Serving 480 student pro-life groups nationwide.

Start a Statewide Group

5 Steps to Start a Statewide Students for Life Group

1. Call a meeting. Choose a date, time, and place for your first meeting and invite pro-life students and adults who are active in the pro-life movement in your state. At the meeting, you will choose a name for the group, set goals, choose student leaders, and brainstorm potential members of the board of directors (non-students).

2. Make it official. Set your board of directors, write your mission statement, bylaws, and articles of incorporation. File for tax-exempt status, and set up a website, bank account, and P.O. Box. Your mission statement will list your goals, the bylaws will set guidelines for the structure and function of the organization, and the articles of incorporation will be submitted to the state for your group to be recognized as a legal entity. Go to www.inc-it-now.com and click on “Non-Profit Inc. Order Form” to initiate the process for attaining tax-exempt status. Students for Life of America has samples of all the documents you will need and you can apply for an SFLA grant to cover the filing fee. Your website should have information about upcoming events, resources for pro-life students, pregnancy resources, and contact information for all of the pro-life college groups in the state. Set up your bank account and P.O. Box at a convenient location that has a strong campus group or board member nearby to check the box and handle the transactions.

3. Organize your first event. Holding an annual training conference is the most important function of your group. The conference should be held at a centrally located college and should feature training sessions to help the students become more effective pro-life activists. The SFLA State-Wide Conference Guide has more information. Other events your group may do include organizing a summer leadership retreat for student leaders to help them plan for the upcoming year, organizing a trip to the March for Life and SFLA conference, protests, rallies, diaper drives, candle-light vigils etc. Remember, always send out press releases! SFLA has separate how-to guides available for media coverage and event planning.

4. Send a fundraising letter to all right-to-life affiliates in the state, to churches, and to politicians that may be interested in the work you do. This is a great way to fundraise for a state-wide organization. You can also ask for sponsorships for specific needs, such as a pizza lunch at your conference, the fee for hosting a website, etc. Students for Life of America can provide fundraising training and advice.

5. Network and start new groups. The final purpose of your state-wide group should be to network between the existing campus groups to share ideas and materials, to connect the campus groups to local, state, and national pro-life organizations to inform them of opportunities and to organize new campus pro-life groups.

Sample Documents

Students for Life of Michigan March for Life 2007

© Students for Life of America 2007