- Home
- Membership
- Naturism
- The Gathering
- Clubs
HOW TO START A NATURIST CLUB IN YOUR AREAWith the proliferation of naturist organization, nude beaches, and clothing-optional resort destinations, nudity for the purpose of socializing is enjoying a level of popularity it has never experienced before, especially within the gay community.
There is an interest in nudism regardless of geography, populations density, or weather. Local gay naturist club members are enjoying wonderful social events ranging from potluck picnics to catered dinners, from theater to Bridge games. If this type of activity interests you and there's no naturist club or group in your area, why not think about starting your own group? It is not that difficult.
Here are nine simple steps on how to start and maintain a Naturist Club.
NINE
ROUND UP A CORE GROUPIt will be easier for you if others are there to help. They can share in the creation, responsibilities and the fun of meeting new people. Start with your friends. Try finding others through the social circles you already have. You might ask someone if they have ever heard of gay nudist or naturist clubs. If they have or they haven't, you still have opened a door for conversation. This should bring you some help.
However, if you just can't find anyone near you, contact the naturist club closest to your area and/or one of the international groups such as IMEN. They may have members who happen to live in your area. If so, ask the club to have them contact you. Later, see if these guys are interested in starting a new club. You may have to make the trip to one of their meetings or events so hey can see who you are before they give out member information. Run an ad in the classifieds of your local gay paper and/or make up some cards or small fliers to give out to potential members.
DECIDE ON A NAME, BASIC PURPOSE AND POLICIESOnce you have your core group and before you begin meeting new people, you have to make some decisions about the purpose of your club, and some basic policies surrounding member expectation and behavior.
First, what will you call your group? The club name should reflect a purpose and personality. It's best to use a name that people will have no trouble receiving by mail. Acronyms seem to be a popular way to name a group. For example, in New Your City, Males Au Natural becomes the masculine acronym MAN, a clever and appropriate name for a naturist group.
The basic purpose of your club is getting together guys who enjoy nudity and making new friends who share this interest.
One of the biggest controversies within the club structure is whether or not sexual activity will be allowed at club events. some clubs are adamant that absolutely no sexual activity will be tolerated at club functions. Other clubs, it would seem, meet primarily for the opportunity of open sexuality. However, the majority of clubs seem to place themselves somewhere in the middle. Most clubs let the "host" of the event decide what sexual activity may take place. He may allow no sexual activity at all or may designate a "safe play area," where members and guests can go play. Other groups, or hosts, sensitive to the non-sexual attitudes of some members and guests, will wait and have an after-club-meeting party for those who want to stay and play. So as it turns out, sexual activity at club functions is not a real problem as long as everyone knows the rules for a particular party and follows them. If someone consistently disregards the rules, they should be asked to leave and/or not allowed at future events.
Another important policy to decide is whether your group will eventually become either an organized group run by a volunteer steering committee or with an elected Board of Directors with offices such as President, Vice-President, Treasurer; etc., or if it will remain a gathering of friends who get together for socializing and for the camaraderie. Which ever way your group decides to operate is fine. However, you may need to be organized to be recognized as a valid group by other clubs and various naturist club networks.
Some other considerations: Will new members be allowed to attend an event if they don't know a current member? How many guests will a member be allowed to bring to each party? Will potential new members be interviewed?
Usually an active member may bring a guest without prior contact. A potential new member, who contacts the club without knowing a current member, may either be interviewed or may just be invited to the next event that is open to non-members.
What is the purpose of interviewing prospective members? There are some people who are not suited for a naturist type of event. They may be either too shy or too aggressive. They may drink too much or take drugs. They may be looking for a sexual outlet. Therefore, screening potential members may be necessary in order to insure the comfort of all members.
Will photography be allowed? Usually, photography is not allowed at all, but when it is, photographers must ask permission to take a person's photograph. Of course, photography may be the theme of some of your events, or your club may wish to keep a scrapbook of photographs of club events as a record.
Deciding the purposes and policies, before meeting potential members, can let you better explain about the group and about what kind of social events you will be having, and what kind of behavior is expected of the members.
As the group grows over the years, any rules or regulations can be adjusted to meet the changing situations which may be encountered.
FINANCING THE GROUPMembership dues is another policy that needs to be addressed in the very beginning. Dues are a fee that members pay to help the club pay for advertising, printing, postage, rentals, food and beverages, etc.
How much are yearly dues? When and how are the dues collected? Some clubs may operate without dues, but the average club charges anywhere from $12 to $25 USD per year for a single membership and $15 to $35 USD for a couple sharing the same address and receiving only one newsletter and/or directory, provided the club has a newsletter or does a regular mailing, etc. For most of the clubs, renewals are collected once a year. Let your potential new member know how much dues are and when he is obliged to pay.
Usually dues only cover newsletter and administrative costs and do not cover party expenses or event fees.
Therefore many clubs also have a per-party fee or donation in addition to dues. For example: $3 USD for each member and $5 USD for each non-member/guest.
SET A DATE FOR THE FIRST PARTYGet out your calendar and look for an appropriate date to hold your first official meeting or party. Allow yourself at least a month, possibly two, for planning and advertising. Remember, people don't always respond to an ad the first time they see it. Any you will need enough time to get in touch with responders. Check ahead for other events that may be happening on the date you have selected. If there are other major events or parties on that date, consider changing the date of your event. Save holidays for theme-parties. This first meeting or party should be basically a get acquainted and see how it goes party.
ADVERTISE FOR INTERESTFind a local gay publication and run a well-worded personal ad. If there are no local gay publications in your area, search the nearest major city. In your ad, state very simply what you are looking for and how responders may receive more information. For example, you might word your ad something like this:
or like this:
We encourage you to get a post office box for your responses. You may prefer to get quicker replies by phone. Use either or both. Your objective is to et names and contact information of people who are interested in attending your club functions and socializing in a nude setting.
You might also consider having your ad information printed on a business card or flyer to either pass out at the bar or gym or to post on a bulletin board. Don't post it without permission or where you think people might be offended.
Of course, you and your core group can continue talking to new people about the club in person, as you did when finding your core group.
RESPOND TO THE CURIOUSCongratulations! Your efforts are working! Now you need to get back to those guys who have shown interest and responded to your ad. Send a simple fact sheet or brochure, including the purpose of the club, the policies, what they can expect as members and what is expected of them.
To give you an example of what other groups send, Bare & Gay of Connecticut sends out an application for membership that included the following information and guidelines:
RESPONSIBILITIES RELEASE FORM:The application for membership is a pretty simple form: name, address, phone number and a signature. Arizona Nude Dudes include the following responsibilities release form:
Exactly how necessary or even how well this document or any other liability form would stand up in court is not sure, as laws vary from state-to-state, and IMEN makes no claim about its legality. However, it certainly wouldn't hurt in any case to have a lawyer in the group, or know a gay or gay-friendly lawyer, he can be of help in drawing up a liability release form that is applicable in the state where the club is headquartered.
HOLDING THE FIRST PARTYUsually the first parties are small groups with only ten to fifteen guys in attendance. Growth will come with time, experience, more advertising and word of mouth. This gathering can be simple, such as a movie night spent watching a movie or video. (Make sure the movie is uplifting, like a comedy or a good action film. A heavy drama might set a tone you don't want the party to take.) A spaghetti dinner or potluck is always easy.
Since this is a nude party, when a guest arrives, answer the door in the nude in order to set the tone. Show the guest where he may undress and where to store his clothes and where to put their beverages (and food, if applicable).
It is always advisable to have guests bring a gym bag or similar to store their clothes in, or you may want to have paper or plastic bags available to store the clothes. Guests should leave valuables at home or locked in their car and this information should be provided in the printed material they receive.
Introduce yourself to each new guest and introduce them to the group. Introductions should be by first names only. When introducing the new guy to the group, say, "This is..." and the name of the guest. Each member will in turn introduce themselves. Many groups write the first name of the person on the left upper arm or over the left pec with a water soluble marker or grease pencil Some guys may not want to be marked on, so write their name on a name tag that can be placed on the same areas. As the group grows, you may want to consider laminated name tags on a cord. These can be worn around the member's or guest's neck.
Before everyone leaves, make sure you have everyone's name an phone number so they can be easily contacted for the next party.
FOLLOW UPGreat, you've had your fist party and it was a success. Now, you have got follow up. Stay in touch with the people who came to your party.
Hopefully you have now found some other people who can help you start planning for the next gathering. Get started. Get your core group together and have a critique session of your first party. What worked and what do you need to change? Split-up the phone list amongst your core group and have them call the people on their list for the next party.
Don't loose the momentum you have created. It takes a while to get established in the minds of people who don't start of being as committed as you are. Don't get discouraged. You're off to a good start!
WHAT TO DO NEXTWith all the creative minds out there, there are many, many kinds of gatherings and activities you can come up with. the most common type of party is getting together for mingling and conversation. This can be either an indoor or outdoor event.
Other kinds of parties are build upon a certain activity or a theme. A pool or hot tub is a welcome addition. Other gatherings can be set up for potluck luncheons or dinners.
Theme parties can be made up for almost any reason. Start with holidays -
- are but a few that a party can be worked around.
For example: Something red can be worn or painted on the body for Valentine's Day, something green for St. Patrick's Day, a crazy hat or Easter bonnet contest can be the theme for Easter, dressing up for Halloween with masks or body paints, but keeping the butt or pubic area basically uncovered, gift exchange for Christmas, etc.
There is some sort of holiday almost every month.
You can have a nude dance, or an exercise / aerobics workout, photography session, music, meditation or massage. You can get together to play games such as bridge, poker, charades, etc. You can arrange outings to go hiking boating, sailing, canoeing, etc.
Arrange nude events.
Your group will certainly come up with numerous things to get together for. Be sure to let IMEN know ahead of time what you are planning and we will publish it. Other clubs may want to try your ideas, too.
There are no "set-in-stone" rules on how to start and maintain a nude club. What works with one group will not necessarily work with another. Be creative! Don't get discouraged! Remember that you once thought you were the only one interested in social nudity. You now realize that there are many others in numerous places. It just takes some imaginative ways to find them. Good luck and have fun!
IMEN is always willing and available to help new groups get started.
SUMMING UP WHAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE TO SEND TO THE CURIOUS
|