections. Remember to bring a piece of paper or notebook where people can write down their names and email addresses so you can contact them with future meeting agendas and updates.

5. Discuss Your Budget

You may not need a budget if your club plans to hold strictly on-campus meetings. However, others may want to take trips or invite guest speakers to come into their discussions. These kinds of clubs will need a budget. Creating one is just like how you formed your club in the first place — you need a detailed outline of what your goals are and what items you may need.

Starting a New Club at School

If you haven’t found a group you would like to join, you may want to found your own. Luckily, the process of how to start a club at school is quite straightforward. All you need now is an idea and the motivation to lead the way.