So you are interested in forming a group of like minded preppers. Good ! Now what? First and foremost you have to understand forming a group is damned hard work and not a little frustrating at times. Probably not what you wanted to hear but I have helped formed a large mutual assistance group (MAG) and two formal Teams. What is the difference between the two? A MAG is a less formal organization and your starting point. I should point out that not all groups reach the level of a team which is fine. A team tends to be a much more structured entity and that is not for everyone. So how do you get started, by watching and listening. Unfortunately there is no national preparedness ranking list we can consult, “Oh hey great my neighbor is a Level Six Prepper! I’ll go see if he is interested in teaming up!” You listen at work, at church, your social clubs, the different places you spend time. Who is talking about what, who is reading what. Did someone just say they are worried about food prices and swine flu? Hmmmm The Internet is obviously another resource but a word or three of caution. People can claim whatever they want from the anonymity of cyberspace. If you think you’ve found someone out there go slowly. Do not pass along gobs of personal information about yourself, if they are for real they will understand and do the same.
Staying with the Internet theme for a little bit. Say you are on a forum of like minded folks. What are you looking for to help you identify potential group members? Proximity to you is a big one, there is nothing wrong at all in talking to someone clear across the country and getting to know them as much as possible. It has advantages but for the purpose of putting together a regional group not the best first choice. You determine who is within a radius of a tank of gas driving distance, or fifty miles or whatever criteria you settle on. Once you settle on it though stick with it. Read their posts, as many of them as possible. The purpose of this is to help you get a better feel for them. If you are still interested and comfortable reach out via Private message or email. “Hey saw that you are in my general area, wanted to say hi” and see what happens. Do they respond, ignore you or what? If they do respond take it slowly, better to lose some time due to prudence that get the wrong person in your group who now knows all kinds of things about you! Continue to talk, exchange e-mails and then phone calls. Set up a face to face (FTF) meeting and use a neutral location. Trust your instincts, if something doesn’t feel right, then listen to it. If it feels okay then keep meeting, at some point you will both have to give up some personal information and then home locations. Don’t give away your whole plan or location of all your goods. Trust is earned and that goes both ways. Offer to help them out removing that dead tree, ask for help fixing your car. This is about more than just cans of corn or bullets. It is about demonstrating in a meaningful fashion the type of person you are and learning about the person they are.
A period of time has gone by and you have identified and gotten to know a group of like minded folks. You’ve introduced them to each other and continued to foster relationships between them as well as with yourself, great! Now what? You have a network (which is a very good thing) but not a group yet. How do you move to that point? Again and I know I am probably killing you by saying this all the time but I’m not going to apologize for it, take your time. Bring up the idea to each of them on an individual basis and see what kind of reaction you get. Is it positive or luke warm? If there are other groups already in operation on the Internet forum use them as an example, learn from them. Ask them questions, talk up the benefits of grouping together, be a cheerleader for mutual aid. May sound silly but it does work. Like-minded people are generally as a rule not stupid.
Get the various people together for a social event, be the host for it if you have to. Shared socializing is a great bonding tool and it also lets people see how each other function in a social environment. “Oh great Bob is drunk and its only 2 in the afternoon.” That is a pretty good indicator that he is not a good choice for group membership. Sally and Fred showed up early to help set up — a good point in their favor. It really does work that way folks, I promise you.
You broach the subject of forming a group (again not a team that might come later) and let the conversation go forward. Don’t relinquish your role as moderator but let the people talk, both good points and bad. Watch their body language and listen to their voice. Is he/she really excited about the idea or not? If the group is for it then you proceed with some basic outlines and questions. Things like “If there is an event whose location is best suited for a group? or “Would it be smart to pre-position a few things with each other? and allow the conversation to move forward. Take your time but each step forward no matter how small is an improvement.
So you’ve had your meeting and most of the people there are in agreement that a group needs to happen. What is often best to start out with is a MAG. This gives the members a simple structure to work in and develop. It would be a good idea to have some basic rules for the group in writing that are mutually agreed upon. Set a few small goals for the group and work toward completing them. This gives the members focus and a sense of accomplishment. It also allows everyone to see how everyone else is doing. Is Bob pulling his weight or does Jim always just get the work done at the deadline? As more goals are accomplished the overall preparedness of the group improves as does the feeling of ownership among the members. What kind of goals are we talking about? Setting up 72 hour go bags is a good start. You have everyone put their own bags together and then at the next meeting go over the lists of what people put in theirs. This is essential to keeping the group moving forward, you trust that people are doing the work but verify it. This goes for all members.