Prime Timers Manual Helps Older Men
Build Successful Local Organizations
by John R. Yoakam
Practical Steps for
Chapter Presidents |
Following are organizing tips quoted from Woody Baldwin’s manual for new chapter presidents for Prime Timers:
The president has the main role in setting the tone for the chapter. If he is happy, gregarious, compassionate, optimistic, then in all probability the chapter will be. If on the other hand, he is fault finding, gossipy, or negative, the entire chapter is in trouble.
Always accentuate the positive, control the negative. Have fun, no matter what the task.
Delegate, delegate, delegate. Divide the work of the chapter into small tasks and hand them out to different persons so that no one (especially the president) feels overwhelmed. |
Prime Timers is a social organization whose purpose is to ensure that older gay and bisexual men have a rich and pleasurable social life as they age. Woody Baldwin, a retired professor, initiated Prime Timers in 1987 when he was 66 years old. Currently there are 76 chapters of Prime Timers Worldwide in 31 states and in four countries, up from 56 chapters in 2003. As part of his organizing efforts, Baldwin developed a ”How To” Manual for Chapter Presidents. The manual details the president’s responsibilities, general procedures for chapter operation, proper use of the membership roster, board and committee procedures, and the organization’s approaches to hospitality, crisis management, communications and publicity. Baldwin’s advice has supported leadership development and contributed to the growth of Prime Timers chapters around the world.
Starting a New Group
Rob Howard, the current vice president of chapters for Prime Timers World Wide, lives in Oklahoma City, Okla., where he initiated the Central Oklahoma Prime Timers chapter in 1996. Prime Timers World Wide encourages the launching of a new local chapter when Howard receives calls from two or three people in the same area. He puts the callers in touch with one another and offers Baldwin’s manual to them. “It helps to have leaders who have organizational skills from previous life work,” Howard says. “Maturity and life experience also help.”
- The manual suggests that organizers wanting to start a new Prime Timers chapter follow these steps:
- Set up the initial meeting on a Saturday or Sunday in a neutral location, such as one of the meeting rooms at a public library.
- Distribute a flyer advertising the meeting to gay and gay-friendly businesses, bars and entertainment venues.
- Before the initial meeting, set up at least two upcoming activities in order to create interest.
- Have those in attendance RSVP their commitment to attend these events.
- For the first meeting, follow a set agenda during which the names and contact information for those attending are collected.
- Ask people attending the first meeting to brainstorm ideas for activities they would most like the group to sponsor.
- Get seven or more people at the first meeting to help the group get organized. These people can act as the first board of directors.
- Set a monthly meeting in the same place at the same time and on the same day.
The startup process is not instant. As Baldwin writes, “Don’t make the natural mistake of judging success on quantity. If you plan a movie night and only few men show up, don’t use this as an excuse for discontinuing the event. If four men have a good time, get to know each other, and find fellowship, then there are four men who did not sit at home bored and alone.” Key to the success of a new chapter is not just organization but attitude. “Be sure guests and new members are warmly greeted and never left to be alone at meetings or parties,” Baldwin advises in the manual. “Be sure all new members receive a phone call from someone welcoming them to the club and inviting them to the next function.”
Targeting New Communities
Prime Timers World Wide maintains a list of 15 to 20 cities that it regards as ideal for new chapters. Communities with LGBT media and an LGBT community center are likely targets. Individuals not affiliated with a chapter can also join Prime Timers. Currently there are 150 individual memberships. Individual memberships may also seed new chapters. Wally Threlkeld, the first president of the Minneapolis-St. Paul chapter, had been an individual member who attended events in other chapters when he traveled. The first meeting he organized in the Twin Cities attracted 80 members. At that meeting, Threlkeld and other volunteers distributed a newsletter listing activities for the next month and appointed an interim board. Chapter membership grew to 150 within the first two years and now has a membership of more than 200. Getting the word out has been key to Prime Timers’ growth. In the manual, Baldwin encourages members to let all their friends and acquaintances know about Prime Timers, even if they seem uninterested in joining. As he writes, “The best publicity for your chapter is word of mouth. If your gatherings are interesting and fun, people will tell others.”
John R. Yoakam is associate professor of social work at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.
Copyright © 2008 American Society on Aging; all rights reserved. Original article online at: http://www.agingconference.org/asav2/lain/enews/08summer/leadership.cfm.
Reprinted with permission from Outword, Summer 2008. Copyright © 2008. American Society on Aging, San Francisco, California. www.asaging.org.
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