Your Guide to Starting &

Growing a Pro-Life Group

Starting something new can feel both exciting and overwhelming—especially when you’re standing for Life in a culture that often stands against you.

Whether you’re taking the first step to form a club, or you’re trying to grow one, you’re not alone.

Texas Right to Life has helped hundreds of students facing the same challenges you’re facing now: how to find support, build a team, speak truth, and make a lasting impact.

We’re here to walk with you—offering practical tools, encouragement, and the reassurance that your voice matters. With faith, courage, and perseverance, you can make a difference on your campus.

Let’s talk. Contact us to see how we can help you! StudentCentral@TexasRightToLife.com

Step 1: Establishing Your Club

Gain Official Recognition

  • Locate and complete the Student Activities registration form found on your school’s website or visit their office in person.
  • You can begin meetings and off-campus events even before your group is registered.
  • Understand your school’s requirements and speak with leaders of other groups for help.

Write a Constitution and Mission Statement

  • Clearly define your purpose and commitment. Be sure to answer the following details in your mission statement: What you do, Why you do it, How you do it, and Who your audience is.
  • You should remain single-issue. Include in your founding documents that your group deals exclusively with Right-to-Life issues. You can easily lose your identity by branching into everything else with which your members agree (i.e., the conservative movement, volunteering for churches, women’s health issues, chastity, you name it). Stick to being a Pro-Life group.
  • Create a Constitution following this example.

Find a Faculty Advisor

  • Look for supportive professors— ask directly or through word-of-mouth.
  • Advisors can aid in the recognition process and navigate campus bureaucracy.
  • Keep your advisor informed on the proceedings of the club. Invite your advisor to at least one meeting a semester and schedule a one-on-one with them at least once a semester to discuss successes and challenges.

Set Up Communication Tools

  • Start a GroupMe or similar messaging app for coordination and community building.
  • Create an Instagram account to get the word out about your new organization.

Step 2: Recruiting and Building the Officer Team

Identify Pro-Life Students

  • Attend meetings of related student organizations—such as conservative clubs, campus ministries, and similar groups—and start a conversation about the importance of focusing on Pro-Life issues.
  • Message leaders for referrals or ask them to share your Instagram posts on their accounts.

Clipboard on Campus

  • Use a clipboarding sheet in high-traffic areas (e.g., student center, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.).
  • Smile and ask students if they’re Pro-Life. Collect contact info and follow up.

    Build an Online Network

    • Add contacts from clipboarding and Instagram and invite them to your GroupMe.

    Host a Preliminary Meeting

    • Invite your most promising contacts (10–15 people).
    • Share the vision, brainstorm mission statements and goals, and discuss leadership roles.
    • Confirm attendance with personal outreach and send reminders the day of.

    Step 3: Launching and Leading

    Hold Officer Meetings

    • Don’t wait to fill every role—start with those who are ready.
    • Plan the semester using a shared calendar and documents (e.g., Google Sheets, Docs).
    • Schedule officer meetings before or after general meetings for preparation and coordination.

    Hold a General Meeting

    • Invite all contacts personally; avoid mass messages.
    • Officers should greet attendees and make them feel welcome.
    • Play icebreakers and games for all attendees to get to know each other.
    • Share the mission, upcoming events, and delegate tasks.
    • After your meeting, thank each attendee individually for attending and remind them of your next event.

    Use Effective Leadership

    • Delegate early and often to both officers and members. Assign roles, tasks, and titles.
    • Match tasks to members’ interests and skills.
    • Empower others with responsibility rather than doing everything yourself.

    Step 4: Growing Your Club

    Recruit

    • Hang flyers in dorms, have a table at activity fairs, and participate in orientation events to tell incoming students about your club.
    • Volunteer during move-in day and speak at other group meetings.
    • Always make attendees feel welcome.

    Collaborate

    • Partner with churches and other student organizations to have a joint meeting to introduce new people to your club. Individually text interested students after your event so you don’t lose the lead.

    Use Public Relations

    • Write articles about your club for the campus newspaper and submit your events to the campus announcements.
    • Post flyers around campus advertising your events; be sure to include your social media handles and contact information on the flyer.
    • Use social media to regularly post educational information and news about the Pro-Life movement and advertise your calendar.

      Step 5: Maintaining a Well-Balanced Calendar

      Host Speakers

      • Coordinate a speaker to attend your general meetings to educate your members on important Pro-Life topics.
      • Contact Texas Right to Life for one of our expert speakers to present to your group.
      • Invite your local pregnancy help center to share their mission of supporting pregnant moms and dads.
      • Ask a Pro-Life professor to prepare a talk for your group on a specific subject.
      • Reach out to Texas Right to Life for more suggestions and ideas: StudentCentral@TexasRightToLife.com.

      Coordinate Socials

      • To retain your members, plan a social event at least once a semester to build community and celebrate your successes.
      • Socials can be as simple as a game night on campus or going out to get ice cream.

      Table

      • Spread the Pro-Life message beyond your membership and engage with your peers.
      • Reserve a table through your university at a highly trafficked area on campus.
      • Pick a theme for each tabling event, like “When does Life begin?” or “Should abortion be legal?” Then ask students walking by if they have a minute to answer your poll.
      • This is a great way to start sharing the Pro-Life message and recruit for your club. Always have a sign-up sheet on your table.

      Volunteer In Your Community

      • Volunteer with your local pregnancy help center, nursing home, or other Pro-Life organizations.
      • Commit to praying for an end to abortion outside of Planned Parenthood.

      Attend Outside Pro-Life Events

      • Attend state or national Pro-Life conferences.
      • Participate in your local rally for Life or the D.C. March for Life in January.
      • Volunteer at Texas Right to Life’s Gala or your local pregnancy center’s fundraising banquet.

      Final Advice

      You don’t need a huge team or a perfect plan to make a difference. Keep your message clear, focus on relationships, and trust that your persistence will plant seeds of change on your campus and in your community.

      “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9