Club Charter
The formation of a new Notre Dame Club or reorganization of an inactive one is solely dependent on the firm desire and strong commitment of five or six dedicated alumni. A core group must be formed and a commitment made with the Regional Director of the Alumni Board. After this meeting, an agreement can be made to proceed with the following suggested guidelines.
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The Alumni Association will pull a roster of Notre Dame alumni in your area to determine the need for a club and the potential size of your group.
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Define your area by zip codes or cities
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If the alumni in the area are not currently being served by an ND club, or if the closest club cannot serve them well, an introductory mailing and survey will be mailed to alumni in the area.
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If the area is included in an already existing club, notify that club of your interest in forming a separate club. The Alumni Board of Directors will make the final determination of club territories.
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Once the survey results are in, an organizational meeting should be planned. The initial program can be a general report on the status of the University.
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An Alumni Association staff member or Alumni Board member is often the guest speaker on this occasion. While this first function is designed to gauge overall interest in a possible club and to identify leadership prospects, future meaningful activity should be discussed to attract a cross-section of alumni and friends
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During the program you, as the original contact person, should simply indicate your desire to cultivate new members and make a commitment to establish a club. More importantly, you should ask those who are interested in helping to organize the chapter to give you their names upon leaving the meeting.
A charter is issued to each newly-organized club upon approval of the national Alumni Board of Directors. Requests which are directed to the Alumni Office, in writing, are then presented to the Board. It is suggested that the letter include these points: a) name of club (it is recommended it be in the name of a city or cities rather than a region, b) jurisdictional boundaries of the new club (e.g. if cities, indicate zip codes) c) anticipated events that the club hopes to schedule d) officers (president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, or combine the secretary/treasurer position with just one person), their address, business and home numbers, email address, and class year.
It is not absolutely essential that the officers be elected or selected at the first meeting, but it is a good idea. An officer structure adds emphasis to the charter request and indicates you are ready to move forward.
Shortly after your initial meeting, we suggest that you call a smaller gathering of those people who earlier stated their interest in offering leadership roles. At this session, you should plan your next function which should feature the formal presentation of a slate of officers and a collection of club dues.
Club Bylaws
By-laws should be created for each ND club. It is best to limit the number of club board members to the absolute minimum for your operation. It is far easier to get committee chairs than board members and some of them will grow into board members. The three officers required are President, Treasurer and Secretary. In smaller clubs that may be the total board. The larger clubs (B size and up) usually have 15-21 board members.
A concentrated effort should be made to include people from the various groups in the club i.e. alumni, parents and friends. Notre Dame Clubs are unique in that in many clubs friends make up 50% of the memberships.
