The documents below can be used when revising/creating a constitution. Revised constitutions must be submitted to Student Activities & Involvement; please allow 10 days for final ratification. Remember to upload your new constitution to the Documents section of your organization’s BeInvolved page!

• Constitution Check List
• Constitution Template (Bolded articles/statements are required to be written in your constitutions verbatim)

If your advisor steps down, you have two options. You could find another faculty or staff member interested in taking on their responsibilities and have them fill out the advisor confirmation form within 10 days.  Or, if you have difficulty finding a new advisor, you can email Katie Lese at lesekm@jmu.edu and she will try to help you find a new one. The Student Activities & Involvement office has a list of faculty and staff members who are willing to be advisors for organizations.

• Advisor Confirmation Form
• Advisor Policy
• Organization Advisor Cheat Sheet

If your organization wants to change their name, just fill out the Name Change Form below and bring it to the Student Activities & Involvement office.

• Name Change Form

Most organizations change officers annually. It is important to pass along information from one club officer to the next. Below is a handout to start the conversation between incoming & outgoing club officers.

• Officer Transition

A new Policy Compliance Form must be signed & turned into Student Activities & Involvement whenever new club officers are selected. This paper must be turned in at least once a year. Failing to turn in this form can result in your club going inactive.

• Policy Compliance Form

To book a room on campus, you must go through the Event Management Office.  They are located in Madison Union 245.  They can be reached by phone at (540) 568-6330. A few members of your organization can become Nuts & Bolts certified through the Event Management/Scheduling office; this certification allows those members to reserve rooms on campus. Club officers should be familiar will all the Event Management policies.

There is a free resource for Student Organizations to help you promote your club’s events called the Club House. There are numerous supplies such as poster board, banner paper, paint, a copier, computers, glitter, button machine, etc. The Club House is located on the second floor of Taylor Hall and is available to any organization that is recognized as active by the Student Activities & Involvement office. Other forms of advertising include bulk emails, mailbox stuffing, Grafton-Stovall movie slides, posted flyers, Warren Kiosk advertising, The Breeze, Potty Mouth, chalking, info tables, sandwich boards, and table tents. Information about how to publicize in these ways can be found on the Event Management website.

Whenever you sell/give away merchandise on campus (ex. t-shirts, stickers, CD's), your clubs is required to gain approval from Student Activities & Involvement. This approval must be gained before making ANY and ALL merchandise, regardless of the purpose or if it will be sold. To receive approval, simply fill out the Merchandise Approval Form and turn it into Student Activities & Involvement for the appropriate signatures. Please allow up to 10 days for approval. If you plan to use the JMU name / logo / mascot / landmarks / etc. on your merchandise, please note that these items are trademarked. In order to use a trademarked item, you'll need additional approval and you must utilize a licensed vendor. A licensed vendor is a company that has gained approval from JMU to print these trademarks. The list of approved vendors changes monthly; for the most updated list please click for a Local List or an Internal Link

If you are traveling off-campus with your club, there are some greater risks involved. Here are some forms that you can use as templates for such occasions:

• SAMPLE Student Assumption of Risk Certificate
• SAMPLE Statement of Proposed Activities and Risk
• SAMPLE Emergency Contact Form

Please do not sign any major contracts, as you can be found individually responsible for paying the amount due. The Student Activities & Involvement office can review and sign major contracts for your club.

The university receives requests to allow recognized JMU Student Organizations to display symbols of religious and other holidays on campus. The Holiday Display Policy & Application is intended to provide space for such displays by recognized Student Organizations in designated spaces in areas outside adjacent to the Madison Union and Festival Conference and Student Center.

View a video tutorial to learn how to update your header image, profile picture, font colors & styles, club description, interest areas, and external websites.

View a video tutorial to learn how to join an organization on BeInvolved.

View a video tutorial to learn how to create organization and campus-wide elections.

View a video tutorial to learn how to create an event and display an event flyer on the homepage corkboard.

Your club's tax ID, or EIN, is your federal tax ID number. Student organizations are not permitted to use the university’s tax ID or tax exempt number. Student organizations are not permitted to share tax ID information. Student Activities & Involvement does not keep a record of your club's tax ID number. Make sure to pass this information along when new people are elected into office or a new advisor joins the group. Organizations wishing to open bank accounts must apply for an Employee Identification Number (EIN) by contacting the IRS. There are two ways your organization can get your existing Tax ID (EIN) number:

• Call the IRS at 1-800-829-4933 to immediately receive your EIN over the phone.
• If you have an account with Commonwealth One Federal Credit Union, they have it on file. You can go by and ask them for that number. 
• Click here for information on how to request an new Tax ID (EIN) number.

• Fundraising: There are many options for fundraising on campus.
• Contingency Funds: As a recognized student organization on campus, you are eligible for Contingency Funds through the Student Government Association. Contingency is money from student fees which is given to groups to hold events, go to conferences, etc. If you need help starting a new event or fundraising just is not covering all of your costs, you can apply for contingency. Any recognized JMU student organization which is chartered with a Constitution and in good standing with the Student Activities & Involvement office for at least four months is eligible. Organizations must also show they have exhausted all forms of fundraising.

If you have questions that your treasurer cannot answer, first ask your Faculty/Staff Advisor. If there are more questions about money, please contact Paula Lam, Assistant Director for Finance in University Unions, at lampe@jmu.edu

How to Open a Bank Account: While you are not required to open a bank account on campus, here are the steps to opening an account at Commonwealth One located in Madison Union. Create/Update Org Account Form

Clubs are required to register annually with the Student Activities & Involvement office if they wish to maintain their active status. Whoever wants to be listed as the Primary Contact for the organization should complete the registration.

1. Turn in signed Policy Compliance Form to Student Activities & Involvement (must be done before completing online registration). Your clubs current officers must be listed for the Policy Compliance Form to be considered up-tp-date.
2. Go to beinvolved.jmu.edu
3. Log in
4. Click Organizations
5. Find your organization
6. Click the Register This Organization button
7. Complete registration & submit