1. New Club Guide
  2. 1. Assess Feasibility
  3. 2. Convene a Leadership Team
  4. 3. Establish a Plan
  5. 4. Announce the Club
  6. 5. Build Momentum
  7. Template for Announcing a New Club

1. Assess Feasibility

Answer

Privacy Policy
To begin the process, all alumni volunteers petitioning for a new club to be established must first sign a privacy policy. You may do so online at this link. 

All club presidents (new and current) must sign the participation agreement form. Your staff liaison will provide you with the document before or after the introductory meeting.


Potential Membership Base
Once a privacy policy is on file for each volunteer, a Wharton Clubs team member will assess feasibility by running a report on the group's potential alumni audience. This part of the process varies depending on the nature of the audience.

  • Regional groups include all alumni with a preferred address within a 50 mile radius
  • Industry-based groups include all alumni with a industry tag, based on employment information shared with the University
  • Interest-based groups are measured purely by alumni opt-in and cannot be reported by University records. Volunteers will need to collect signatures to demonstrate a critical mass of interest.

Thresholds
Regional groups must have a possible membership minimum of 200 domestic or 75 international alumni. At least 75% of the membership base must be Wharton alumni.

Industry and interest-based affinity groups must have a possible membership minimum of 400 alumni, with representatives from at least five cities. In the case of an interest-based affinity group, volunteers must independently collect signatures in order to meet this minimum threshold.

 

Other Options

If the regional threshold requirement is unable to be met, a member of the Wharton Clubs team can connect you to any active Penn alumni clubs in your region. Likewise, consider exploring the option of developing a special interest group with your local Wharton or Penn alumni club to connect with other alumni in your industry or interest group.

 

For more information on starting a new club, please visit Clubs Minimum Standards.