Tips on putting together your founding documents

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Two of the most important documents for your Friends Group are your mission statement and your bylaws. This page includes some tips for getting started on both.

There are a number of things to put into writing when starting a Friends Group, but two of the most important are the mission statement and the bylaws. The mission statement guides your group’s purpose over the long term; the bylaws establish the rules by which the group operates. These ideas can be daunting to contemplate, but fortunately, an abundance of examples exist online that your group can easily refer to. Below is more guidance about getting started on these all-important founding documents.

Mission Statement

All Friends Groups are formed for different reasons, and it is important to clearly define your group’s purpose, goals, and action plan. Will the group be focused on the natural resource elements of a park? Engaging youth in outdoor recreation? Helping to establish a new trail?

Mission Statement Examples:
  • To preserve, protect, and enhance the park and its surroundings.
  • To promote public interest in the park and to help enhance and enlarge the park, while encouraging its protection and enjoyment.
  • Advocate for the continued development of the trail.
Group Bylaws

A set of bylaws establishes a process that guides future decisions and action plans for your Friends Group. Many voices should be included in this process to ensure maximum buy-in from your membership. One good thing to remember here is that you should put this document together “hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst” – in other words, your bylaws should include provisions for how to deal with things like bad actors on the board and changes to the group’s needs. Some sample bylaws are linked below to get you started! 

From Parks & Trails Council
From Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Example Bylaws (redacted)
More about bylaws
Bylaws Template (Word)
Sample Bylaws (PDF)