Useful information about how to start, build, and maintain a transgender support group.


Community Outreach Bulletin 1.0

Building An Organization

from the Renaissance Transgender Association, Inc. 


It is the rare transvestite or transsexual who has not believed, at least at one time or another, that he or she is the only person in the world who enjoys dressing in the clothes of the other gender or wants to change their gender. This sense of aloneness often brings real separation from family and friends and feelings of guilt. When the transvestite or transsexual eventually learns of others who share this transgender orientation, it is often in a sexual context which does little to alleviate the guilt feelings. Many transgendered people report that only after they became better acquainted with others who share their need to crossdress or change gender did they begin to accept these conditions in themselves The benefits of shared experiences leading to understanding and acceptance also extend to the family members and friends of the transgendered.

Should You Start A Group?

Transgendered people have probably existed in all cultures, across all ages. So it is safe to assume that there are people like you in your community. How many? The only estimate from sex researchers and therapists applies to transvestites. They guess that 5 percent of the adult male American population has the need to crossdress. If there are 10,000 adult males in your community, you could estimate that 500 of them are transvestites. But only a handful of them may accept themselves or lead a life that would permit them to join a support group. And even fewer would be willing to undertake the effort to get such a group organized. So before you plan your first meeting, you ought to assess the potential market. Here are are some indications of the market potential in your community:

If these indications appear favorable, you could place a test ad in any of the national publications serving the transgendered community such as LadyLike,Tapestry,Female Mimics International,or Transformation,or in a local lesbian and gay newspaper. Such an ad would invite individuals interested in forming a group in a certain area to contact you, probably through a Post Office box. But be sure to specify the nature of the group you wish to form. Given a respectable number of responses from this limited effort, you could go forward with your plans.

You probably have a pretty good idea of the needs of the local transgendered community. But it doesn't hurt to ask others--transvestite and transsexual friends, therapists--who work with the transgendered and perhaps liaisons who have been appointed by local governments to work with sexual minorities. It may also be a good idea to convene a working group of people interested in starting an organization to kick around ideas and goals for the organization. Write down all the ideas that the group comes up with, and then put them in a priority list. Now you have an idea of what your organization hopes to accomplish, and you are ready to recruit members.

Reaching Out To Others

The transgendered community has a wealth of individuals with special talents that will be useful in forming and maintaining a support organization. But these talents will go unused unless you reach out to the people who possess them and bring them into your group. And if you want to be of service to as many transgendered people in your area as possible, you will need a broad-based membership. You can achieve these two goals by conducting a thorough outreach program.

Many transvestite or transsexual support groups rely on word of mouth as their primary outreach tool. While this assures total security, it also restricts the pool of talent you can dip into. For example, if no one in your organization knows a crossdressing lawyer, your group may not have access to free legal advice. Also, recruiting only friends and acquaintances could give your group a limited perspective on transgender issues. You may want to consider additional ways of attracting members, both initially and as an ongoing effort.

The Question of Security

Security from outside harassment is certainly a concern for any transvestite or transsexual group. But there are ways to be accessible and still control who is admitted to the group. The first step is to rent a Post Office box or make arrangements for mail to be delivered to an existing community service organization. Gay community centers are often willing to provide this service. A telephone with an answering machine is a major investment, but because it allows people to respond immediately to your publicity efforts, it may be well worth the expense. Just be sure that you have a system in place to monitor the calls and return them.

Where Do You Meet?

This is sometimes such a difficult question that you may want to resolve it before you actually organize your group, for there is no point in getting lots of members if there in no place for them to gather. Here are some options:

A Management Structure: Three Options

A minimum management team would be three people; a leader (president, manager, dictator, whatever you may wish to call it) to guide the group, a second-in-charge to handle meeting preparations and cover you when you are unavailable, and a secretary/treasurer to deal with correspondence, membership requests and money.

With some growth in membership you can move to a larger team of four people. This consists of a leader, a secretary to handle correspondence and membership requests, a treasurer to handle finances, and a meeting coordinator who handles all meeting preparations. Any one of these may serve as your second-in-charge.

Finally, there is the structure that allows for maximum flexibility and accountability: a leader, a secretary, a treasurer, a meeting coordinator, and an outreach coordinator who manages the "public" image of the group, i.e. the interface with the rest of the straight world through the press, radio, television, and public speaking engagements.

Most groups will not need a large structure because of their small size. There is some benefit to a small management team in that it is easier to coordinate board meetings and to get a consensus on action. A large board, on the other hand, permits greater participation and exposes the board to a wider variety of opinions.

Incorporation and Non-Profit Status

If your group gets very large, i.e. large dollar amounts are handled, and/or gets very active in terms of planning events and activities that might generate significant amounts of income, then you should consider incorporating as a non-profit organization. But because you are creating a legal; record of your group, some individuals will have to "go public" and use their real names. If no one is willing to do this, then incorporation is not possible. Also, this is one area where it is very helpful to have professional counsel. Perhaps, if your group has been active in its outreach efforts, you have a member who is an attorney. What follows is an abbreviated version of the process to give you some idea of what is involved. But it would be a good idea to check with a lawyer.

Your state's Department of State or Revenue is usually the governing authority for corporate matters. Check with them for the paperwork, forms, and filing fees for non-profit status. Most large cities have legal stationery stores that sell the necessary paperwork. The filing fee and address are usually included on the form. The forms are generally self-explanatory. Many forms require a "corporate" seal after your signature. You can create an "instant" seal by simply writing the word "seal" and circling it, next to your legal signature.

State non-profit status does not give you a federal tax exemption. You can apply for IRS exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code.

When you go to set up your corporate bank accounts, the bank will want a tax ID number and in this case you should have applied to the IRS beforehand for an EIN, Employer Identification Number. This is the corporate equivalent of an individual's Social Security number. The form to apply for an EIN is available in your local post office and there is no filing fee. Get the EIN before you go to the bank. 



 Issued by Renaissance
A non-profit association to educate the professional and general communities about transgendered people.
For more information write:

Renaissance
987 Old Eagle School Rd., Suite 719
Wayne, PA 19087 or Phone: 610-975-9119
Email: renaissance@ren.org  


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