Start a Club

Your club should look to partner with your local innocence organization if possible. To find the organization nearest you, please visit https://innocencenetwork.org/directory/. Your club can participate in some or all of the following activities:

• Education: educating yourselves about wrongful convictions

• Advocacy: raising awareness by conducting outreach to your community to influence legislation and public policy

• Fundraising: in coordination with your local organization, raising money to support their work

Your club should gain student activity or club status through your school and comply with any necessary requirements they might set. Additionally, clubs should secure a school faculty or staff member as an advisor. Consider the leadership and membership structure that works best for you. You may consider having four officers, including a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary, if necessary, to adhere to your school’s policies and procedures.

The name “Innocence Project” is a federally-registered trademark owned by the Innocence Project, Inc. The Innocence Project, Inc. grants use of the trademark, through a license agreement, to those members of the Innocence Network which seek to use the term “Innocence Project” as part of its legal name, or otherwise use the mark. In order to use the “Innocence Project” name or trademark, organizations must apply to and be accepted in the Network and sign the license agreement. Because your club will not meet the requirements to use the trademark, you will not be able to use the name “Innocence Project” in your club’s name. We suggest calling yourselves an innocence club. For instance, you could be “{Insert School Name} Innocence Club” or “{Insert School Name} Wrongful Conviction Club.” It is important to remember that your activities may reflect on the Innocence Network.

Please note that the Innocence Network is not a legal entity, and all of its members are independent from one another. The Innocence Project, Inc., a New York not-for-profit corporation based in New York City, is a founding member of the Network, serves as the headquarters of the Network, and owns and enforces rights in the “Innocence Project” trademark.

Gather a group of at least three individuals, ideally with diverse perspectives and an interest in the criminal justice system. Share this guide with them and secure their support in helping you launch your innocence club.

Enlist a faculty or staff member to be your advisor. You should approach someone who cares about the mission and has time to devote to the club and ensuring its success. Work with your advisor to find out your school’s procedures for creating an official club and what requirements you must meet.

This is critical for being able to access resources your school might have available, such as meeting rooms, funding, and permission to hold events on campus. Your school might require you to create club leadership position descriptions and a constitution.

After you’ve secured the support of an advisor and your school, contact your nearest Network member organization. If there is not a Network member in your state, follow the organization that accepts cases in your state by clicking on “Areas Served” and then your state at https://innocencenetwork.org/directory/. Visit their website to learn about their work, follow their social media accounts, and sign up for their email newsletters if their website lists that as an option. Please note that most Network member organizations are very small; the average staff size of a Network member organization is four people. If the organization nearest you has limited resources and a small budget (as many do), they may not have the capacity to work extensively with your club. Please do not let that discourage you (there are plenty of suggestions of activities your club can do in this guide that do not depend on their collaboration), but please note that you will not be able to use any organization’s logo in your materials without their permission. Your fundraising activities (discussed later) will be all the more valuable to them.

Schedule and secure a location for your first meeting and recruit your friends and classmates to join you. 

Promote your group by putting up posters around your school. Get your first meeting listed on your school’s event calendar, if possible. Spread the word through social media and/or email. Can you include it in your school’s newspaper? Will teachers/professors let you make a brief announcement during an appropriate time? Consider all the opportunities for promotion your school has available to you.

At your first meeting, you might want to have everyone introduce themselves and share what inspired them to be interested in joining and what they are hoping to get out of the club. Motivate others to join by sharing why you wanted to start the club -- what has you fired up and why you’re inspired to take action. Introduce attendees to the work and how your involvement can make a difference. Be sure to collect the contact information of everyone who attends through a sign-up sheet so you can follow up with them.

Decide on the leadership structure of your club. Will you elect officers? How many officers will you have? Who will set the agenda for each meeting? Be sure the roles you decide on are well defined so that key tasks get done. It can be helpful to create descriptions of the tasks associated with each role so officers are clear on their tasks. Examples of some officers you might want to have are a president, vice president, treasurer (particularly if you plan to fundraise and/or your school offers you some funding you will need to manage), and a secretary (having someone to take notes, oversee email updates and reminders as well as meeting logistics can be helpful). 

Set your goals and determine your activities for the year. How often will you meet? When? Where? How will you communicate with each other? A listserv or Facebook group can be helpful. You might consider dividing into committees to handle the different buckets of work. For instance, a communications committee can oversee conducting outreach internally to your school and externally to your community. You might want to create a Facebook page and/or other social media channels where you can share information about your club and events. Social media can be helpful to build visibility and publicize events. Supporters can find out what you’re doing and how they can get involved. It could be a good way to entice more members, too!

Keep in mind when planning your year that Wrongful Conviction Day (see page 16) is October 2nd and that the Network Conference (see page 15) is typically in March or April. Visit https://innocencenetwork.org/subcategory/conference-2024 to find out more information. If you decide to attend, you can register as a student at a discounted rate.

In your constitution, include articles on your club’s statement of purpose, how your club’s leadership will be structured, whether you’ll have committees and what their roles will be, and on rules for general membership. 

It is important that your club members feel that club leadership is held accountable to them, and that ultimately, everyone’s voices matter in the decisions the club makes. Furthermore, whether elections are held annually or after each semester, new leadership can allow for fresh and diverse perspectives on the direction of the club.

To hold productive meetings, club leadership should have a set agenda for each meeting, laying out and prioritizing what will be discussed and for how long as well as what needs to be decided. An agenda holds meeting attendees accountable and works to keep the club on track. 

As an innocence club, it is important to actively engage your community with this media, using it as a framework to facilitate discussions on wrongful convictions.  As a discussion facilitator, be mindful of your discussion space. The stories told involve heavy topics, including violent crimes. Your space may be one of discomfort for some, as you grapple with issues such as racial bias and sexual assault, and that’s okay. Your discussions should remain civil. Encourage people to speak for themselves, using their own experiences rather than generalizations or assumptions about others. The questions below are a good starting point for these important dialogues. Having a discussion can help you process what you watched, read, or listened to.

1. In the wrongful conviction story that was presented, what moved you the most? Why?

2. Thinking about the ways those who were wrongfully convicted were treated by law enforcement and the court system, where do you see room for reform? Consider interrogation tactics, prosecutorial conduct, jury selection, eyewitness testimony, etc.

3. How did poverty and/or race factor into this wrongful conviction?

4. What are the long-term consequences for those who have been convicted of a crime? 

5. What do you think needs to be done to support exonerees upon release? Is financial compensation enough?

The Innocence Network Conference is an annual event bringing together members of the innocence movement, including attorneys, exonerated individuals and their families, staff from Network member organizations, the media, and other advocates, for two days of powerful plenary and breakout sessions. Please visit https://innocencenetwork.org//subcategory/conference-2022 for information about the next conference. If registration is not yet available, you can save the date and sign up to be notified when registration opens on our website. If you decide to attend, you can register as a student for a discounted rate.

The Innocence Project has a Speakers’ Bureau that is comprised of former Innocence Project clients and staff members who are effective public speakers with unique expertise and insight into this work. Click here to learn more about the Speakers’ Bureau and submit a request form to invite speaker to address your group: https://www.innocenceproject.org/speakers-bureau/. Please note that exoneree speakers require an honorarium for appearances, in addition to per diem and any necessary travel expenses. 

Created by the Ohio Innocence Project and the Innocence Project, and co-sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Innocence Network, this video series serves to educate us about the psychological phenomena that can impede criminal investigations and prosecutions and lead to wrongful convictions. The seven videos feature leading experts discussing how to recognize psychological phenomena including confirmation bias, memory malleability, eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, lie detection and demeanor evidence, tunnel vision, and implicit bias. The experts in the videos also highlight some of the safeguards that can be utilized to address these issues and prevent wrongful convictions. 

Edited by Mark Godsey, director of the Ohio Innocence Project, the Wrongful Convictions Blog provides updates on news on wrongful convictions. Click here to check it out. Mark Godsey also manages a public Facebook group, called Blind Injustice, where articles concerning wrongful convictions and other relevant topics are shared.

Wrongful Conviction Day, held each year on October 2nd, is an international day to raise awareness of the causes and remedies of wrongful conviction and to recognize the tremendous personal, social, and emotional costs of wrongful conviction for innocent people and their families. Visit the Wrongful Conviction Day website to learn how you can get involved.

Consider writing a letter on behalf of a case and/or piece of legislation that matters to you. Contact your local Network member organization to find out what might be helpful to them. Examples could include advocating on behalf of a clemency request, sending letters of support to a client, or sending a letter to your state government on behalf of a policy change. Some tips for writing your letters:

• Research the address and salutation for the person to whom you are writing. 

• Keep your tone respectful and polite. 

• Write clearly and concisely.

• If writing to a decision maker, first consult with the organization spearheading the policy or legal effort and stick to the facts: do not include judgement, feelings or political leanings and be constructive, focusing on a solution. 

• Always remain mindful of the potential impact of your letter. Be sure to consult with the organization before asking people to write letters to a client they’re representing or before taking part in a policy/legislative effort to be sure your messaging is impactful and doesn’t unintentionally undercut a larger strategy.

• Refrain from sending out identical sample letters. It is more impactful to send individualized, personal letters that demonstrate genuine interest. 

Consider writing an editorial for your school’s newspaper or an opinion piece for your local newspaper.

Click here to learn how your state is doing, and what reforms might be needed.

You can sign up to be notified of actions to help win legislative reforms nationwide. Click this link from the Innocence Project to stay informed: https://www.innocenceproject.org/pledge/. You can help amplify any state specific campaigns by sharing them on your social media pages.

District attorney elections are important opportunities to impact criminal justice reform in your community. Many people are not aware of the power a prosecutor’s office holds; click here to learn more about it. Whether you are of voting age or not, find out who your district attorney is and what they stand for. Be sure to vote when you’re eligible, and encourage others to do the same.

It is important that once exonerated, those who have spent time behind bars wrongfully convicted are monetarily compensated by their state and given the resources and support they need to reenter society. Exonerees require financial support for basic needs such as food, clothing, and transportation. They need secure and affordable housing, medical care, and counseling services, as well as access to education, job training, and legal services so that they may expunge their criminal records and receive public benefits.

Look into whether your state has compensation laws in place, and what kinds of support systems, if any, your state has for exonerees. If your state does not offer compensation, or has a weak statue, amplify the need for compensation reform on your social media pages by sharing dedicated Facebook pages or tweets related to active campaigns advocating for state compensation for exonerees.

Consider approaching local religious leaders to see if your church, synagogue, imam, meeting house, etc., would be interested in sponsoring or hosting an event to help educate the public about wrongful convictions. Similarly, approach the leaders of other community groups in which you and the other members of your club are involved to see if they would be interested in giving you an opportunity to educate them about wrongful convictions and the impactful work you and your local organization are doing.

One of the things you may do as an innocence club is host a school-wide event to bring public awareness to the problem of wrongful convictions. Consider screening a film about wrongful convictions, and invite local Network member staff and/or exonerees to speak.

First, decide as a club what kind of event you want it to be. Is it going to be a movie screening (see list of media above)? Are you going to invite a speaker or organize a panel on wrongful convictions? Will it be a podcast listening party?

After deciding what your event will entail, figure out the logistics. Where and when will the event occur? Confirm with your school’s administration that the location and time you’ve selected is approved for the purpose of the event. Will you serve food or refreshments? How are you going to advertise and get the word out about the event? Set a goal for how many people you would like in attendance and lay out a plan for how you may realistically reach that number. At the event, will you want to set up a station where you can collect donations for your local innocence organization? Make sure you give yourself, your school, any guest speakers and your attendees enough notice to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Following the event, debrief as a club about how you think it went and what you think your community was able to get out of it. 

Consider meeting and working with groups that similarly support criminal justice reform, as well as with groups that may not advocate for criminal justice reform as their main mission but would be willing to support innocence causes. Examples of entities you could ally with are civil rights organizations, religious groups, racial justice groups, women’s rights groups, LGBTQIA+ rights groups, and immigrant rights groups. Forming alliances provides opportunities to lift each other up and support one another in advocacy, reform, awareness and fundraising efforts, as well as illuminate the intersectional nature of these issues. 

Stay on top of your local and state news, and if possible, conduct your advocacy such that it touches upon stories of persons impacted by wrongful conviction in your community. Advocating for broader issues like criminal justice reform using localized, individual stories helps people engage and encourages them to care about the cause. 

Collect emails of those interested in the club and its work. Grow your club base by putting out sign-up sheets when you table or host an event. Regularly send out a newsletter publicizing club meetings, efforts, and events. You can also use your mailing list as an opportunity to share information on wrongful convictions and raise awareness of any actual innocence cases or policy reform efforts in your area. 

Ask a local restaurant to agree to donate a percentage of their profits from a certain night or a portion of the profits received from a specialty item, such as $1 from every burrito purchased on a particular evening, to your local organization. Promote your charity night to ensure a large turnout! You can also plan a fundraiser with a participating chain restaurant, where customers who mention your cause at checkout will have a percentage of their purchases donated to the cause. Examples of chain restaurants that participate in such fundraising programs are Chipotle, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, IHOP, Five Guys, and Burger King. Visit their websites to learn more. 

Set up a table at a school event to promote the work your local organization does. Collect donations for the organization at the table or provide tablets or laptops that individuals can use to donate online right from your table. Pass out flyers that have the link individuals could use to donate later. 

Club members can sign up for runs and walkathons and start their own crowdfunding campaigns on behalf of their local innocence organization. Ask club members to tell their friends and family about the organization and why supporting their work is important. Club members can spread the word on their social media channels and collect pledges online and in-person. This form of peer-to-peer fundraising will have the added benefit of naturally raising awareness about wrongful convictions as each club member asks for support.

To collect donations from pledges, club members can use Mightycause, an online fundraising platform. Mightycause works under a “keep-it-all” model, so no matter whether your fundraising goal is reached or not, all the donated funds will go to the intended organization. It is easy to create an account on Mightycause using your email, Facebook or Google account. Once you’ve created an account, you can click “Start a Fundraiser” and begin! Mightycause has all nonprofits logged with the IRS in its system, so all you have to do is search for and select the organization you want to fundraise for. While nonprofits usually pay a 4% platform fee, Mightycause has waived these fees for all Innocence Network member organizations so that they receive all of what you fundraise. Once club members have created their fundraising pages on Mightycause, they can easily share the link on all their social media accounts.

Reach out to your school’s community of musicians, actors, dancers, and performers. Organize a benefit concert at your school and ask interested students to perform. Explain that the revenue generated from ticket sales will be donated to an innocence organization. At the concert, tell your audience where the proceeds will be going and about the important work the organization is doing and how they can get involved. 

Host a bake sale or luncheon on behalf of your local innocence organization and raise funds through selling baked goods or meals at a profit. Other ideas including selling T-shirts or hosting an ice cream social. Money raised from the sales can be donated to the organization of your choice.

Ask local businesses to donate items they typically sell or a giftcard to their business. This could be a great way for them to access new customers, who may not have previously been aware of them. You could then use the donated items as part of a silent auction at any of your events.

Ask club members to fundraise on Facebook or on other social media platforms, asking followers to donate. In their posts, club members can explain why they believe it is important to support innocence organizations. Club members’ birthdays can be a good time to create a fundraiser to share with their friends.

To start a fundraiser on Facebook, click “Fundraisers” in the left menu of your News Feed, click “Raise Money,” click “Nonprofit,” select the organization, choose a cover photo and fill in the fundraiser details, and then click “Create.”