COLLEGE

GUIDEBOOK

WELCOME

Table of Contents

Getting Started 3
Resources and Training
4-5
Legal Rights 6-7
Vision and Mission Statement
8
Constitution 9-10
Leadership Position
11-12
Interest Meeting 13
Plan Your Year 14
Budget and Fundraising
15
Events 16-17
Pregnant On Campus Initiative
18
Sign Up and Attendance Sheets
19
Leadership Transitions 20
Retaining Members 21
Student Testimonies 22

Contact Us
Students for Life of America
9900 Courthouse Rd.
Spotsylvania, VA 22553
540-834-4600
info@studentsforlife.org
www.studentsforlife.org

Dear Pro-Life Student Leader,

Students for Life of America (SFLA) is a non-profit
organization dedicated to assisting and training
pro-life students across America. Our mission is
to identify, educate, and equip pro-life students to
abolish abortion in our lifetime.
Our team has created this College Guidebook as a
starting point and resource for you, a student who
can lead other young people to stand for Life. We
hope it will encourage you, give you a practical
starting point, and help you to create a vision for
what you can accomplish at your school and in
your community.
Please know that our full-time team at SFLA is
here to help you every step of the way as part of
this nation wide movement to abolish abortion.
Since abortion became legal in 1973, over 56
million babies have been killed. That is one-fourth
of our generation lost. This is our battle, and with
your help, we will abolish abortion in our lifetime.
For Life,
Kristan J. Hawkins
President

Students For Life |

2

GETTING STARTED
The task of starting a club can be overwhelming,
but dont worry, we have your back! Heres a list
of things to do to get your new Students for Life
Club up and going!
Contact Students for Life of America

We have regional coordinators all over the nation

whose sole purpose is to help you start and maintain
your student group. Email info@studentsforlife.org to
find out who is in your area to help!

Find Fellow Pro-Life Students

Find at least three other pro-life students to help

you start your group.Visit other clubs in your school
where you would be likely to find pro-life students
and talk to your friends about helping. Also, look on
Facebook for peers with similar interests. These core
members will be the people who help build your
group and provide the necessary manpower to make
your efforts successful.

Pick a Name

What do you want to call your club? Pick a fun name

that adequately describes your group, but make sure
its clear and professional, such as Students for Life
of Smith University or Smith Univeristy Students
for Life. You can also use your mascot and create a
name like, Wildcats for Life.

Find an Adviser

See pages 8-10 for a sample constitution and mission

statement.

Talk to Your Administration

Once you have fellow students, an adviser, and a rough

draft of your constitution and mission statement,
follow your schools protocol to become an official
student group. If you have to meet with you school
administration, be sure to bring another student or
your adviser with you. Document every time you meet
with your administration, and what is said. Be sure
to make a copy of any paperwork you turn in. If your
campus administration denies your club, see page 7
for how to proceed. *Note that if you attend a public
school, you cannot be denied the right to have a prolife club.

Plan Your First Meeting

After receiving approval for your club, its time to have

an interest meeting! Set a date, time, and location of the
meeting and begin advertising for the club. Be sure to
pick a location that will be convenient and comfortable
for students. Put up flyers around your school with
information about your club and invite students to
come to the meeting.Visit other clubs and ask to make
announcements at their meetings about your Students
for Life club. Ask your SFLA Regional Coordinator for a
sample meeting agenda and tips on how to run an
effective meeting.

Create Facebook,Twitter, and other Social

Media Accounts
In order to ensure that your group is visible, be sure to
create a Facebook page, as well as other social media
accounts. Assign one member to update the social media
accounts regularly. Be sure to post any events you are
doing, as well as pictures afterwards! People love to see
your activities! It can help you grow in members, as well
as find community member who would be willing to
contribute financially.

Host An Event

Now that the club is up and running, start

hosting events! See page 16 for the suggested
sequence of events for new groups.

Students For Life |

In order to be an official club at your school, you will

probably need an adviser. This is usually a faculty or
staff member who works at the school. Be clear about
the expectation of the adviser when asking them to
be involved. Are you simply looking for a place to hold
meetings? Or do you want them to be actively involved
in your club? Be sure to communicate your intention
with the club and make sure the adviser is on the
same page before committing. If you are having trouble
finding an adviser, contact teachers who oversee
religious or conservative clubs.You can also ask your
administration to assign your club an adviser.

Draft a Constitution and

Mission Statement

RESOURCES & TRAINING

Being a new club can feel overwhelming: Where do you start? Where do I get
resources? We want to make it as easy as possible for you to become an active
pro-life leader at your school and grow your club. SFLA has created a number of
different free training and resources to help educate and equip you to become an
effective pro-life activist!
**Please note, you must be a student to receive free resources from Students for Life of
America**
Trainings

Apologetics: Dialoguing with Abortion Advocates

Pro-Life Activism
Developing Your Leaders
Leadership Transition
Embracing the Controversy of Abortion
Recruiting and Retaining Members
Planning Your Year
Planned Parenthoods Abortion Business
Fundraising for Your Group

Topic Cards

We have topic cards for all of the tough questions! You can request any number of the
topic cards to hand out at events and counter demonstrations, use for tabling, and to
distribute throughout your school. Email SFLA at info@studentsforlife.org to order as
many as you need.
What about Life and Health of the Mother?
What about Rape and Incest?
What does Planned Parenthood have Planned for You?
Dispelling the Myths about Safe Sex
Does Overpopulation Justify Abortion?
Has Legal Abortion Really Helped Women?
And MORE!

Event-in-a-Box

Students For Life |

Each month during the school year, SFLA releases a new theme for the month, along with
resources (flyers, event and speaker suggestions, talking points, and other marketing materials)
that your group can order to use at your school. The monthly boxes are announced in an easyto-access blog post at college.studentsforlife.org/event-in-a-box

RESOURCES & TRAINING

Download, Customize, and Print Flyers for your Events!

SFLA offers a number of flyers that your group can customize and print to fit your
needs.Visit college.studentsforlife.org/flyers and click on the flyers for a high resolution and printable image. Print these out and use them at your school! (If there are
flyers that you would like us to create, send your suggestions to info@studentsforlife.
org.)

Get One-on-One Support from your SFLA Team!

Students for Life of America has an expert team of professionals to help students, wherever you live! Our team is available to you! We are here to help you by
offering one-on-one support for your group. Check out our team page to find the SFLA
team member nearest you: college.studentsforlife.org/where-our-team-is-located.

SFLAs Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship

The mission of the Students for Life of America Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship is to raise up
the next generation of pro-life leaders. We want to train student pro-life activists to be leaders on
campus (and beyond) and to network those student leaders with their counterparts in the national
pro-life movement to help further develop their skills. Simply put, the SFLA Wilberforce Leadership
Fellowship is the training you need for a career in the pro-life movement!

Students For Life |

For more information on the

Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship, visit
college.studentsforlife.org/wilberforceleadership-fellowship/

LEGAL RIGHTS
As the pro-life student movement has grown, discrimination by public school administrations has
become more frequent. Students trying to start a club or host events as an active club are constantly
being censored by their administration, teachers, and other school officials.
Bottom Line: If you attend a public school, your administration cannot
censor you or place higher standards on you in any way.
This includes:
Denial of your club on any grounds, including but not limited to:
Its too offensive
Its religious
It will disrupt the learning environment
Forcing your group to be a committee in a religious orconservative club, instead of its own independent club.
Making your club undergo more approval requirements than
other clubs.
Prohibiting your club to participate in the same activities as other clubs, including:
Flyering
Tabling
Literature distribution
Hosting speakers
Display on campus
Fundraising
Restricting you from accessing student activities funds that are available to other student groups.

Students For Life |

If you are facing any of the above situations,

or you suspect you are being discriminated
against, contact
Students for Life of American immediately at
info@studentsforlife.org.
We have free legal counsel readily available for students
to ensure your first amendment rights at your public
school.

LEGAL RIGHTS
If you think you are experiencing discrimination,
please follow the directions below:
Document Everything

Keep logs of every conversation you have with your school

officials concerning your club. Include the date, who was
present, and the outcome of the meeting.
Keep any emails sent to you from your administration
concerning your club.
Photocopy all documents you turn into your
administration.
After meeting with administrators, send a follow-up email
to confrim what was discussed and decided.

Always Attend Meetings with your

Administration in Pairs

Remember, if you are

experiencing
discrimination from your
public school officials, contact
Students for Life of America
immediately at
info@studentsforlife.org.

You can take a fellow member or your adviser, but

always have at least two people representing your club in
every meeting.
If you do not have someone to attend the meetings with
you, reschedule.
One person should always be taking notes in any meeting.

Ask for the Denial in Writing

Whether it is for starting your club, hosting an event, or

flyering, have the administration give you their denial in
writing. This can be a letter or an email.You can send them
a letter or email asking for permission once again and place
a time constraint on the reply. For example:
Dear Mr. Smith,

Sincerely,

John Walker

Students For Life |

I have recently inquired about starting a Students for Life club at Jones University. After some research, I believe it is well
within my first amendment rights to start and facilitate a pro-life club at our public school. Please reply in writing to grant or
deny our clubs ability to function as an official student group at Jones University by August 1st at 3pm. If no reply is given by
this date, it will be considered a denial.Thank you for your time.

VISION & MISSION STATEMENTS

It is important that your club has vision and mission statements.Your

potential, current, and future members need to know exactly what your
Students for Life group is all about! Your vision and mission statements
need to be written down and kept with your club documents.
Vision

The following questions can help you develop a vision:

What do we want to accomplish short term and long term?

Where do we want to be a year from now?
How do we want to impact our campus and community?
What kinds of activities are appropriate for our group?

Write a short paragraph explaining what you want the group to become and share it with
your club. Use it as a reference as you plan events and measure your success. Establishing
a common vision is important so that you can keep your group on track and everyone on
the same page.You do not want your group to become disillusioned because the group is
not what members expected it to be.

Mission Statement

As you are planning your vision, write out a mission statement to give your group a steady
focus. The mission statement tells people how your group aims to achieve your vision.
Here is an example you can use:

The mission of Jones University Students for Life is to establish an active pro-life
culture among the students of our community by educating our peers on life and by
actively promoting the right to life for all
persons (pre-born and born).
Students For Life |
8

 CONSTITUTION
Developing a constitution can be overwhelming. But dont worry, we have a sample constitution your
group can adapt to make their own! Be sure to read through the whole document and make sure it
matches your groups needs!

(Your School) Students for Life
Constitution of (Your School) Students for Life
(Date)

Article 1: Name

The name of this organization is (your club name).

Article 2: Mission

(Insert your mission statements here)

The mission of Jones University Students for Life is to establish an active pro-life culture among the youth of our
community by educating our peers on life and by actively promoting the right to life for all persons
(pre-born and born).

Article 3: Members

Section 1 (Your Group Name) is open to all (Your School) students, faculty and staff. No (Your School)
student, faculty, or staff, may be denied membership on the basis of race, sex, religion, ethnicity, national origin,
color, age, or disability.
Section 2 To become members, one must request membership verbally or via e-mail to president,
vice-president, or other executive officer. Members must provide adequate contact information and attend (#)
meetings.
Section 3 If official membership requirements specified in Section 2 cannot be fulfilled, a minimum of three
officers may consent to dismiss the requirement(s) for an individual to allow that individual official membership.

Article 4: Officers

Students For Life |

Section 1 The officers will include a president, vice president (List your officers here. See pages 11-12 for
examples of officer positions and descriptions).
Section 2 Officers will hold office for one school year (AugustMay), starting and ending at 12:00 pm on the
last day of classes for the spring semester. For the first year of existence, officers will be appointed. No officer
should hold any position for more than two school years. However, they do have the option of running for
another office after their two years are over.
Section 3 Roles of Officers: List officer positions and their main responsibilities.
Section 4 The impeachment of any officer can only occur when two-thirds majority of official members are
present to vote for impeachment, or a unanimous vote is reached by officers. Officers must clearly state the
reasoning for impeachment and take a secret vote. Grounds for impeachment can include violence against
another member or other students, lying, inappropriate speech or actions, etc.
Section 5 In addition to the officer positions, it is at the presidents discretion to appoint students to
committees to coordinate specific events or activities.
Section 6 - Officers who maintain or advocate points of view regarding abortion and other life issues and
practices that are contrary to (Names) mission and stated goals, will be removed from their office until the
bahavoior and or/unorthodox views are corrected. The voting members are responsible for removing and
reinstating officers who pertain to this section. Removal and reinstatement require two-thirds majority vote of
the voting members.

CONSTITUTION
Article 5: Elections

Section 1 Elections of officers will take place at an election meeting to be held once a year during the
spring semester, at least one month before the last day of classes.
Section 2 Any official member may be nominated for office or nominate themselves.
Section 3 Members who are running for office must be nominated and accept their
nomination at the nomination meeting, which shall occur a minimum of one week prior to the election
meeting.
Section 4 In order to hold an election two-thirds of the groups members must be present to vote.
Officers must be elected by a simple majority via secret ballot.
Section 5 - Elections must be announced at least 2 weeks prior to them being held and advertised through
all official group communication channels.
Section 6 If any officer decides to step down, nominations will be accepted at the next
meeting and a new officer will be elected one meeting later.
Section 7 In the case of no persons to fill the role of president or vice-president, an interim will be
appointed by the previous president. The interim president will hold the position until the fall semester
and new elections can be held. The interim president will have no authority to hold the position after two
months of the new semester has passed and can be removed from their office at any point by the advisor or
executive board.

Article 6: Adviser

An adviser will serve at the request of the president for as long as he or she is willing. However, if the group
finds that the adviser is not in agreement with the vision and mission statement provided in the
constitution, the executive board may vote to request a new advisor and must win by a two-thirds majority.

Article 7: Meetings

Section 1 The president must call a meeting at least once a month during the fall and spring semesters.
Any official member may call a meeting through the consent of the President and two officers.
Section 2 The Secretary (or other assigned officer) will pass around a sign-in sheet and will keep
minutes on the meeting.

Article 8: Independence

[Your Group Name] is not associated with any national, statewide, or local groups.

Article 9: Amendments

Students For Life |

In order to amend the constitution, an amendment should be submitted to the president or at least two
officers. At the next meeting, the President or the two officers, will announce the proposal and a vote will
take place by secret ballot. Two-thirds majority must be present to vote and a two-thrids members present
for approval.

10

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
It is important that your club has a strong core group of leaders. This is known as your
executive board. The executive board consists of your main officers and committee leaders.
This will help keep your group structured and organized. As your group grows, you can add
positions to your core, but it is important that you have at least a president, vice president,
treasurer, and secretary. Below are some sample descriptions of what positions you can have
and what their responsibilities can be.
Executive Board

President
Provides vision and direction, short-term and long-term
Oversees all other officers and helps them carry out their duties
Delegates tasks among officers and members
Runs meetings
Is the public face of the organization
Ensures all tasks are completed - if someone else drops the ball, the president's job is to pick up
the slack.
Sees that at least one officer meets individually with potential members
Motivates other members
Keeps the Presidents binder provided by Students for Life of America
Vice President
Assists the president in managing officers and members
Fills in for president when needed
Helps plan events
Meets every new attendee at meetings
Helps president develop ideas
Manage committees
(Note: Some larger groups have two vice presidents who split duties and assist the president in managing the
group.)

Students For Life |

Treasurer
Manages finances
Coordinates fundraising by organizing events
Tracks donors and writes thank you notes
Develops budget and turns into Student Activities
Solicits Student Activities Funds
Pays bills
Keeps track of all banking information

11

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
Secretary

Keeps minutes of meetings

Contacts and encourages inconsistent members

Sends updates to SFLA; we love to hear how youre doing!

Backs up all pictures and files in multiple places
Public Relations/Communications Coordinator

Makes life and abortion a topic of debate at the school

Takes pictures/videos of events

Manages social media accounts - keeps track of all login information for social media, email accounts,

and websites

Handles media (local news, school newspaper, etc.)

Develops relationships with local, regional, and national organizations, along with president

Partners with other pro-life friendly groups, advertises to them and through them

Faculty Adviser

The faculty adviser supports and directs the group. He or she will typically attend meetings, assist in organization, mediate with administration, and participate in events. The faculty adviser can be the mediator if a
dispute arises between officers or members.

Students For Life |

12

INTEREST MEETING

Now that you have approval from your school, you

have drafted your constitution and mission statement, and youve begun advertising for your club,
its time to have an interest meeting!

Be sure to choose a time and place that is convenient for as many students as possible.
If you can provide pizza or desserts, it will entice more students to attend. Make a flyer
that is simple and clear, stating the name of your club, the date, time, and location of the
interest meeting, your group contact information (create a group gmail account so you are
not advertising your personal information), and that you will providing dinner or desserts!
Students for Life of America has sample recruiting flyers. Hang up your flyers with ample time
for students to plan for it, preferrably about one week in advance.
Create an agenda for yourself and the other leaders who will attend to keep the meeting
organized and running on time. (See below for a sample meeting agenda.)
Example Meeting Agenda:
I.
Introduce yourself and other students who are helping start the club

a. Have each person say their name, year, and why they are interested in the pro-life club.

b. Pass around a clipboard for everyone in attendance to sign in with their name, year email

address and phone numbers. (SFLA has sample sign in sheets on page 18.)
II.
Explain your vision for the club and what you would like to accomplish as a student group.

a. What events and activities would you like to do to accomplish this?

b. Ask for different event and campaign ideas from the group.
III.
Poll the students on the best time to meet and what interests them the most.

a. Make sure your official meeting time as a club is convenient for as many students as

possible. Take this time to ask the potential members when they would prefer to meet and

how often. (Twice per month is the suggested amount.)

b. Ask the students for their areas of interest. Do you have students that are more interested

in apologetics or pregnancy resources? Make a note of it so you can include them when
you host an event they would be interested in or give them oppotunities to lead
new outreaches and projects.
Set aside some time for people to ask questions about the club.

V.

Set a date and time for your next meeting and decide on your first event. (See the Events page for
suggested events for new clubs.)

VI.
Eat and socialize!

a. Make time to get to know the people who came! Play a game or have an ice breaker so that


students feel they have connected with each other.

Students For Life |

IV.

13

PLAN YOUR YEAR

One of the key aspects of a successful group is planning ahead! Before the school year,
or as your group is forming, sit down with your adviser and other club leaders to plan
your year. This is simply to create a structure and should be flexible. Ask your Regional
Coordinator for a Plan Your Year Guide to help!
How to Make a Plan
1.
Use your SFLA Plan Your Year Guide, or another calendar to mark the following dates:

- Freshman Orientation

- First day of class

- All major holidays, breaks, or school events (football games, homecoming, etc.)

- Exam weeks

- Last day of class

When deciding on events, use your

2.

Next, fill in national pro-life events and campaigns, such as

vision and mission statement to guide

- Respect Life/LifeChain Sunday
your discussion. What events can you

- National Day of Silent Solidarity

- Pro-Life Cupcake Day
do that will help you

- Fall and Spring 40 Days for Life Campaigns
accomplish your goal? This keeps your

- March for Life
group focused and makes event plan
- Students for Life National Conference
ning easier.

- Students for Life Regional Leadership Summit
If you want to host a speaker, show a

- Pro-Life T-shirt Day
pro-life movie, or find more ideas on

- National pro-life Chalk Day

- National Community Baby Shower Day

- National Adoption Day

- Elections

3.

Now that you have an idea of what your year will look like, propose a few meeting times. Do you
want to meet twice a month? What day of the week works best for the majority of members? What
time? Go ahead and mark your meeting times on your calendar so that everyone can plan ahead.

4.

Next, plan recruitment events throughout the school year. Have a tabling
display or event specifically aimed at recruiting new members. Plan to attend club activities fairs for
incoming freshman!
Students For Life |
14

BUDGETING & FUNDRAISING

Budgeting and fundraising can sound intimidating, but it can be very simple. Having a budget and a
fundraising plan will ensure that there will be money for important events and activities throughout the
year.

Creating a Budget

The key to budgeting is to plan ahead. Use your group calendar that lists all the events that your group is hosting or
events your group will be attending to help develop your
budget.You will need to project the cost of each event (include supplies needed, food, gas, lodging, etc.). Make sure
that you anticipate events costing more than you expect.
It is possible that events will come up during the year that
you did not plan and your group will need finances to participate. Check with other pro-life or active groups in your
area to get an idea of what they generally spend per year
on certain items.
Throughout the year, it is very important that you refer
to your budget before and after every event that you
host. During your first year, it may be difficult to project
costs correctly, but it is important to keep a record of
everything you spend. That way you will have a better idea
of how much you will need to plan for the following year.

Fundraising

Fundraising isnt nearly as daunting as it seems and is a key

part to your work in abolishing abortion. Dont worry, you
arent begging people for money.You are giving them the
opportunity to work alongside you in the greatest human
rights struggle our world has ever known.
Regardless of the type of fundraising you choose to do,
the most important thing you can do is understand and
appreciate your donors. For more information on how
to connect with potential donors, ask your SFLA regional
coordinator for help or request an SFLA Activism Kit.

Find Personal Contacts Every member of your

group should start by collecting the names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and mailing addresses of family and
friends. Contact them to see if they would be willing to
help you save lives by investing in your pro-life group.

Call former students and local businesses

Contact former members and ask if they are
willing to help the group! Tell them how the group
is continuing to grow and impact the campus and
ask them to come alongside your group.You can
also ask local businesses, especially those who are
family-run or religious. Contact them and see if
they are willing to help you financially or donate
food or office supplies to be used at your meetings.
Hold a fundraising event You can plan an
event specifically focused on raising money for your
group, such as a bake sale, concert, car wash, etc.
Events can also serve as advertisements for your
group!
Partner with local pro-life organizations
Ask local pro-life organizations to sponsor your
group or even co-host an event with you.
Remember, always promptly thank everyone
who gives you a donation! Ask for contact
information when collecting money so that you
can send them a personalized thank you card. Keep
donors up to date with what your group is accomplishing and invite them to events, no matter how
big or small.
If you need help developing a fundraising plan, or
want more tips and advice, ask your SFLA Regional
Coordinator for help!

Students For Life |

Here are a few ways to fundraise:

Contact Local Churches Go and visit your

local churches and ask if they would like to partner with you to educate your peers and save lives
at your school. Present them with clear goals and
contact information.You can also ask for a time to
take a special collection after a few services.

15

EVENTS
As a new group, it is important to start engaging your school immediately. Don't wait!! The
purpose of your club is to educate your peers and ultimately abolish abortion.You need to
be visible at your school from the get-go and start dialogues about abortion. When people
talk about abortion, we win!
Here are a few event ideas (listed in the order we recommend for new groups to
have them) that are simple and easy, and will help your group gain momentum:
Flyering Campaign

Post flyers around your school on a specific theme. For example, basic abortion statistics, fetal development,
or Planned Parenthoods abortion business.Visit college.studentforlife.org/flyers for pre-made, downloadable flyers you can use! Be sure to add your groups contact information at the bottom!

Host an Apologetics Training

Ask your regional coordinator or a local pro-life leader to come and teach your group dialoguing skills. It
is crucial that your members are comfortable talking to other students about abortion and that they feel
prepared to answer the hard questions.

When Does Life Begin Display

Hang a large sheet of paper in a high traffic area of campus, or set up a display during the day. Draw a line
representing fetal development and fill in descriptions of the babys growth in the appropriate places. Have a
member standing with the display throughout the day. Ask students to put a post-it note by the stage where
they think life begins. Based on their answer, your members can start a dialogue about the humanity of the
pre-born.

Prayer Vigil/Memorial Service at Local Abortion Facility

Pick a date and time that is convenient for the majority of your members. Drive to the nearest abortion
facility and spend a set amount of time in prayer or silent reflection. Be sure to use inclusive language and
help all your group members, regardless of their religious affliation, feel like they can participate. Download our sample memorial service program at http://college.studentsforlife.org/how-to-organize-aprayer-vigil-at-an-abortion-clinic/

Students For Life |

16

EVENTS
Cupcakes and Trivia

Let's face it, everyone loves cupcakes! Set up a table around lunch time and provide free
cupcakes to everyone who can answers a question about abortion correctly. Have a sign-up sheet and
information about your club at the table as well.

Chalking

Ask your school for permission or find public sidewalks. At public universities, most sidewalks are
public.You can write life-affirming messages on them! This is a fun and creative way to get students
active! Add contact information for your local pregnancy center or post-abortive recovery counseling
centers.

Volunteer at your Local Pregnancy Resource Center

Call your local Pregnancy Resource Center and ask if you can bring a group of students by for a
volunteer day. This can include yard work, office duties, or babysitting!

For more advanced groups, host

events like a Cemetery of the
Innocents, movie night, baby shower,
diaper drive, and a day of silence!
Be sure to attend your local SFLA
Regional Leadership Summit and the
National Students for Life
Conference! For more information on
our National Conference, visit
sflalive.org

Students For Life |

17

PREGNANT ON CAMPUS INITIATIVE

Why College Campuses?

Joining the Initiative

It is no secret that the abortion industry targets

college students. About 44% of all abortions are
committed on college-aged women (ages 18-24),
and studies have shown that the abortion industry
aggressively targets our peers. Students for Life of
America confirmed this with the study Abortion
Facilities Target College Students. 79% of Planned
Parentshoods and abortion-referring facilities are
located within 5 miles of a college campus. This
poses a direct threat to the welfare of young women
and to the lives of their preborn children. However,
it was not simply this presence of abortion facilities
that poses a threat to our student parents. There is a
widespread perception that pregnancy and
parenthood present overwhelming and potentially
impossible burdens for students wishing to continue
their education. Students fear the inability to achieve
both education and parenting due to a perceived
lack of resources.

By joining the Pregnant on Campus Initiative, your group

commits to actively reaching out to pregnant and
parenting students on your campus and in your
community.
Contact your SFLA Regional Coordinator (or the
Pregnant on Campus Coordinator) to confirm your
commitment to participating in the Pregnant on
Campus Initiative.
Survey your campus to identify the current available
resources and to determine the unique needs of your
campus.
Create a Resource Guide for Pregnant and
Parenting Students. This guide will be a useful tool for
your group and your college community.
Set goals for your group. Talk to your Regional
Coordinator or the Pregnant on Campus
Coordinator about reasonable semester goals as well
as long-term goals.
Create a plan for how you will achieve your goals.
Check out the recommended projects on our
Pregnant on Campus website to decide on appropriate
projects for your group.
Put your plans into action!

College campuses are at the heart of the abortion

debate. As todays pro-life leaders and activists, we
must educate our peers about abortion, promote
available resources, and support young parents in
our community.

Pregnant on Campus Resources

Students For Life |

The Pregnant on Campus Initiative offers a wide

variety of information and resources to assist your
group in your outreach to pregnant and parenting
students.You can find these resources and events
online at www.PregnantonCampus.org. Material
resources can be obtained by contacting SFLA at
info@studentsforlife.org.

18

First Name
Last Name

Phone Number

SIGN UP/ATTENDANCE SHEET

Email Address

School Year

LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS
Successful leadership transtitions are crucial to your groups long term ability to impact
your school. You are building a movement and a legacy that will last long after you
graduate. The key is to start early! Be on the look-out for upcoming leaders from day one.
Finding Future Leaders

Once an officer knows he or she will be transitioning or graduating, they should begin to plan for a
replacement. The transitioning officer should identify the potential leaders and begin working with them
throughout the year in order for the transition to happen well. The transitioning officer should be training
the new potential leaders for an extended amount of time before the transitioning officer has finished his
or her time, in order to see that the new leadership is confident and ready to assume the leadership role.

Delegate Tasks

As a leader, you must know the importance and value of delegating tasks. Delegation take a great deal of
trust and time up front, but in the long run, you will have members who have input and buy-in because of
the trust you have placed in them through delegation. This not only builds up the clubs membership, but
you will also have more committed members (See page 21).

Elections

Elections should take place in the spring semester. At the end of the fall semester, announce the
election date and give a brief description of each position that will need to be filled. Invite members to
begin thinking about a position for which they may want to run, and highlight the value the current officer
and the position has brought to the club. Most clubs work best by electing certain positions and allowing
the executive board to appoint the rest of the positions.Your club can decide what works best for your
group. The president should be elected first, and then the other roles. This way if someone runs for
president and is not elected, he or she is not prevented from seeking another position.

Candidates

In the spring semester, current officers should focus on encouraging their replacements to take on more
responsibilities and begin thinking about taking over a leadership role. Current officers should help
potential officers realize their capacity to make an impact and nominations should be taken a week before
the election.

Transition

Celebrate

Find time as a club to celebrate the new officers and thank the ones who are graduating or moving out of
a position. This is a fun time to socialize as a group and get to know members better.

Students For Life |

The new officers should receive their official responsibilites on the last day of classes, but begin to
transition them into the role before the end of the school year. A transition time allows for new officers
to learn and slowly take over the role from the current officers, which helps make a smooth transition.

20

RETAINING GROUP MEMBERS

Retention is a crucial part of your groups success. Uou dont just want to create
an active group at your school, you want your pro-life club to last!
Build Relationships

The most important factor to retaining members is developing relationships. Core team
members should develop personal relationships with other group members so that each
member feels welcomed and valued. By getting to know each person, the officers will be able to
identify individual passions and strengths. These relationships will build community, and they will
help bolster a positive attitude among your members.

Have Socials

When a person gives her time and helps the club succeed, she deserves
recognition. Building a bond between club members will increase their committment to the
group. Thank members and get to know them on a more personal
level. One good way to do this is to have socials! Assign someone within the club to host and
plan the event and use that time to get to know your group members.You can play games or
make ice cream sundaes! But remember, this is not a time for business. Keep the social
focused on celebrating your members and having fun! Leave the event planning and
strategizing for a meeting. Socials should happen at least twice per semester.

Delegate

Another good way to keep members involved is to delegate responsibility. When members have
responsibility, they take ownership of the group and become more invested. Delegation requires
leaders to come prepared to the meeting with an idea of what needs to be accomplished. Assign
tasks to members according to their gifts and areas of interest. For example, if a student is good
at math, ask her to help the treasurer with the budget! One common mistake when delegating
is trying to delegate to anyone willing. The better technique is to use the personal relationships
developed to assign tasks to the appropriate individual with the ability to get the job done.

Students For Life |

Your goal is to develop future leaders and activists

by having individuals invest increasingly greater
amounts of their time into something of which they will
eventually take partial ownership. Once they begin
to feel responsible, members will become more
committed to your groups success. If your
club can develop the right culture and events
to retain and develop members, it will always be
growing and achieving greater success.

21

STUDENT TESTIMONIES
My Regional Coordinator was the key player in my decision to stay in leadership with this club.They have
inspired me to not give up on our little club, and to see the potential for it to be really great.Thank you for
investing in me personally, and helping me to see myself as a leader that my campus needs. I would not be
setting out on this project for another year without SFLAs inspiration. Regional Coordinators are truly key to
this movement, we couldnt be more blessed.Thank you.
Maggie

Arizona State University

SFLA and my Regional Coordinator have been a huge help in supporting our group! They helped
us get off the ground, gave me the support I needed to push through the tough spots, and they
continue to provide us with resources that help us host great events. Because of SFLA, my school
has a pro-life club that will keep doing great work long after I graduate.

-Katie
Concordia University Irvine

Students for Life of Americas Regional Coordinator has helped the pro-life club at Linn-Benton
Community College tremendously! Our Regional Coordinator took note our small troops evident passion and ideas we
already had and showed us so many ways that we could be more successful. She shared with us better advertising
strategies for our events, ways to attract and maintain members, tips on how to handle media well, brand new ideas
for pro-life events, and so much more! Most importantly, Students for Life of America, and our Regional Coordinator
always encouraged us as a club to be bold! It can be difficult standing for Life on a secular campus in ways that
draw mass attention, and oftentimes violent opposition. Nevertheless, Students for Life of America reminded us that
not only are we doing it for the 56 million who werent able to speak for themselves, but they also reminded us that
they would always be available if we needed help, or werent sure how to handle something.

-Melody
Linn-Benton Community College- Albany, Oregon

-Nick
Mississippi State University

Students For Life |

My Regional Coordinator has been a real blessing to my group.Whenever we have needed

advice or been in a tight situation, she has always been there to help us and encourage us.We
wouldnt be what we are now if it werent for her.

22

Students for Life of America

OFFERS
FREE TRAINING to your college group!
WE CAN TRAIN YOUR GROUP IN ANY OF
THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:
Pro-Life Activism
Apologetics: Dialoguing about Abortion
Developing Your Leaders
Embracing the Controversy of Abortion
Fundraising for your Group
Recruiting and Retaining Members
Planning Your Year
Planned Parenthoods Abortion Business

AND MORE!
Email us at info@studentsforlife.org or contact your Regional
Coordinator to request a FREE training from SFLA!

Check out

these awesome FREE publications

from Human Life Alliance!
HLA publications are great for students to learn about important life issues and will
equip you to share what you learn with others. Use them at school, youth groups,
churches and pro-life events. Place them on lunchroom tables, hand them out at
bus stops, distribute them in your neighborhood!

humanlifealliance

1614 93rd Lane NE | Minneapolis, MN 55449 USA

www.humanlife.org | 651-484-1040

To see all of HLAs publictions

and request copies, visit us at

www.humanlife.org

Win hearts, change minds,

and save lives on your campus!

exposed, with all the

tension its exposure creates, to the light of
human conscience and the air
Injustice must be

of national opinion before it can be cured.

(Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail)

We are now a much stronger and more

courageous group. Interest in our club has
definitely increased and we had about 50
students sign up to get more information
about Students for Life.
(Cristina M. Barba, President, Penn State Students for Life)

As a result of GAP, Students for Life

has seen its active membership base
increase dramatically.
(Andrew Shirvell, President, University of
Michigan Students for Life)

www.CBRinfo.org
Visit our booth at the SFLA National Conference!

MORE THAN 3K EVERY DAY

Unisex T-Shirt (White)
Save 20% w/ Coupon Code: SFLGB

LIKE. FOLLOW. SHARE.

FACEBOOK.COM/ABORT73
TWITTER.COM/ABORT73
YOUTUBE.COM/ABORT73

9900 Courthouse Road

Spotsylvania, VA 22553
Office Number: 540-834-4600

STUDENTSFORLIFE.ORG