Organizing a Dog Club
- There are several things to take into consideration here--including whether or not dogs will be in attendance, the weather, and the cost of renting or reserving a venue. A local public or dog park may be a great place for a dog club to meet. This way, dogs may come and many times, it's free to reserve a park pavilion or table through the Parks and Recreation Department. However, be sure to have another meeting place in mind in case of inclement weather. Reserve the meeting venue for the first meeting of the club.
- Make a list of how much it will cost to run and organize the dog club. This may include meeting space rental, judges for competitions, publicity materials, treats or toys for the dogs or cost of food (if provided). Then, depending on these annual costs, decide on the annual membership due for each participant. When organizing a new dog club, the due should be relatively low because there aren't any current members. An amount usually under $30 for each club member is usually reasonable. When starting out, just accepting donations in lieu of membership dues may be a good way to increase attendance so participants won't feel pressured to spend money.
- This may include yearly fundraisers, such as dog walks, homeless dog showcases, obedience classes and agility competitions. Depending on what you hope to accomplish at the club, there are many different types of annual activities that can be introduced. At the first meeting, decide which events members would like to have each year.
- Make posters using Microsoft Word or other word processing software to publicize the dog club's first meeting and what the club is specifically catered toward (i.e. certain breeds, nonprofit work, shelter rescue). Print the flier on brightly colored paper and hang it up at dog parks, pet stores (ask the employees first), public message boards and other areas dog owners may frequent. It may also help to set up a simple web page with the information and e-mailing it to friends who may know of others who would be interested.
Find a Meeting Venue
Decide Club Dues and Costs
Decide on Potential Events and Goals
Publicize the Club
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