Starting a Club - Frequently Asked Questions

Does my club have to be school based?

Nope! If you care about making the world a better place, you can start a DoSomething.org Club in your living room, your church basement, wherever - just as long as your club does something!

Do I need an old person to start a club?

DoSomething.org doesn’t require an old person, but your school might. If your school requires a teacher, parent, or faculty advisor, pick someone you like. Choose someone who will understand that your club is really about the issues that you care about and the projects that you want to do. It’s not about adults! You might need their advice and help in planning events or learning more about a topic, but they shouldn’t impose or take control. You lead, they support.

What’s the best way to get our school administration excited about DoSomething.org?

We have a sample letter that you can use for this situation! Sign your name and give it to your principal or the appropriate people in charge. It has info about DoSomething.org, the purpose of DoSomething Clubs, and why a club will be a great contribution to the school community and more. You can also direct them to our website: dosomething.org or ask them to e-mail clubs@dosomething.org.

Show them your stuff. Show your passion about your club. Get together with the members to write up proposals for the projects you want to do. Present them to the administration and they can’t help but take you seriously. Ask a mentor to send a memo to the rest of the faculty explaining the club's projects and asking for their support.

We can’t find a teacher to be our advisor. What should we do?

Try the partnership letter we offer. Let them know that they won’t have to do too much work, since teachers tend to be pretty busy. They just need to be there to support your initiatives. If all else fails, see if there are other old people at the school, like a coach, who could be your advisor.

How often do I need to host meetings?

There’s no one way to organize a DoSomething.org Club. You decide what works best. As long as you can successfully run your projects – go for it. Weekly meetings are a good way to keep everyone engaged and excited about upcoming events.

What exactly do we need to do?

Your club needs to do at least one activity each semester, either through our campaigns or your own projects. That’s it! The rest is up to you. Be creative and spread the DoSomething spirit of service in your own way.

Can we work on more than 2 projects?

Sure! DoSomething.org is all about making a difference. You can absolutely work on short-term projects along with your ongoing projects and get on board for DoSomething.org’s national cause campaigns like Staples for Students and Teens for Jeans. Just make sure that you have enough people in your club to successfully run the projects. If you only have 10 club members and you are working on 15 projects, you are probably not giving each project the proper attention it deserves. Don’t spread yourselves too thin. Sometimes working on one or two projects has a greater impact!

What do I need to put in my project posts for the DoSomething.org website?

The project form guides you through all the info you’ll need to input for a full project posting. You should absolutely include photos, videos, and links to websites with even more info. Posting you project is a great way to get inspire action from other DoSomething members.

Here's a bit more on the most important items:

1. See it: Which problems or needs in your community did your club decide to address with your project? Give facts and examples to prove that there is a need for change.
2. Believe it: Explain your project and describe how it addresses the need you identified.
3. Build it: What steps did you take to plan your project? (For example: Did you create a timeline or list of tasks? How did you publicize? How did you collect materials? What information did you need, and how did you get it?) Outlining these steps will help other people replicate your great work and expand your impact.
4. How did it go?: Describe how actual project/event went and fill in all the vital stats. How many people were involved? How many were impacted? What roles did your club members take on? What are the next steps you're going to take?

What if a Community Service club already exists at my school? Can I start my own DoSomething.org Club?

Sure! DoSomething.org Clubs are different from lots of clubs. They allow you to take the lead, start your own thing and impact the causes you care about. Your work could be a really great addition to your school and community. You can even work with the existing club to lead school-wide projects in your school. Make sure you think about the pros and cons before you register. Will you be able to recruit enough members? Will you be able to offer something unique? DoSomething.org is all about young people changing our world by working together and inspiring others. Two small clubs may both be effective, but one large club can become an unstoppable force.