Starting a Chapter

Welcome, Leader!

We are so excited you are interested in starting a new COM-GAP chapter! When you take the initiative to move forward with establishing your own affiliate, you help bridge the gap in the communication community—connecting like-minded professionals across all industries.

On this page you will find all of the information needed to get started.

What you need to know

Have you reviewed our mission statement, vision and core values?

All efforts made by our organization are guided by these beliefs. Our mission is the foundation of COM-GAP and remains consistent across all chapters. However, each chapter also has its own unique personality, and activities/programs will adjust based on the affiliate’s needs and however you decide to lead it.

For example: Eager college students might create a chapter at their institution to work on growing leadership skills with their peers, and experienced professionals might start an affiliate to give back to their community and pass on valuable knowledge to eager young professionals.

All chapters are a part of COM-GAP, and all are equal in value. We do not distinguish memberships or affiliates between high schoolers, college students and experienced professionals because we are all one community working together to help each other become better communicators.

Our national branch located in Rochester, NY holds the 501(c)3 status. You personally will not have to file/owe anything financially and legally—but might have to do some other types of paperwork depending on your chapter. We recommend starting off by recruiting a strong board of officers and then drafting bylaws on how you will govern your organization. To get started, we have already prepared a kit for you to help make the process easier.

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Get the Official Starter Kit

We have put together a complete guide to starting your own chapter! The starter kit includes information you might need to get started like bylaws, leadership positions, programs/activities, digital assets, ways to partner with other organizations, etc.

Please email our Executive Director, Jordynn Barnhart Sullivan, at jbsullivan@com-gap.org to request a starter kit.

In your email, please include “Requesting Starter Kit” in the subject line. Once you are approved to receive a starter kit from our Executive Director, you are all set to get started with your chapter! We also offer free logo customization and add your group to our official Facebook page.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are struggling at any point in your chapter journey. We went through it all too and know how hard it can get sometimes.

Thank you for your interest. We hope you are inspired to take the next step and start your own affiliate!