Start a Club
Start a Local Club
Share Your Love of Fitness
Kids and teens across the nation need positive role models. Who better to fill that void than fitness community leaders whose lives have been changed for the better and who want to give back?
Do Good (Without The Hassle)
We’ve done the heavy lifting on the nonprofit setup and administration so your focus and time can be spent on training and mentoring youth.
Be Part Of A Strong Network
Join a national community of caring, like-minded and motivated FYR coaches that share resources and best practices to help each other succeed.
Network Benefits
Local Clubs have the flexibility to set up and run a program that best fits the needs of their community, with the backing of a supportive and well-recognized national nonprofit.
- 501(c)(3) status – fundraise and be exempt from income tax, and apply for state sales tax exemption
- Admin/operational support (accounting, taxes, legal, background check system, program assessment, etc.)
- Member resources/workshop templates
- Marketing and fundraising support
- Athletic gear, shoes, equipment, and food product donations from sponsors
- Events/opportunities for FYR coaches (community calls and meetings, networking)
- Events/opportunities for program youth (Camp FYR, Youth Advisory Committee, scholarships for coaching certifications
- 501(c)(3) status – fundraise and be exempt from income tax, and apply for state sales tax exemption
- Admin/operational support (accounting, taxes, legal, background check system, program assessment, etc.)
- Member resources/workshop templates
- Marketing and fundraising support
- Athletic gear, shoes, equipment, and food product donations from sponsors
- Events/opportunities for FYR coaches (community calls and meetings, networking)
- Events/opportunities for program youth (Camp FYR, Youth Advisory Committee, scholarships for coaching certifications
A Vision for Your Club
Forging Youth Resilience allows for a variety of different types of outreach and models. With our decentralized structure, clubs can run their programs independently with their own governing Board of Directors. As a parent organization, FYR HQ is required to conduct periodic administrative and accounting check-ins with all of its clubs.
Partnering with a gym (that would act as a sponsor for the program) to offer free fitness classes for youth is recommended. The gym should already have certified coaches, equipment, insurance, and a member base to help with volunteering and fundraising. This makes the setup, cost, and sustainability of the program easier.
While finding a facility to partner with is our recommendation, it is not a necessity, and we have had successful programs that operate independently (though they do typically have to do more fundraising to cover program costs).
We generally also recommend starting with a pilot program before diving into the official paperwork to set up your Local Club nonprofit. This allows you to gauge interest at your potential partner facility (for recruitment of coaches, volunteers, and board members) and in terms of broader community outreach to see how easy or challenging it’ll be to recruit and enroll youth in the program.
Most Common Program Types
Scholarship Spots
Create “scholarship” spots for your gym’s current kids/teens program. This is the easiest way to get started if you already have an existing kids/teens program.
FYR Classes
Start a separate “FYR” class (typically after school or on a weekend) at a gym. Getting enough youth athletes to have a stand-alone class will require reaching out to local schools and/or existing nonprofits that serve youth. If they can transport the athletes to the gym, even better!
Off-Site Program Locations
Use an off-site location or organization that already has a group of kids to train and mentor (school, community/rec center, church, nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Club, etc.). A benefit of this model is that you don’t have to worry about transportation for the kids.
“After opening my gym I began the process of starting a Local Club, which was much easier than I expected. We finished all of our paperwork in just a few months, which allowed us to get to the real work of helping kids in our community. It’s a privilege to be part of this network and something so powerful.”
What you’ll (eventually)
need to get started
- Completed Local Club application, all FYR paperwork, and on-ramping fee (one-time fee of $500: $250 due at the completion of paperwork; 12 months to fundraise additional $250)
- At least one coach with a CF-L1 certification, and preferably also a CF Kids cert (we require the lead coach to obtain a CF Kids cert within one year of the program’s start if they don’t already have this credential)*
*NOTE: We are currently reviewing our coach certification policy and requirements. If you are interested in starting a Local Club and have questions about what certifications will be accepted at this time, please contact admin@forgingyouth.org.
- Location to train youth (fitness facility, school gymnasium, rec center, etc.)
- Insurance (the program can piggyback on partner Affiliate’s policy or purchase its own policy)
- Background checks for all coaches and volunteers that will be working with youth
- Board of Directors (minimum of 3 members: President, Secretary, Treasurer) and volunteers to help run and grow the program
3, 2, 1, GO!
Completing an Application
Completing an application is the first step. Once received, we’ll schedule a call to review it with you.
Info Session
We host monthly info sessions so you can learn more about FYR.
Contact Us
Let us if you have any questions!