John F. Coyle '00 and Lauren A. Jobe '00, co-founders of the Harvard Book Review and also Crimson editors, were pleasantly surprised in the fall of their junior years when they realized that demand for their idea was high.

Publicizing 50 available spots for writers, they were expecting that under 100 would apply for the position. The night before applications were due, Coyle's e-mail inbox began filling up.

"Somehow, we had reached out to touch some 150 busy, bright, gifted people and brought them in to share our vision," Coyle writes in an e-mail message. "It was then that I realized the Book Review was going to work. It was then that I realized it was going to last."

But even successful organizations must take steps to ensure their durability. Most founders have already relinquished control of their groups to new leaders. The Current's last issue, for instance, was produced and distributed entirely by the magazine's new editors.

The Mock Trial Team and Pre-Law Society--a joint organization with an e-mail list of about 2,000 people--was at first controlled mostly by students in the Class of 2000. Barnes says the group worked hard to recruit younger students and now has a capable new leadership.

During their sophomore year, the group's creators also began thinking long-term about tension that might arise between the organization's two parts. The Mock Trial Team draws funding from the Pre-Law Society, and to make sure the two didn't split, a central governing board was created.

In some cases, Rosenthal thinks that smaller groups are better off uniting with other, more established organizations. For example, he says he would like to see InterCity merge with the Institute of Politics or Project HEALTH, an umbrella organization comprising various student-run initiatives to improve public health in the Boston area. The Current has also been negotiating to become part of Harvard Student Agencies.

Perhaps the most effective way graduates can help the organizations they created is by staying in touch.