- 40Plus
40Plus also known as 40 Plus, 40+, Forty Plus or FortyPlus is a United States based
non-profit organization that helps professionals, managers and executives make career transitions and find employment. Historically, membership was limited to persons over 40, but some chapters have opened their ranks to experienced professionals of all ages. 40Plus chapters provide job search training programs, networking opportunities, and other resources to members. Members come from all sectors of the economy, including private businesses, non-profit organizations, educational institutions and government. Many people with technical and professional expertise do not receive outplacement counseling when they lose their jobs, and 40Plus chapters have helped to fill that gap for many individuals.40Plus is national organization, but each. [40Plus website see links section] chapter is an independent, member-run, all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The Washington, D.C., chapter alone claims to have been instrumental in getting jobs for over 8,000 of their members over the last fifty years. 40Plus provides hope, direction and support by helping people develop the skills needed to find meaningful work or make a successful job transition.
The mission of 40Plus "is to facilitate and support career transitions for people with substantial business or professional experience through training and volunteer experience." [From the 40Plus of Greater Washington Website] A secondary mission is "for educating the public and the business community on the value of maturity, experince, knowledge and judgement in the work place". [Forty Plus of Central Ohio Mission Statement]
History
40Plus was established in 1939 by Henry Simler, an executive with the
Remington Rand company [New York Times obituary of Henry Simler,June 27 1954 . "Henry Simler, 78, Is Dead on Coast"] . He created a “40 Plus Committee” at New York City’s Sales Executive Club to help the many over-forty executives he knew who were having difficulties finding jobs. Serving as a job clearinghouse and mutual support group, the club soon became an independent organization, while the concept spread to cities throughout the U.S. The first chapter was organized in Boston, and the second in New York City. [New York Times, Jan. 20, 1939]In the 1940s and 1950s, chapters were formed in more than 20 cities around the United States, as well as in Canada, Britain, France and southern Africa. Many of those chapters later went out of existence. [archives of Forty Plus of New York City]
Over the years, 40Plus chapters garnered lots of media attention, in part because they had the unusual mission of losing their members by helping them find full-time professional or executive jobs. [San Francisco Chronicle,
May 6 1940 , "Men Over 40 Only Wanted -- And Then Not For Very Long", Wall Street Journal,October 22 1969 : "Forty Plus: A Self-Help Group for Jobless Executives"] [New York Times, Jan. 26, 1941, "Job Club Rejoices at Low Membership," New York Times, Feb. 20, 1951 "It's One for All and All for One in Job-Hunt Club for Men Over 40", New York Times, Aug. 21, 1958 "40-Plus Club Ignores Recession"]In its early decades, 40Plus chapters tended to have only male members [New York Times, Feb. 20, 1951] , but as more women entered the professional workforce that practice changed. An unusual feature of 40Plus is that chapters are run entirely or almost entirely on the donated labor of members rather than paid staff.
In 2008, chapters of 40Plus were active in Washington, D.C., New York City, Columbus, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wisc. [Source: e-mail communications from those chapters to 40Plus of Greater Washington, March 2008]
A book was published discussing middle aged career hunting techniques and advice much of which was obtained from Forty Plus of New York by
E. Patricia Birsner titled "The 40+ Job Hunting Guide: The Official Handbook of the 40+Club". cite book | author=Birsner, E. Patricia | title=The 40+ Job Hunting Guide: Official Handbook of the 40+Club | publisher=ARCO Books | location= | year=1987 | pages=250 | isbn=0-13-329152-9 | ocol= | doi=]The organization is recommended by
Richard Nelson Bolles in his book, "What Color Is Your Parachute".cite book |author=Bolles, Richard Nelson |title=What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers (2001 Edition) |publisher=Ten Speed Pr |location= |year=2007 and prior editions |pages=371 |isbn=1-58008-242-4 |oclc= |doi=]Robert K. Otterbourg, in his book "Kiplinger's Retire & Thrive, Fourth Edition: How More Than 50 People Redefined Their Retirement Lifestyles (Kiplinger's Personal Finance)", refers to the Forty Plus organization as a valuable resource.cite book |author=Otterbourg, Robert K. |title=Kiplinger's Retire & Thrive, Fourth Edition: How More Than 50 People Redefined Their Retirement Lifestyles |publisher=Kaplan Business |location= |year=2006 and prior editions |pages=280 |isbn=1419538233 |oclc= |doi=]
The National Council of Negro Women recommends 40Plus in their book, "Tomorrow Begins Today: African American Women As We Age".cite book |author=National Council of Negro Women |title=Tomorrow Begins Today: African American Women As We Age |publisher=National Council of Negro Women |location= |year=2006 and prior editions |pages=376 |isbn=0976540002 |oclc= |doi=]
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