— From the country's first social club accelerator —

Welcome to the free club-building playbook.

12 hot takes. Everything we learned from working with 100+ clubs.
Free for everyone, forever.

Read the playbook
Full bootcamp (coming soon)


Flick through here, or download it below.

Read the playbook now.

Download the playbook

Our Story

Why we built this and why we're giving it away.

Build IRL was the country's first social club accelerator.

After two wild years, 100+ club alums, and a 9.5 NPS score … we're open-sourcing everything we learned.

So anyone, anywhere can build a club.

Read our story

This is for you if …

The Problem

You're thinking:
"I'd love to bring people together… but don't know where to start."

Or you already run something:
a dinner potluck, a run club, a writing circle, a WhatsApp group that's almost something.

And wondering:
How do I get people to not flake? To show up and chip in?
How do I not burn out?
How do I make this last?

Or you're part of a group:
and want to make it stronger.

Download the playbook

Cover of a book titled "How To Build a Club: 12 hot takes." The cover features illustrations of three people constructing the word "CLUB" with large, colorful, geometric letters and holding tools.
Yellow background with text '=12 #Hot TAkES How To Build A Club' in black and purple.
Purple background with white text that reads 'WHO YOU ARE' and a black label with white text that reads 'PART 1' in the lower center.
Illustration of people holding hands in a park, with trees and buildings in the background, promoting a community building event with the website www.buildaclub.org and text about how to build a club.
Illustration of people sitting and holding signs, with some knitting and surrounded by yarn and knitting needles. The top part of the image has the website URL and the text 'How to build a club. 12 Hot takes.'
Illustration of a person and a dog building a gate at the top of stairs, part of a guide titled 'How to build a gate. 12 Hot takes.' with some text about boundaries.
Green background with white text that says 'WHAT YOU DO PART 2' and a black rectangle underneath with the word 'PART' and the number '2'.
A digital illustration showing children and adults building a model club with various structures and objects like guitars, umbrellas, and balls, with text indicating steps on how to build a club.
Illustration showing people gathered in a club setting with blue curtains, string lights, and chairs, with the text 'How to build a club. 12 Hot takes' at the bottom.
Illustration of people gathering in a living room with furniture, sharing snacks and conversations, with text about building a club.
Illustration of children sitting on a blanket having a picnic outdoors, with trees and clouds in the background. The text in the image reads, 'Success ≠ More People.' and 'How to build a club. 12 Hot takes.'
Yellow background with a black rounded rectangle at the bottom containing the text 'PART 3' in purple. Below that, handwritten black text reads '#how you co-create'.
An illustrated infographic with text 'Be a gardener, not a CEO' and flower drawings, promoting gardening as a calming activity. The website www.buildaclub.org is at the top, and a message about building a club in 12 hot takes is at the bottom.
Colorful illustrated people painting a wall with brushes, with various doodles and playful elements, promoting building a club.
Illustration of two superheroes riding skateboards, carrying bags with dollar signs, with clouds and starbursts in the background, promoting building a club with 12 hot takes.
An illustrated scene of a cozy living room where a family is gathered. Some family members are sitting on a couch, others are standing and chatting. The room is decorated with framed pictures, plants, and string lights. There are books and a tray wit
An illustrated table with people gathering around, eating and talking. There is a text overlay that says, "How to build a club. 12 Hot takes."
Colorful game instructions to build a club, with questions about identifying members, activities, and co-creation, and tips for lasting clubs.

  • "I'll forever be changed by your program. I learned not just club organizing skills, but life skills and how to be a better member of society."

    Jess Marvin

  • "I feel lucky to be leaving the program with a toolkit for building, and an inspirational cohort to continue learning from!"

    Laura Carlson

  • "This course gave us the conviction to run with a nascent idea and make it a reality!"

    Lynne Guey

  • "The structure and content of the program was excellent ."

    Van-Anh Su

  • "This is amazing. It is built by skilled & passionate community builders who care deeply about bringing together & supporting other community builders. If you want to build community and are struggling in any way — we are your people! Come join us!"

    Caleb Tenenbaum

  • "The community is emerging from this - a field of goodness, connection and support between builders."

    Nina

  • "I joined to build my passion and community, and I came out inspired ... my cup overflowing with knowledge and friendships that feel like they could last a lifetime. BuildIRL has had a profound impact on me; it's truly an experience of a lifetime."

    Rae'ven Moon

  • "Build IRL was absolutely transformative for the Biopunk Community. We would not be where we are now without the support of this community."

    Elliot Roth

  • "Everything has been superb… I wish I was in the 1st cohort but I'm so grateful to be here now!"

    Prince Boucher

  • "My experience with Build has been invaluable. The community, resources, and modeling of culture building has been a gift to my life and I can't thank you enough."

    Sarah Fowler

  • "The BuildIRL accelerator was absolutely amazing - passionate founding team, invaluable cohort members & guest speakers to learn and bond with."

    Minh Mai

  • "I am thankful that you saw the need and built something to address it.""

    Eric

This is bigger than clubs

•

This is bigger than clubs •

A group of young adults sitting in a cozy living room with exposed brick walls, a large paper lantern ceiling light, a bookcase filled with books and decorative items, and a patterned rug. Some people are sitting on a green sofa and others on the floor, engaged in conversation.
People gathered around a table enjoying a buffet-style meal with various dishes.

Imagine thousands of IRL clubs.
Sparking connection.
Sparking creativity.
Sparking play.

Helping each other.
Supporting neighbors.
Strengthening cities.

You thought you were just trying to find friends.
You might just change the world.

Group of people sitting on blankets in a park, engaging in conversation, with palm trees and a grassy area in the background.
A group of diverse young adults smiling and posing for a photo on a city street with colorful graffiti art in the background.
Group of five women standing outdoors, wearing chef hats with notes and sunglasses, smiling and hugging, in a park or garden setting.
People playing the game Go at a tournament, with spectators watching in the background.
A group of women in sportswear holding tennis balls on a tennis court.

i dare you to build a club

Just 3 things:

invite your people,
meet again and again,
and let everyone chip in.