How to Start a Club (That People Will Totally Want to Join)
What’s Cooler Than Joining a Club?
Starting your own. Here, five tips from a pro on how to do it right.
By Maia Schoenfelder
Karen Mordechai, club-starter extraordinaire and founder of Sunday Suppers.
By nature, clubs are cool. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of like-minded people who support each other and collaborate in ways that are beneficial to all? Whether you’re looking to watch movies, eat, write poetry, be active, or enhance the world around you, there’s a group of people out there with the same goals. But how do you find them? How do you rally them together? Where do the matching T-shirts come in?
Surrounded by your club compadres, you’ll be able to create wondrous things in no time. Photograph courtesy @SundaySuppers/Instagram
We decided to get some wisdom from established club-starter Karen Mordechai. Mordechai started Sunday Suppers with her husband in 2009, and the supper club soon became so popular that it spawned seasonal dinners, workshops, three cookbooks, and a line of kitchen essentials called ILA.
So, let’s get started, shall we?
No. 1: Find Your Subject
It sounds obvious, but if you’re into hand-drawn comic books, don’t start a movie club—start a hand-drawn comic book club. “Have an original concept that’s meaningful to you,” Mordechai says. “Ours was (and still is!) centered around simplicity, good food, and a desire to cook with friends.”
No. 2: Share Your Passion
If it matters to you, it will matter to other people. Share what you’re up to, and you may find that there are people with similar interests all over the world! “We started a blog for photos and recipes from the dinners,” Mordechai says. “The posts started going viral, and strangers began emailing us to attend. The response was overwhelming.”
No. 3: No Pressure
The more pressure, the less fun your club will become. Stay chill and remember why you wanted to start it in the first place! “Don’t pressurize the process,” Mordechai advises. “We took each dinner and stayed focused on it. We wanted to bring it to life and celebrate our friends and good food.”
No. 4: Start With Friends
Start small, with people you know, and stay open-minded. “From the get-go we collaborated with many friends, local chefs, and artisans,” Mordechai says. “It evolved rapidly from there and has grown into a vibrant community.”
No. 5: Be a Follower
It’s easy to get swept away in the leader mentality when you’re starting a new club, but remember: you surrounded yourself with these people for a reason. “I’ve recently learned to let go of the reins a bit more,” Mordechai says. “That’s when the real magic can happen.”
Feeling ready to follow this advice, but still feeling a little tentative? “Go for it!” Mordechai says. “Jump in with both feet.”
To learn more about Sunday Suppers, see sunday-suppers.com.
This is a republished version of the original article that was featured in Sweet on Snapchat Discover and is no longer available online