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We're finding that the most unobtrusive way of influencing the development of initiatives and hubs is by setting a few criteria that ensure each group/initiative is heading in the right direction with the right kind of mindset and with the right intentions. These criteria have been developed in conjunction with other transition initiatives and by observing what's worked, and what hasn't.
In essence, these criteria will tell you how ready your community is to embark on this journey to a lower energy future. Take a look at this list and make an honest appraisal of where you are on these points. If there are any gaps, it should give you something to focus on while you build the initial energy and contacts around this initiative.
We've introduced this formal approach to registering Transition Towns/villages for several key reasons:
Our trustees and funders want to make sure that while we actively nurture embryonic projects, we only promote to "official" status those communities we feel are ready to move into the awareness raising stage. This status confers additional levels of support such as speakers, trainings, wiki and forums that we're currently rolling out.
In order to establish coordinated programmes (such as combined funding bids to the National Lottery) we need a formally established category of Transition Initiatives that we're fully confident can support and deliver against such programmes.
We've seen at least one community stall because they didn't have the right mindset or a suitable group of people, and didn't really understand what they were letting themselves in for.
The distinct roles of "Local Transition Initiative", "Local Transition Hub" and "Temporary Initiating Hub" are very different and need to be discussed at the outset (see below).
This form contains the list of criteria for becoming an official transition initiative – complete the responses and send in to benbrangwyn@transitionnetwork.org with a meaningful subject line (it’ll avoid the spam filters).

1.We’ll respond...
Ben’ll get back to you quickly and, assuming the response is fine and dandy, he’ll do the “behind the scenes” web noodling to promote your initiative to “official” status.

2.Criteria – (these develop over time in response to feedback from Transition Initiatives)

Criteria
Response
1
An understanding of peak oil and climate change as primary drivers and the intention of writing them into your constitution or governing documents

2
A group of 4-5 people willing to step into leadership roles (not just the boundless enthusiasm of a single person)

3
At least two people from the core team willing to attend a two day Transition Training course (information re locations and timing can be found at: http://www.transitionnetwork.org/about/training/training-transition. For countries where we haven't established a training resource, this'll have to wait.

4
A potentially strong connection to the local/district council

5
An understanding of peak oil, climate change and the 12 steps of Transition (see Primer) across the entire core team

6
A commitment to ask for help from the Transition Network and other Transitioning communities if/when needed

7
A commitment to keep your website updated with developments (either the “community microsite” that we make make available to you or your own webspace)

8
A commitment to write up something on the Transition Towns blog periodically (the world will be watching) – will be available on the new website soon...

9
A commitment to network with other TTs

10
A commitment, once you're into the Transition, for one of the group to give a presentation to at least two other communities (in the vicinity) that is considering embarking on this journey (a "here's what we did in our community" talk)

11
A commitment to work cooperatively with neighbouring Transition Initiatives

12
Minimal conflicts of interests in the core team

13
A commitment to work with whatever entity emerges as the national coordinating group for Transition in your country (eg currently Transition Network in the UK, Transition Aotearoa in New Zealand) re grant
applications for funding from national grant giving bodies. Your own local trusts/sources are yours to deal with as you see fit.

14
A commitment to strive for inclusivity across your entire initiative. We're aware that we need to strengthen this point in response to concerns about extreme political groups becoming involved in transition initiatives. One way of doing this is for your core group to explicitly state their support the UN Declaration of Human Rights (General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948). You could add this to your constitution (when finalised) so that extreme political groups that have discrimination as a key value (for example the British National Party in the UK) cannot participate in the decision-making bodies within your transition initiative. There may be more elegant ways of handling this requirement, and there's a group within the network looking at how that might be done...

15
A recognition that although your entire county or district may need to go through transition, the first place for you to start is in your local community.
It may be that eventually the number of transitioning communities in your area warrant some central group to help provide local support, but this will emerge over time, rather than be imposed. (We've seen several instances of people rushing off to transition their entire county/region rather than their local community, and it doesn't work very well.)
In exceptional situations where a "Local Coordinating Hub" or "Temporary Initiating Hub" needs to be set up (such as Bristol, Forest of Dean), that hub will have certain responsibilities. These are developing over time – see the Primer for current details.
Further criteria apply to initiating/coordinating hubs – these can be discussed person to person.

16
We recommend that one person (preferably more) on the core team should have attended a permaculture design course... it really does seem to make a difference

Ben Brangwyn, co-founder Transition Network