Decide who will be the officers.

The officer positions that need to be filled immediately are: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and one other position of choice. For a list of officer positions and what they do, please see Appendix C.

 

Meet your advisor or get a new advisor.

Advisors are great guides to your club. They usually know what past club members have done and they can point you in the right direction for information. At schools and libraries, advisors can also help you get a meeting room and market your club events.

 

Update your club’s constitution.

If you didn’t do this during the application process, you should do it anyways. Most club constitutions are old and dusty, so keep it updated for the next club president.

 

Find out how much money the club has.

For middle schools and high schools, go to your student government (ASB) and find out how much money your club can get for the year.

For universities and communities, inactive clubs may already have a bank account. Check with your club’s previous advisor or president about the bank account.

For libraries, inactive clubs

 

Make a yearly schedule.

With your officers, plan out what days and times your club will have meetings and events. It’s a good idea to pick a theme and assign officers to specific meetings or events.

 

Here’s a list of meetings and events you should schedule for the year:

-Regular meetings

-Officer meetings and retreats

-Big or signature events

-Fundraisers

-Trips to different places (museums, theaters, homes)

-At least one transition officer meeting between old officers and new officers

 

Make a yearly budget.

Based on your schedule, think about how much you can spend for the year. How much can you spend for meetings and events?

 

Make a solicitation packet.

This is a packet of papers that will be sent to companies and organizations to ask for donations.

 

The packet has:

-a letter from the president explaining what your club does

-a short history of the club and the good points about the club

-a list of the year’s events and programs, and how much each event may cost

-a list of sponsor ranks (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and what they get out of donating to your club

-an application form for becoming a sponsor

-an optional application form for a sponsor to be a guest speaker

-a letter of thanks

 

Look at your yearly schedule and your budget, and re-budget.

If you’re like most clubs and you’re starting from zero, you’ll have to re-budget throughout the year.  Please read “How to Spend Little Money on Everything” if you need ideas for keeping costs low.