Spike's Naked Planet: Start a Club [TNT! MEN Guidelines] [B&G Guidelines] [ANDES Release] [Name Game]
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How to Start a Nudist ClubNine Steps to a Great Social Life |
This article was originally published in a gay nudist newsletter, and was reprinted in Naked Magazine, Volume 2 Number 2. I have edited it a fair bit, and apologise to the unlisted author of the original article.
So you want to be a nudist, but there are no groups in your area? Don't despair, there is hope. You can always start one of your own. I know, I know, it sounds very difficult and scary, but trust me, it can be easier than your think. Just follow these nine simple steps:
With the proliferation of nude organisations, nude beaches, and clothing-optional resorts around the world, social nudity is enjoying a level of popularity it has never experienced before. The heart of this movement seems to be the private home. More specifically, the homes of naturist club members. If you check Spike's Naked Planet: An International Directory of Gay Nudist Groups you will see that people are interested regardless of geography, population density, or weather.
The members of these clubs are enjoying wonderful social events ranging from potluck picnics to catered dinners, from theatre to bridge games. If this type of activity interests you, and there is no nudist group in your area, why not think about about starting your own group? It's not that difficult.
It will be easier for you if others are there to help. They can share in the creation, responsibilities, and fun of meeting new people. You don't need that many; and you can even do it by yourself if you prefer.
Try looking for people among your friends and acquaintances. You might ask someone if he has heard of the gay nudist clubs. Whether he has or not, you will have opened the door for further conversation.
Trying contacting nudist clubs close to your area. They may have members who happen to live in your area. If so, ask the club to have them contact you. They may be willing to help. Be prepared to make the trip to one of their events so that they can meet you in person.
Try running an ad in the classified section of your local gay newspaper. You will probably have to pay for this, so keep your receipts. When your group is up and running, you can expect to be reimbursed for your expenses.
You can also try contacting the international gay nudist organisation (GNI and IMEN) for some help.
Once you have your core group, and before you start meeting new people, you should make some decisions about the purpose of your club, and establish some basic policies regarding the expectations of the group and the behaviour of its members.
First, pick a name. Try to reflect the purpose and personality of the group. Many clubs prefer using names that will not cause problems for their members when they receive club mailings. Acronyms seem to be a popular way to name a group. For example, in San Bernadina, California, there's a group who call themselves BUNS meaning Boys Under the Naked Sun.. In New York City, Males au Naturel are known as MAN.
The basic purpose of your club is to bring together men who enjoy nudity and naturism, and to enable them to make friends with others who share this interest. Sounds pretty simple, but you have to think things out if you want to avoid problems in the future.
The first policy you should think about is deciding what role sex should play in club events. Some clubs have strict "no sex" policies, other clubs are organised with sex as the major focus. Most clubs are somewhere in between, where the focus is always on the social interaction, and where some events have some sexual aspect.
Many clubs let the host of an event decide whether or not sex is permitted. He may allow no sexual activity at all, or he may designate a play area where people can play. Other groups, or hosts, prefer to specify a time after which sex may take place, so that those who prefer it can stay only for the non-sexual part of the event.
In general, sex at club events is not a real problem as long as everyone knows the rules for a particular event. Be up front and specific, let each guest know as he arrives at an event, and you will find that your members are generally quite happy to cooperate.
You should also take local laws into account. If you live in a scary part of the world where the government regulates your private sexual behaviour (for example, Canada, the U.S.A, and Iran), you must take into account the legal risks you are running.
Another important policy to decide is whether you want your group to adopt a (patriarchal, hierarchical) formal structure, which elects members for the offices of President, Treasurer, etc., or whether you prefer it to be an informal gathering of friends. If you decide to remain informal, you will probably have to set a limit on the number of members. In my experience, as your membership grows, the need to adopt a formally recognized structure grows as well.
You must also consider how you will recruit new members, and how you will decide to accept new members. Some groups are very closed, and only accept guests to events if they are friends with an existing member. Some groups interview people before they are allowed to attend group functions. Other groups, like TNT!MEN, are very open, without any strict policy on screening new members.
Why do some groups interview potential members? Some groups exist in parts of the world that are not very gay or nudist friendly, and so the members are very concerned about their privacy. The interview ensures that only trust-worthy, reliable people are accepted into the group. The interview can also screen out people who simply don't fit into the character of the group, who would be disruptive and troublesome, or perhaps are too shy to participate.
One other policy you should consider is regarding photography at club events. Some clubs ban photography altogether, except at functions specifically organised for it. Other clubs permit photography according to specific limitations, such as requiring the photographer to get the permission of everyone in the photo before taking the picture, requiring the photographer to respect the privacy of club members by keeping the photos private, and requiring the photographer to share his photos with other people in the club.
If you decide the purposes and policies of your group before you start recruiting members, you will be able to explain more clearly what kind of social events you will be having, and what kind of behaviour is expected.
As the group grows, you will need to review your rules and policies and adjust them to the changing situations that may be encountered. Eventually, you may need to create a Constitution, and a set of Bylaws. But all of that is well in the future, and you can leave it to the people who like doing that sort of thing.
Membership dues are 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, rentals, food and beverages, etc.
How much are the annual dues? When and how are they collected? NAKED Magazine has found that most gay nudist clubs set their annual dues to around US$20 for a single membership, and US$35 for a couple who live at the same address. Let your potential member know how much and when he is obliged to pay dues.
Many clubs also have a per-party fee or donation, often $2 or $3 for members, and $4 or $5 for non-members. The fee or donation offsets the expenses of the host, and anything above that goes into the bank account of the group.
Pick a date when all of your core group can attend. Give yourself at least two months for planning and advertising. Remember, people don't always respond to an ad the first time they see it. And don't forget that you will need enough time to get back in touch with responders.
Check ahead for other events or holidays that may be happening on the date you have selected. Save holidays for theme parties. This first event is geared towards getting acquainted, so pick a place that is sufficiently private and quiet for people to chat quietly in.
Find a local gay publication and run a well-worded personal ad. If there are no local gay publications in your area, try the nearest major city. Alternately, consider one of the national or international publications.
In your ad, state very simply what you are looking for, and how people can get more information. You will probably want to get a post office box for your responses. Again, keep your receipts; your group will ultimately be able to pay you back.
You may prefer to use a telephone for quicker replies. Your objective is to get the names and contact information of people who are interesting in attending your club functions.
You should also contact the follow three places to ask them to include a listing for your club in their own publications:
When the inquiries start coming in, you need to get back to the interested. Send them a simple fact sheet including the purpose of the club, the policies, what they can expect, and what is expected from them.
For two examples, check out the TNT!MEN guidelines, the Bare & Gay guidelines, and the Tucson Tanners rules and etiquette. Some groups have their potential members sign release forms. While the protections these documents may provide are uncertain, they can be very useful in making the requirements of membership clear and specific.
To summarize, you need to send the following:
Some groups start out big. TNT!MEN's first event had over forty men present. Most groups, however, start off small, with fewer than ten in attendance. Growth will come with time, experience, advertising, and word of mouth. The first gathering can be very simple. A potluck brunch, a cocktail party, or a spaghetti dinner is an easy ways to start. Watching a movie on video is far too common, but it doesn't do much to encourage socializing and conversation. I strongly recommend against it.
Inform your guests. Before they come, you should tell your guests to bring a towel to sit on, a bag to keep their clothes in, and to leave their valuables at home. Let them know what the charge will be, if any. Tell them that it will be nude, not clothing optional. And let them know what kinds of food and drinks they should bring.
Greet them naked. Since this is a nude party, when a guest arrives, answer the door in the nude. Introduce yourself, and show your guests where to completely undress, where to store their clothes, and where to put whatever food and drinks they may have brought. You may want to have paper or plastic bags available to store the clothes. Tell them where the bathroom is, and explain the rules of the event (such as which rooms are for smoking and which aren't, what the policy is with respect to sex, etc.).
Sign in. Get the guests to sign in, with their name and phone number, so that you can get in touch with them for future events, and can contact them if they leave anything behind.
Name tags. Many groups use name tags of some sort or other. Some can be worn on a string around the neck. Others are sticky labels that can be stuck to a person's arm or chest. Some groups use water-soluble markers and write directly on people's bodies. (And that can be a fun event on its own!) Name tags of some sort are a very good idea.
Cover charge. Collect whatever admission fee is required, and then leave the guests to undress in private, encouraging them to come out when they are ready.
Start the introductions. When the guests surface, introduce them to the group. Introductions are usually by first names only. And then try to get people to introduce themselves.
It's not a bad idea, once the majority of your guests have arrived, to play some variation of the name game. It is so much easier to talk to people when you know at least a little bit about them.
Great! You've had your first party and it was a success. Now you have to 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? Divide the phone list among the core group and have them call the people on their list for the next party. Don't lose the momentum you have created. It takes a while to get established in the minds of people who don't start off being as committed as you are. Don't get discouraged. You're off to a good start!
It take a year or two for most nudist groups to get established. It's hard to find the dedicated volunteers you need to make the group vibrant and exciting, but once you do, it's up to the founders to give them the chance to work freely. Give them lots of encouragment, and when you think they are ready, step back and let them do the work.
This is a tough one for everyone. When someone starts any group or club, or even has a child, they naturally become possessive. Many of us are very bad at letting the child or organisation grow in its own space and time, and have a tendency to strangle it in our efforts to make certain it doesn't veer from the course we have plotted for it. This sort of thing kills organisations, and it is something we all have to be on the look-out for.
What many people have told me is that all organisations must retire their founders at some point. Otherwise the club can never grow up and mature and become a healthy, viable organisation. You can certainly see this in the gay nudist movement: the exciting, dynamic and fun organisations are the ones where the core of people who does the work changes over time. Groups that continue to be led by one person, or a small group of people, soon grow tired.
If you started the group, then after the first year or two, when you've managed to talk someone else into taking over for you, accept the fact that you need to step back from running things or your baby will never learn to walk. You need to trust it. By all means stand nearby in case it falls and needs you to dust it off and bandage its knees. But then step back again and let it take another step on its own. You'll be even more proud when you realise that your dream has taken on a life of its own, a life that could easily survive you.
With all the creative minds out there, there are many, many kinds of gatherings you can come up with. The most common type of party is getting together for mingling and conversation. This can be an indoor event or an outdoor event. Other kinds of parties are then built upon a certain activity or theme. A pool or hot tub is a welcome addition. Other gatherings can be set up for potluck lunches or dinners. Theme parties can be made up for almost any reason. Holidays are particular favourites.
You can have a nude dance, or an exercise / aerobics workout. You can have nude photography, 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, or canoeing. Go to clothing-optional hot springs, rivers, and beaches. Arrange nude events. Some groups go to the theatre in the nude. Some go bowling. Some go to restaurants. Some go on camping trips. Some groups have events at gay bars and bath houses in their area.
If you are stuck for ideas, check out the calendars of events of the nudist groups that are online. Contact GNI and IMEN and become an affiliated group. If at least one of your members joins, you will get their newsletters, which will keep you informed about what the other nudist groups are doing.
You will need some method for keeping your members informed about upcoming events. A telephone tree can work for smaller groups, but once they get larger, you will want to think about an Information Hotline, where people can call to hear a recorded message, or a newsletter of some kind. Keep your eyes open for people who you think may be interested in taking on these tasks.
Remember, there are no "set-in-stone" rules on how to start and maintain a nudist club. What works for one group may not work for another. Be creative, and 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. It just takes some imagination to find them. Good luck and have fun!