Organizing a 4-H club is pretty simple. It begins with identifying several families who want to organize a club and who are willing to share the responsibility for a 4-H club. A good club size is about 5-10 members.

The five simple steps for organizing a 4-H club are:

1. Talk to folks in your community to learn about the interest in organizing a 4-H club. Clubs tend to operate better if members are close in age (within a couple of years).
2. Identify the parents who are willing to support the club. It works much better if several parents team up together to share the leadership roles. This keeps any one person's job from becoming too big.
   
   

   The typical volunteer roles within a club are:
   
   Organizational Leader – the volunteer who serves as the liaison between the 4-H club and the Extension Office; responsible for club organization materials and working with club officers and the other club leaders to conduct club meetings.
   
   Project Leader(s) – the volunteer that teaches the educational programs for club members teaching them specific skills related to the project(s) selected. A wide variety of curriculum and lesson plans are available to assist project leaders.
   
   Activity Leader(s) – the volunteer that helps coordinate club activities such as community service projects, citizenship activities, field trips, recognition programs, or supports members in specific contests such as public speaking, demos, and 4-H portfolios.

3. The adult volunteers complete a Volunteer Application, are fingerprinted, and go through a background screening process. Then they attend a two-hour 4-H Club Leader Orientation. After training, they can start organizing their club.

4. The club holds an organizational meeting. During this meeting they will select the official name of the 4-H club, elect officers, select projects, determine a meeting schedule and location for club meetings, determine volunteer roles, and complete enrollment materials for members and leaders.

5. Return the club enrollment materials to the Extension Office to receive your 4-H Club Charter. Then, the club is an official 4-H club and its members and leaders are ready for success!

If you have any questions about organizing a club in your community, the USU Extension Office at (801) 468-3179.