Organizing
How to start a club at your school
Choose a topic. Get signups. Poke a teacher. Here’s each step, with the emails to send.
1. Pick something you wish you could do during school. 2. Get signups with a Google Form, so you have proof people want to join. 3. Email a teacher and ask them to be your advisor.
Need money for supplies? Ask your principal with the funding email.
Pick your club
What do you wish you could be doing during school? That’s your club. Boom. Done.
- Basketball
- Knitting
- Chess
- Film
- Cooking
- Mental health
- Coding
If there’s already a club for it, join that one and help it grow instead.
Get signups
Copy our Google Form, change the club name, and send it to your friends and group chats. Every signup is proof that people want to join, and it tells you when people can meet.
Copy the signup formAsk a teacher to be your advisor
Most schools need a teacher to sponsor a club. Pick one you get along with, or one who teaches the subject, and send this with the numbers from your form.
Subject: I’m starting a ____ club! Would you be open to helping?
Hi Mr./Ms./Dr. [Teacher’s last name],
I’m starting a ____ club and have [# from survey] students signed up. Would you be open to being our advisor?
[Optional: one sentence about why you want to start this]
We plan on meeting [times that worked for people in the survey]. Let me know what works best for you!
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
See it filled in
Subject: I’m starting a basketball club! Would you be open to helping?
Hi Mr. Whitley,
I’m starting a basketball club and have 17 students signed up. Would you be open to being our advisor?
I’ve been playing basketball my whole life but there’s never anyone playing in the gym. With a club, we can organize games!
We plan on meeting Wednesdays after school or Thursdays during lunch. Let me know what works best for you!
With hope and gratitude,
LeBron James
Once they say yes, ask them if the school has a form to make the club official. No reply in a few days? Ask them in person, or email a different teacher.
Ask for fundingOptional
Need balls, yarn or snacks? Schools often have a little money for clubs. Ask your principal, and give them a real number.
Subject: I’m starting a ____ club! Can you help us fund [items]?
Hi Mr./Ms./Dr. [Principal’s last name],
I’m starting a ____ club and have [# from survey] students signed up. This could be an impactful activity for building community and school culture.
We would need funding for [the stuff you need, like new basketballs]! It would cost about [your best guess]. Do you think there’s room in the budget for that, or do you have advice about how we might be able to secure funding?
[Optional: one sentence about why spending money on this would be worth it]
With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]
See it filled in
Subject: I’m starting a knitting club! Can you help us fund yarn?
Hi Mr. Cosgrove,
I’m starting a knitting club and have 37 students signed up. This could be an impactful activity for building community and school culture.
We would need funding for yarn! It would cost about $50. Do you think there’s room in the budget for that, or do you have advice about how we might be able to secure funding?
We don’t have many clubs at school, and the small cost would cover a year’s worth of knitting fun :)
With hope and gratitude,
Kit Knitter
Already started? Run it with the Doorstop Club packet
Club members can count their time as community service. Request a signed verification form.