Starting a New Organization

 How to Start a New Student Organization

1. You should  first search the Student Organization Database to see if an organization with a similar focus already exists. If not, you can proceed to form a new one. 

2. To help better define the goals, mission, and overall purpose of your new organization, you should schedule a meeting with the Leadership and Service Center.  Consultants in the Leadership and Service Center are students that can help guide you through the process and give you ideas on how to create, organize, and lead your new organization.

3. Review the Student Organization Recognition Policy, which may be helpful in understanding the requirements of student organizations. Briefly, organizations should:

• Have a least five members
• File a constitution online
• Have a president and treasurer (two distinct persons)
• Have an adviser (should be at least a half-time permanent employee of Iowa State University)

4. You can start the process of forming an organization by taking the following steps:

• On the SAC website click on 'Clubs and Organizations' and then 'Search Student Organizations'
• Select "Manage your Organizations" and log-in
• Select "Add New Organization" near the top of the page
• Complete the screen that comes up. The more detailed information provided, the more likely the group is to be approved on first review. You can always log in again and change or edit any information here. Once you click "create" a new screen will allow you to enter more information. The two most critical sections here are the roster and the officer sections.
• To add members, go to "Edit Roster" under "Membership Information," and select "Add Member." Members are added by university net ID, or by any email address, so be sure to have that data on hand when you enter the roster. You need to have at least five acknowledged members in the roster before the new group can be approved. Each person added will receive an email with instructions to acknowledge their membership.
• Also be sure to designate the required officer positions (president, treasurer, and adviser) to the appropriate people on your roster. You can designate someone as an officer in the same "Add Member" step that adds them to the roster.
• Additional officers may be added, but are not required. Additional officer positions (vice president, webmaster, etc.) are added in the "Edit Officer" section for your group. A title must be added to your list of officer positions before a person can be designated as holding that officer position.
• Print the Compliance Agreement Form (found in the "edit officer" section), gather the signatures of the officers and adviser listed, and drop it off at the Student Activities Center in the Memorial Union.

After receiving your compliance agreement form you will need to set up a meeting with John Taylor, Coordinator for Student Organizations, to discuss the intent of your organization and he will then let you know which Student Organization Recognition Board meeting your new organization request will be reviewed. jttaylor@iastate.edu.

Once the organization is approved, you are eligible for the benefits of recognized organizations, which are listed in the Policy.