The National Association of Fan Clubs
| Fan Club | |
|---|---|
| Name: | The National Association of Fan Clubs (NAFC) |
| Dates: | 1977-September 2002 |
| Founder(s): | Blanche Trinajstick (Trina) (1977-1992), then Linda Kay (1992-2002) |
| Leadership: | |
| Country based in: | USA |
| Focus: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The National Association of Fan Clubs (NAFC) was a non-profit listing of fan clubs.
It was organized in late 1977 and officially launched in January 1978.
Linda Kay took over from Blanche Trinajstick (Trina) in late 1992. The first directory under Kay was early 1994.
The organization shut down September 2002.[1]
Club Goals
The club's slogan was "Fan clubs are for adults, too!"
From Fan Club Monitor #6 (June 1979):
..... To build and maintain an up-to-date file on ALL active fan clubs, and be able to put any fan in touch with the fan club of their choice.
.....To provide literature that will inform the public about fan clubs -- and help new fan club presidents learn about fan clubbing - the right way!
.....To work with other fan club organizations toward a common goal -- dignity and honor in fan clubs.
..... To provide a service to the fans and the fan clubs, in helping them discover each other.
.....To be a service organization for fan clubs and to provide help where help is needed.
Descriptions
From an April 5, 1993 online ad posted to the Usenet group alt.fandom.misc:
The National Association of Fan Clubs (NAFC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the startup and promotion of fan clubs for luminaries of the music, television, and movie industries. It has been in operation since 1977. The NAFC operates a service whereby one can locate a club for a particular celebrity. If a fan club for that star is registered with the organization, the inquirer is invited to contact the club directly for further information. If no club is currently registered, a request is made (thru the quarterly newsletter) to the membership to either start a new club for this honorary or locate this club and invite it to associate itself with NAFC.[2]
From a showcase description by Wrenne Hazard posted to her site by 1998:
Well, I guess I qualify. I wasn't sure if I were really qualified to talk about The National Association of Fan Clubs, because I have never run a fan club. But then I made a list of all the clubs and fanzines I've belonged or subscribed to over the years. These are my credentials: In the late 70s I joined my first club: The Official Styx Fan Club. Then, in the following years, I belonged to, at one time or another, Brenda Cornwell's Gibb Family Friendship Club, Charlie and Cheryl Duvall's Companions of Doctor Who, The Doctor Who Fan Club of America, a Man From UNCLE club (whose name escapes me), Midnight Star, a club for "Weird Al" Yankovic, founded by my friend Pam Ritchie. I was her second subscriber, and today the club is thriving. I submitted artwork for the covers of the first and third issues of the Midnight Star. I was once a member of Cheap Trick International and Cheryl Corwin's Friends of The Cassidys. I assist with the cyber version of that newsletter: Susanne Stiward's Cassidy Friends (who used to publish Cassidy Class). Currently, I am a member of The Just David International David Cassidy Fan Club, run by co-presidents Tina Funk and Barbara Pazmino.Those are the fan clubs. They actually issue some sort of membership kit in addition to a newsletter. I have also, in the past, been a subscriber to some fanzines, which are printed publications only (a fan magazine subscription without any membership to a club): Kathleen Resch's The World of Dark Shadows, Lynda Mendoza's The McCallum Observer, my friend Kelley Bruton's Yankee Pride and Dana James' Cheap Trickzine.
So, with all of that interest in so many different fandoms, I have a lot of respect for The National Association of Fan Clubs. I was dismayed the other day when I decided to find their web site, and found only a small reference to them at a Kiss Army site. With the help of Yahoo! and some friends, we scrounged up an e-mail address. I wrote for information. Linda Kay very kindly replied with some information that I will pass along:
The National Association of Fan Clubs is an umbrella organization for fan clubs around the world. We help publicize fan clubs, help connect fans with fan clubs for their favorite stars, help fans interested in starting a fan club, publish a trade newsletter for those who run fan clubs and like to join them, publish an annual Directory of fan clubs and also field questions from the media about fan clubs.
The NAFC has for sale memberships, both for a club and for an individual, the Fan Club Directory, which lists all fan clubs, and the Fan Club Guide, which tells you all you need to know about starting a fan club.
If you would like more information, visit their site, Fanclubs.com, scheduled to be fully operational in May 1998. There you will find an e-mail link for your questions, plus a questionnaire.[3]
Club Publications
- National Fan Club Directory (annual)
- The Fan Club Monitor (quarterly)
