How to Expand a School Club: Practical Steps to Grow Membership and Impact

Running a school club feels great-until you notice the same five faces showing up every week. You’ve got a good idea, maybe even a passionate group of kids, but the club isn’t growing. You want more students involved, more energy in the room, and maybe even a chance to win that district recognition. So how do you actually expand a school club when it feels stuck?

Start with what’s working

Don’t assume your club needs a complete overhaul. Look at the last three meetings. Which activities got the most laughter? Which ones had kids asking to come back next week? Maybe it’s the board game night, the weekly baking session, or the short film screenings you started last term. These are your anchors. Expand around them, not away from them.

One Melbourne high school’s manga club grew by 40% in one term-not by adding new events, but by doubling down on what already worked. They kept their weekly manga reading circle, but started letting students pick the next book. They added a simple vote at the end of each meeting. That tiny shift made students feel ownership. Suddenly, people were bringing friends who liked the same series. Word spread because the experience was personal, not forced.

Make it easy to join

Barriers to joining are often invisible. Maybe students think they need to be good at art to join the sketch club. Or they assume the robotics team requires coding experience. You don’t need to be an expert to start. You just need to show up.

At a primary school in Footscray, the nature club used to have only six members. They changed their sign-up sheet from a formal application to a simple ‘I want to try this’ card. No forms. No parent signatures. Just a box to tick: ‘Yes, I’d like to come next week.’ They posted it on the noticeboard next to the canteen. Within two weeks, membership jumped to 22. The message was clear: this isn’t an audition. It’s an invitation.

Use the right channels

Posting a flyer on the school bulletin board isn’t enough anymore. Most students check their phones before they even look at the wall. Use what they’re already using.

Create a simple Instagram or TikTok account for the club. Not a polished brand page-just a real one. Post 15-second clips: the messy science experiment that blew up, the group dancing after winning a trivia round, the quiet moment when someone finally nailed their first guitar chord. Tag the school’s main page. Ask students to share if they were in the video. Use hashtags like #YourSchoolNameClub or #AfterSchoolVibes. One school’s drama club grew from 10 to 60 members in three months just by posting behind-the-scenes clips of rehearsals. Students saw their peers having fun-and wanted in.

Partner with other clubs

You’re not competing with the chess club or the environmental group. You’re part of the same ecosystem. Find overlaps. A book club can team up with the creative writing group for a storytelling night. The photography club can document the gardening club’s plant sale. A coding club can build a simple app to track attendance or schedule events.

At a secondary school in Coburg, the debate club and the mental health awareness group teamed up for a ‘Talk It Out’ event. Students could choose to speak on a topic they cared about-or just listen. No pressure. No grades. Just conversation. Over 80 students showed up. Neither club could have pulled that crowd alone. Together, they created something bigger.

Give students real roles

Too often, clubs are run by one or two adults and a few ‘leaders.’ But students want responsibility. Not just to be members-to be decision-makers.

Let students pick the next meeting theme. Let them lead a session. Let them design the club logo or manage the social media. At a primary school in Doncaster, the cooking club started letting students vote on weekly recipes. The winning recipe got made that Friday. The student who suggested it got to be ‘Chef of the Week’-they wore a paper hat, led the prep, and got to serve the food. Suddenly, kids were coming to meetings early to pitch ideas. Membership kept growing because everyone had a voice.

Celebrate small wins

Growth isn’t just about numbers. It’s about momentum. Did someone bring a friend? Did a quiet student speak up for the first time? Did you finish a project you’ve been working on for months? Celebrate it.

Keep a ‘Wall of Wins’ near the club room. A sticky note for every small victory: ‘Lily taught everyone how to knit a scarf,’ ‘We raised $120 for the local animal shelter,’ ‘We had our first guest speaker!’ These aren’t trophies. They’re proof that the club matters. When new students see that wall, they don’t see a group of perfect kids. They see a group that tries, fails, learns, and keeps going. That’s contagious.

Ask for feedback-then act on it

At the end of each term, hand out a two-question survey. Not a long form. Just:

• What’s one thing you loved about this club?
• What’s one thing you’d change?

Read every answer. Even the ones that hurt. Then, in your next meeting, say: ‘Someone said they wanted more time for free chat. So starting next week, we’ll open the first 15 minutes for talking, gaming, or just chilling.’ That’s it. You listened. You changed. And students noticed.

At a school in St Kilda, the anime club got feedback that meetings felt too structured. They cut the agenda in half and added 20 minutes of ‘no rules’ time. Membership didn’t just grow-it stuck. Students came back because they felt heard.

Don’t chase perfection

You don’t need a budget, a fancy room, or a teacher who works 24/7. You need consistency. Show up. Be warm. Be real. Let students see that the club is a safe space-not because it’s perfect, but because the people in it care.

One teacher told me her pottery club had no kiln, just air-dry clay. They met in a corner of the art room. But every Friday, she brought in tea and cookies. No one ever asked for more. They just kept coming. Why? Because it felt like home.

Expanding a school club isn’t about marketing. It’s about making space-for fun, for belonging, for being yourself. When you do that, growth isn’t something you force. It’s something that follows.