Alumni / Clubs & Groups / Starting a New Club

Starting a New Club

We are excited that you wish to start a new club in your area! First, make sure there isn’t already one (see the full list of existing clubs here) and then follow the steps below: 

1. Send an email to Meredith Chance at chancem@cofc.edu in the Alumni Affairs Office to express your interest. Include the area in which you live.
   1. Meredith will respond to you with our official Club Manual for you to peruse and use as a guide.
   2. She will also send you a confidential listing of alumni in your area for you to review, and you should contact those you know who would possibly be interested in helping form this new club.
2. A meeting should be called for those who are willing and able to invest enough time and effort necessary to establish a club. At this organizational meeting, the following should be covered:
   1. Identify a Chapter President, President-Elect, Events Coordinator, Public Relations Coordinator, and Senior Advisor (1998 graduate or older).
      1. Send these names and a tasteful photo of each to Meredith for her to add to or update on the club website.
3. When you and the other leaders plan events in the area, please make sure the event pays for itself (we can charge a registration fee to help with expenses). Event suggestions can be found in the Club Manual, and the event should attempt to appeal to alumni of all ages, especially 40 and older.
4. The club should plan four signature events per year – one per quarter with a minimum of 60 days’ notice for each event
   
   1. Draft a calendar of events for the entire calendar year at a Club leadership meeting (if not exact dates, plan tentative ones). Get tentative approval from the President, President-Elect, and Senior Advisor (if applicable), and run the draft calendar by Alumni Affairs as soon as possible for feedback on dates, locations, pricing, expenses, etc. Once approved by Alumni Affairs, proceed with detailed planning.
   2.  Events should appeal to alumni of all ages with an increased focus on engaging alumni ages 40 and older. Cultural events, such as architectural tours, museum tours, wine and food tastings, progressive dinners at local restaurants, etc., appeal to all ages.
      1. At least one event should include activities for families with children, such as a picnic, local festival, or athletic event.
      2. At least one event should include community service/outreach (“Cougars in the Community”). This can be combined with a social event, such as a holiday party where guests bring a donation for a local charity; a fundraiser for a Club scholarship for a local student to attend CofC; or Clubs can recruit a CofC Alumni team to participate in a community fundraiser or festival.