How to start a club, Step-by-step instructions

To ensure consistency, safety and the highest quality of service to our villages, we developed this Step-By-Step guide to empower you with all the information you need to coordinate the logistics of your trip. It is critical for every club leader to read completely and check for updates.

 

• Access Important GDB Files Here

• GDB Files

  
  Establishing a Club
  Sample Constitution
  Fundraising Website Manual for Club Presidents
  Check Donations Tracker
  Global Brigades W-9 Tax Form

  
  Travel
  Airfare FAQ
  Visa Requirements
  Visa Application
  List of Honduran Consulates
  
  Student Recruitment  
  Recruitment PowerPoint (*.ppt) (*.pptx)
  
  General Information - Honduras
  About Honduras
  In-Country Instructions  
  
  Follow-up
  Thank you letter to Sponsors and Medication Grant Organizations
  Sample Press Release for School Paper

 

Before You Begin

• Step 1: Contact Don Osborne
• Step 1: Contact Don Osborne
  
  Please reach out to Advisory Board Member Don Osborne to be assigned a Health Advisor:
  
  Don Osborne    949-417-1295 ext. 211, dono@globalbrigades.org
  

• Step 2: Achieve Club Recognition or Combine To Existing Club
• Step 2: Achieve Club Recognition or Combine With An Existing Medical Brigade Club
  
  1)  Find a Faculty Advisor (Example: Dean of Dental Department)
  
  2)  Construct a Constitution
  
  3)  Once you've secured a club or made an agreement with a Medical Brigade or other existing club, you may receive:
      -  President E-mail Address (e.g. YourName@globalbrigades.org or YourSchool@globalbrigades.org)
      -  Webpage Stored On This Site
      -  Access To Weekly Conference Calls To Learn From Other Groups
      -  Access To Our Health Professionals Listserv
      -  Freedom To Use the GDB Logo to Promote Your Club
      -  More Sample Documents/Templates To Help With Each Step of Planning

• Step 3: Secure a Week For Your Brigade
  
• Step 3: Secure a Week For Your Brigade
  
  1)  View the Brigades Calendar for available dates (3 group max per week)
  
  2)  Contact Chris Ha, our US Program Director, to schedule dates for your trip and add your institution to the Brigade Fundraising Site.
  

 

5-7 Months Before Your Brigade

• Step 4: Recruit Volunteers With A GDB Info Session 
• Step 4: Hold Information Session To Recruit Volunteers
  
  Before the meeting:
  1)  Invite regional advisor to help present
  
  2)  Ask relevant department administrators to distribute a customized recruitment email to dental, biology, international relations, and Spanish students using our sample recruitment emails or flyer .  Be sure to physically walk over to the department and ask the admin to send instead of just emailing it to them. 
  
  3) Click here to view our Powerpoint describing our Dental Brigade methodology
  
  4)  Print out customized versions of the Marketing Brochure
  
  At the meeting:
  1)  Deliver a customized presentation GB Introductory PowerPoint
  
  2)  Distribute Student Applications
  
  3)  Communicate costs and commitment of the trip
      -  Nonrefundable deposit of $150 reserve a spot on the trip and to go towards airfare (made out to your club)
      -  Remainder of airfare: $500 – $1000 depending on airline quote (made out to your club)
      -  In-country costs: $650 which includes all room/board accommodations, travel, Honduran guide, water, security etc. All in-country costs will be raised on the Brigade Fundraising Site    -  Additionally, each volunteer should be asked to raise $50-100 to purchase dental supplies and dental hygiene packets.  If you coordinate with other students to include an Environmental Brigade, Medical Brigade, Water Brigade or Business Brigade to your trip, the in-country costs decrease significantly. 
  
  4) Time commitment: everyone to collect medicine, find doctors and to attend group meetings.

• **Optional Educational Tours**
  
• Trips to Copan or Roatan
  
  We designed our volunteer program for 7 day intervals to suit most university vacation schedules.  However, if any volunteers have additional days available we can offer a 2-4 educational/cultural program extension.  These extensions will be made available depending on the demand for it (a minimum of 10 volunteers).  If you are interested in participating in the extension program, please inform our travel team at travel@globalbrigades.org , and we will customize a program for your group and book your airfare tickets accordingly.
  
  Read more about this opportunity in Additional Programs
  

• Step 5: Club Members Register On Brigade Fundraising site
  
• Step 5: Have Club Members Register On Brigade Fundraising site
  
  All volunteers must be entered into the Brigade Fundraising Site to be officially registered for a brigade.  The site serves for four critical functions:
  
  Registration : Each volunteer signs up under the appropriate institution
  
  Solicit donations : Each volunteer will have a personalized webpage to collect donations from their friends and family.  Brigaders can send emails from the platform using preexisting templates or create your own letter.  All major credit cards are accepted.  In addition, you will have a team page to collect funds as a group
  
  Waivers and Code of Conduct : To register for a brigade, all volunteers must agree to the waiver to release Global Brigades from liability and a conduct form.  Both are displayed on the site
  
  Reporting : Club presidents can pull financial reports indicating who has registered for their brigade and determine how much each have fundraised.  Clup president to send final financial report to Ryan Leary at Ryan@globalbrigades.org before departure. 
  

• Step 6: Recruit Dental Professionals/Send Sponsor Letter To Friends and Family
  
• Step 6: Recruit Dental Professionals/Send Sponsor Letter To Friends and Family
  
  1)  Send a sponsor letter to friends and family: 80% of dentists are typically friends/family of student volunteers
  
  2)  Ask your regional advisor for health professionals in our listserv
  
  3)  Reach out to local dentists and dental schools using our sample Letter to Doctors and making phone calls.
  
  4)  The email template on the Brigade Fundraising Site also has a section mentioned for medical professionals to join the brigade
  
  5) Check out Dental Professionals FAQ s

 

4-5 Months Before Your Brigade

• Step 7: Prepare for the Brigade: Collection of Dental Supplies and Donations!
  
• Step 7: Prepare for the Brigade: Collection of Dental Supplies and Donations!
  
  1)  Please refer comprehensive document, Steps to a Successful Dental Station, for all the information on how to prepare. 
  
  2)  Solicit local private dental practices, pharmacies, and clinics for supplies
  
  3)  Once medicine is received, it should be stored in a cool area hopefully provided by the school.

• Step 8: Set Up Checking Account To Collect Airfare Deposits
  
• Step 8: Set Up A University Club Checking Account To Collect Airfare Deposits
  
  Money collected in the club account should only go to travel. 
  
  Team donations for the purchase of dental supplies can be collected at this level or on the Brigade Fundraising Site.

 

3-5 Months Before Your Brigade

• Step 9: Secure Airline Reservations
  
• Step 9: Secure Airline Reservations
  
  1)  When your leadership team is ready to book their flights, we ask that you contact our internal travel agents at travel@globalbrigades.org .
  
  They not only books travel, but work directly with our in-country staff to insure a smooth pick-up/drop-off of every volunteer. They also insure every student has signed the correct waivers, has SOS insurance and calls the appropriate foreign consulate offices so they know of our whereabouts in Central America.  Because of our high volume of volunteers it is LOGISTICALLY HAZARDOUS for our in-country staff to have to work with several different agents and airlines, so we assess a $100 in-country fee per brigader for any volunteer group that purchases outside of Global Brigades Travel. Please read our Airfare FAQ
  
  
  Contact Global Brigades Travel with the following information ready:
  Specify that you are a Global Medical Brigades group
  Departure and return dates
  City Pairs
  Number of passengers
  Your contact information
  
  2)  Collect $150 deposits in your club name for volunteers to secure their airfare (3-5 months before brigade)
  
  3)  Collect remainder of amount of flight cost and submit names and money to Regina to meet specified deadlines.
  
  4) Ensure all student passports do not expire WITHIN 3 MONTHS of arrival in Honduras.  If they do, the student must renew their passport before departure.
  
  5)  Students with out US Passport will need a Visa.  Contact your advisor for questions regarding requirements to obtain a Honduran Visa.
  
       a) Read Requirements
       b) Fill out Application
       c) Return to Honduras Consulates

 

3 Months Before Your Brigade

• Step 10: Vaccinations
  
• Step 10: Vaccinations
  
  Every volunteer should receive an oral Malaria and Typhoid vaccine. 
  
  Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and tetanus vaccines are recommended.  Vaccinations are usually given at the school health clinic.

 

Two Weeks Before Your Brigade

• Step 11: Acquire SOS Insurance For All Volunteers
• Step 11: Acquire Emergency SOS Insurance For All Volunteers
  
  All volunteers must show proof that they are covered for emergency SOS and international health coverage before travel.
  
  If not already covered by the school or their current provider,  APF Travel offers short-term coverage that is very reasonable.
  

• Step 12: Educate Volunteers About Honduras and Set Expectations
  
• Step 12: Educate Volunteers About Honduras and Set Expectations
  
  About Honduras
  
  Sample Itinerary
  
  In-Country Instructions
  
  Spanish Workshop
  
  Spanish Workshop Powerpoint
  

 

1 Week Before Your Brigade

• Step 13: Send Inventory of Dental Supplies to Kate Leeming
• Step 13: Send Inventory of Supplies to Kate Leeming
  
  Quique Rodriquez: kate@globalbrigades.org
  

• Step 14: HAVE FUN ON YOUR BRIGADE!
  
• Step 14: HAVE FUN ON YOUR BRIGADE!

 

Two Weeks After Your Brigade

• Step 15: Post-Brigade Follow-up
  
• Step 15: Post-Brigade Follow-up
  
  Thank You Letter to Sponsors
  
  Sample Press Release for School Paper

 

*Click the link and scroll up to the top for the information