Start a chapter

What your chapter does

CLEO connects students and seniors through patient, practical technology help. A chapter builds an ongoing relationship with a local community: volunteers help people use devices, learn everyday skills, and feel more connected. You do not need to know every answer. Reliability, kindness, and a willingness to learn matter.

Leading a chapter means arranging visits, communicating with the host, supporting volunteers, and keeping CLEO's records current. Plan for coordination between visits as well as the visits themselves. A dependable small team is a good starting point; the setup slides suggest three to five regular volunteers, not a mandatory minimum.

See the whole journey

1. Connect with CLEO. Join the CLEO leadership Slack through the public Get started page. Open the CLEO app's Home tab and choose Start a chapter. Complete the introduction and chapter application prompts.
2. Build your team. Find co-leaders and an adult advisor. The advisor must join and personally accept the chapter and safety responsibilities. Adding an administrator as an agreement recipient is a separate task.
3. Find a suitable host. Talk to an activities director or another appropriate contact about residents' needs, a reliable schedule, and supervision.
4. Complete setup. Follow your chapter workspace's live checklist for agreements, venue requirements, volunteer registration, and training. Approval of the chapter application alone does not complete all of these steps.
5. Run visits and record the work. Keep attendance, log completed sessions, maintain the team, and file reports and renewal when due.

You can read all four guides now. There is no form, approval, or email gate to unlock the next guide.

Find people who will stay involved

Start with students who will communicate reliably and share the work. The original setup materials recommend co-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, and an advisor, with other roles as useful. These are planning suggestions; do not invent people or duplicate accounts to fill a suggested organizational chart.

Think about continuity early. Include younger leaders who can learn alongside graduating leaders. Agree who handles the venue relationship, attendance, volunteer communications, paperwork, and school requirements. A title alone does not grant permission to sign for a school or facility.

Student officers and volunteers may be minors or adults. Routine chapter work can be student-led. The adult advisor provides the local adult responsibilities and reviews the matters that require them. See roles and responsibilities.

Approach a host with persistence and respect

CLEO's founding story includes unanswered outreach emails and a successful in-person conversation at Brookdale. Use that as encouragement to follow up thoughtfully, not as permission to arrive unannounced or promise an unapproved program.

Ask what technology help would be useful, who coordinates activities, and how a recurring visit could fit the community's schedule. A short, friendly explanation works better than promising to solve every technical problem. If the first contact is not the right person, ask whom to contact next.

What to use for what

• These guides: explanations, practical advice, and instructions you can look up later.
• Your chapter workspace: the actual records, requirements, forms, attendance, and status.
• CLEO Slack: leadership coordination, questions, and reminders. Ordinary volunteers do not need leadership Slack access to register.
• Volunteer training and handbook: preparation and conduct expectations for everyone serving.

Use your chapter's Slack channel for ordinary questions and ask National for help when the local team cannot resolve a blocker. Keep personal signing links, guardian details, and sensitive reports out of shared chats.

Next: Set up your chapter. If you already have a chapter and need help with a button, open the Chapter Leader Guide.