The only time I’ve ever been a “founding member” of any club was the “Batman Club” when I was eight years old. My sister Debbie, brother Dan, and neighborhood friend Susan co-founded it with me. Batman was a hit TV show, and fan clubs like ours were common with young viewers throughout the country. All you had to do was get a few friends together, buy and wear the plastic official Bat Ring (of course!), establish dues and a meeting place, and poof: you had yourself an official Batman Club.
Our dues were ten cents a week and our clubhouse was the HUGE basement bathroom at Susan’s house. We elected Debbie to be the president, so I guess she got to sit on the toilet?
I don’t remember what we discussed during our meetings, but I’m sure it centered around Batman, his sidekick Robin, and their escapades. I do remember that we made some rules for the club.
One of those rules was that you MUST wear your Bat Ring at all times for club meetings to identify yourself. This created a huge scandal when six-year-old Dan lost his ring. I vividly remember us not letting him into the bathroom/clubhouse because, as we explained to him, without his ring we could not verify his membership. We shut him out and locked the door with him outside begging to come in. . . until Susan’s mom came downstairs and gave us the verification that we needed. (Basically, let him in or you’re all in trouble.) We reluctantly unlocked the door, and Dan was allowed to participate without his ring, although I’m sure we gave him suspicious looks during the meeting.
Our second big scandal occurred about a month into having the club. Our dues (thanks to our moms) had built up to a couple bucks! A big deal! Then tragedy struck: Susan’s older sister Martha sneaked into the bathroom/clubhouse after hours and absconded with our club dues money (she was NOT a member). She then headed to the 7-Eleven and spent all of it on candy. Back then, you could get a lot of candy for $2!
Our club went bankrupt, and Martha didn’t even share the candy. The Batman Club chapter on Carlyn Springs Road disbanded. Oh, we all still played together, but we didn’t have to wear those rings or spend hours in a basement bathroom talking about Batman, so I think it worked out.
That was my first foray into clubs, but I have been involved with club-type organizations since then.
In my twenties, I was heavily involved with the Alexandria Virginia Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce), which gave me a busy social life and some great management skills. When I moved to LA, I got involved with the Sierra Club, which led to lots of hiking on trails I would have never found on my own, and I met a lot of people who share my passion for the trails.
Professionally, before becoming a comedian and keynote speaker, I was on staff at a couple of different trade and professional associations. These are sort of clubs for your business, and they are super valuable.
These days, there are tons of online clubs, such as meet-up groups, in which people can find “their people” online and then connect in person. Even colleges have gotten into the club thing. At my alma mater, Virginia Tech, where my nephew also attended, I was pleased to see that they have a huge variety of clubs for pretty much any interest, many of which I have never heard of, such as LARPing (look it up).
Through my involvement with clubs, both as a member and on staff, I’ve seen the huge value of connection they can provide. These clubs have helped me move forward in my career, and I’ve made many of my good friends through them, too.
As much as we feel like we are connected with friends and colleagues through the internet, I encourage you to make time to seek out your people in the real world. Find your club or association with those who share your interests and do some in-person connecting.
Clubs don’t lock you out of the bathroom anymore—they open doors!
Jan McInnis has written for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue as well as many other people, places, and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For over 26+ years she’s traveled the country as a keynote speaker and comedian sharing her unique and practical tips on what business leaders can learn from comedians (no, it’s not all about telling jokes). Her latest keynote “Flourishing From Failure – Managing Mistakes Like a Comedian” is coming soon to a microlearning course near you! She can be reached at www.TheWorkLady.com, or [email protected]
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