Any Democrat can start a Democratic club. One person can start the ball rolling by identifying a few other local Democrats who are willing to find prospective members and to set up one or more meetings. SDCDP classifies clubs as organized by geography, affinity/interest, or academic institution.
Most clubs are organized to serve members who live in a certain geographic area. Members address issues related to that area and directly support the campaigns of Democratic candidates within that area.
Democrats who are concerned with a particular issue or demographic such as business, disabilities, the environment, ethnicity, LGBT community, etc. often wish to be members of an affinity-based club.
Clubs affiliated with an educational institution are known as academic clubs.
Whether you start as a committee of one or a few, Democratic clubs need a strong membership base to be successful. First contact Democratic friends, then locate other Democrats such as precinct and campaign volunteers, civic or social leaders, elected officials or contributors. Contact the Director of Clubs if you need help. A personal touch is important during club organizing, so rather than just sending email, consider using USPS mail or phone calls to reach prospective members. In addition, Facebook event pages and announcements on Twitter are a good way to recruit members and spread the word about club formation.
Help is available from the Director of Democratic Clubs, the Club Development Committee, and the Council of Clubs (see Council of Clubs Mission Statement). When organizing your first meeting, invite likely leaders and potential leaders that may help develop a new Democratic Club. The meeting time and location should be generally convenient; the site should be accessible for the physically challenged. Plan an agenda that will give very busy people a reason to attend, and when they arrive, make sure they feel welcome. Have a sign-up sheet to collect contact names and contact information. Present those attending with compelling reasons to form a Democratic group. Goals of the first meetings should include:
Help is available from the Director of Democratic Clubs, the Club Development Committee, and SDCDP staff. They can give you information that new clubs leaders should know right away (e.g., club presidents can serve as Associate Members of the SDCDP Central Committee).
You’ll need a bank account to deposit membership dues and issue checks for club expenses. To do so, first you’ll need to get a Employer ID Number (EIN) from the IRS. It’s easy to do online: go to Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Online, answer questions as a political organization, get EIN upon completion, download, save and print your EIN confirmation notice. Once club officers have been elected, provide the EIN to open a bank account.