A lot has changed since I wrote this article in 2000. I started a knitting group in my neighborhood with one other person in 2001. It's now 10 groups, some of which meet twice a week. We met through a post on Knitting.about.com. I highly recommend using all the free websites: Craigslist.org, Meetup.com, and yahoo groups. They are a great way to spread the word, attract attention and keep in touch.

INGREDIENTS:
People: Groups often work best when people are meeting for the first time. Start with an ad in the local giveaway paper; flyers at the health food store and libraries.

Place: a meeting room at a community center, library or rec center. This relieves members from playing "host" and provides a gathering place.

Time: stick with a schedule that works for you. I recommend "first Sunday" or similar setup to make it easy to remember. Put your energy where it pays off: an ad will reach more people, but personal contact will be more effective with the shy.

Format: The first meeting will set the tone and let people know what to expect. If you can stay loose, that helps. Focus is more determined by the group than the leader or convener.

DIRECTIONS:
Attracting People: To get 10-15 people each month, you need twice as many on your contacts list. The reinforcement starts when people see your notice, then hear about it from a friend or neighbor, and then they are invited personally.

Publicity: I took a course on "getting free publicity," then called the local paper and offered to write an article about my group. Instead, they sent a writer and photographer, and the group doubled in size after the article appeared.

Network: Mention the group at other community meetings. Flyers get posted at work, schools, and distributed at other meetings. Designate someone to keep in touch with the other neighborhood associations. Our community has a web page of neighborhood associations and contact numbers.

RUNNING THINGS:
Input: I recommend taking a group inventory every six to 12 months . You may have a highly verbal group that gives you feedback, or you may only hear from the critics. If you are losing people over time, ask why.

Share the work: If you need help, ask for it. Let those who criticize, take on some work. Some suggestions are: contact person (for ads, flyers); phone/email coordinator; moderator; host; committee chairs; greeter.

Keep in touch: Especially when the group is new, reminder phone calls or email are a good idea. As the group becomes more established, this may not be necessary.

Have Fun: I recommend a person or team lead the group for a year and then turn it over to a new team.

TO BE AVOIDED:
Organizational meetings of the whole group. Start the group and the details will shake out.

I would not change the meeting date, it's too disruptive.

I asked for volunteers, and no one would speak up. I recommend corralling people at the break and asking them to do a specific job.

I like structure, so I had an agenda for the meetings. The group turned out to be more interested in holding a discussion, starting and finishing "on time" than I anticipated. We quit having food or taking a break during the meetings in order to end on time.

Use the Internet: List your group on knitting.about.com and woolworks.org. That's how I found the local knitters after the local yarn store closed.

Above all, keep a positive outlook. I belong to several volunteer groups, and nothing turns me off faster than an email that says "Help " By contrast, the woman who started a local singles volunteer group made all the events sound like fun. As a result, she'd get people lined up to glean food from local farmers and other hard physical labor, on the weekends. The group uses email exclusively, no snail mail.

Copyright © 2000 Michelle Strange
You may print a copy for yourself, distribute amongst your friends as long as you keep this copyright info included with the recipe. Do not post this recipe to other internet websites.

Revised 1/01
Revised 9/04