( On the right all the club resources are listed )

Step 1: Intellectual Foundation

For new clubs getting started or existing clubs struggling to get members interested and engaged, begin by building your intellectual foundation right away. Position yourself as a serious study group for understanding Objectivism. This will attract and motivate the best within your current members and will attract the right kind of future members.

  • Write a clear statement of purpose for the club (example)
  • Register your club with your university (contact your registered student organization for details)
  • Draft a constitution (most clubs require this, download a sample, provided by the UIUC club)
  • Establish a regular program for the study of Objectivism (view meeting plans).
  • Let The Ayn Rand Institute know that you've started: 

Serve the needs of yourself and existing members first. If you have limited time to dedicate to club activities, put that time towards a regular intellectual discussion group. Growing membership in the club is only a secondary goal.

To put it another way, make your club worth participating in before you start trying to recruit new members. Early clubs can make the mistake of starting off by focusing on things like speaking events. These are great, but they are mechanism to bring in new members. Remember, make your club worth participating in before you start trying to recruit new members. 

View our leadership advice articles for advice on all the specific issues you are likely to face.

 

Step 2: Growing Membership

Remember, don't even think about step #2 until you've completed step #1. Make sure you've figured out all the kinks with your study group and are regularly having great discussions.

When you do decide to focus on growth:

A former officer of the University of Michigan club, shared the above advice.