Toolkit

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Don't let imposter syndrome keep you from leading. If you are interested in contributing in a meaningful way to your community - go for it. Students sometimes feel like they need a pre-existing large circle of friends to start a chapter but that's really not necessary at all. All you need is the desire to build a chapter and by founding a club and organizing activities, you'll find your volunteers and they will find you! 

What's in a name? A lot! Your name will signal to other students whether they are welcome. For example, our first NY branch is named OneManhattan because the founder wanted to make sure that every student from every neighborhood in Manhattan could participate in local community service, no matter their neighborhood or school. They didn't name the club OneNYC because they wanted to leave opportunities for students in other boroughs to start their own groups.

One of the easiest ways to grow your club and ensure you are making a meaningful impact is to recruit other leaders to help. It's fine to simply ask a friend or two to join you as a founding board member but definitely consider going outside your circle to ask people in different social groups. Most people welcome the opportunity to feel connected and get involved especially as an officer. Keep in mind that a more diverse board means a bigger network of volunteers. Consider recruiting VPs for volunteers, publicity & events.

If you want to create an official school club, the guidance/principal's office will likely need you to fill out some paperwork. Find out what's necessary and don't be intimidated. You'll often need to find a faculty advisor. Our Toolkit docs includes draft emails you can adapt to ask how to start a club and find a faculty advisor. The difference between starting an official club and talking about stating an official club is often following through on the paperwork. Follow through using the draft email below!

Creating a private Facebook page for your group is the easiest way to simply communicate events and volunteer opportunities without a clunky email list or spending money or time on your own website. Once you've decided on your name, create a private facebook page - for example, www.facebook.com/onewestport and invite friends to join. Anyone who joins, either has a volunteer or through club rush, should be added to the page. Our Toolkit docs includes a mission statement to help you get started. 

The most effective way to start is with a locally focused effort to support a community organization's mission. We suggest making a short list of local groups like homeless shelters, environmental groups and social justice organizations. You'll find instructions about organizing events on our Toolkit docs page. Don't feel intimidated about calling a group and asking how you can help. Most organizations are always looking for volunteers to help at special events or host their own.