[TheThinkTank] getting and holding onto volunteers?

Tue May 15 07:57:47 PDT 2007

Just like any non-profit -- the reason people stay is community, not
bikes.  Sadly I don't think there is a formula for that, it just
happens or it doesn't.  Like the old Cheers TV show we all want, "a
place where everybody knows your name."  I think I can say that has
happened in Salt Lake.

Have a non-mechanic socialite run your shop.  I run our shop.  While I
consider myself a good wrench and a fast learner -- I am not a pro and
I have never worked in a commercial bike store.   I am not afraid to
admit that to anyone.  As a result the real pros come out of the wood
work to fill the gap and I am never alone.

When anyone comes into our shop, I introduce myself, answer any
questions, and then try to find out as much about that person as if I
were trying to chat them up at the bar.  If I know of a party, I
invite them, if there isn't one, I tell them I will invite them when
there is one.  If they come into the shop again, I remember their name
and ask them about something they had going on last we talked.  If I
don't see them I call to see if everything is alright, and to let them
know they were missed.  No matter how small a task they complete I
always thank them up and down.

But more importantly I do these things because I am genuinely
interested in the person.  The people that come to our shop come from
such a wide spectrum, that I have so much to learn from them, and so
many great stories to hear.

Invest in your volunteers and they will invest in you.

-- 
Sincerely,

Jonathan Morrison
Project Coordinator
Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
2312 S. West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
w: 801-328-2453
c: 801-688-0183
f: 801-466-3856
www.slcbikecollective.org

On 5/15/07, Sharlyn Grace <sharlyngrace at gmail.com> wrote:
> I can coordinate this and get it to be mostly sharing, brainstorming and
> writing up lists of ideas, discussing what does and does not work.  I'll
> post it on the bike!bike! website.  Meanwhile, let's start a list somewhere
> on the bikecollectives website where we can gather ideas for keeping
> volunteers.  Simple personpower is always one of our biggest problems at The
> Recyclery as well.
>
>  We've mostly done hands-on teaching to try and get people feeling
> comfortable with the tools, but we combine it with food and fun times
> (bike-in movies are on the way) and a new "secret" time to use the shop for
> regular volunteers so they feel like they get a kick-back for their hard
> work. (This also functions as a casual party-ish time in the shop when we
> can all hang out and work on our own bikes.)
>
>  On another note: can I ask people for more suggestions on where to get
> bikes?  Right now we have a shortage.  Our usual avenues are police
> confiscations, individual donors, apartment buildings storage rooms getting
> cleaned out.  Sometimes we get them from alleyways or scrappers.  Do others
> have ideas for regular avenues of bike donations?
>
>  Thanks all!  Looking forward to seeing you again/meeting you at Bikebike!,
>  Sharlyn
>
>
> On 5/15/07, Jessica McPherson <jessica_mcp at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > sounds like a good idea for a workshop at bike!bike!
> > I bet it would be a great discussion if different
> > groups all offered their suggestions & experience.
> > Anyone want to coordinate?
> >
> > -Jessica
> > (Free Ride)
> >
> > --- Macho Philipovich <macho at resist.ca> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > we've been having a similar experience at the bike
> > > dump.  a few folks
> > > stuck around from our volunteer workshop series this
> > > spring, but not as
> > > many as i'd hoped.  volunteer pot lucks and special
> > > events have worked
> > > all right at getting new folks feeling comfortable
> > > in the space, in
> > > getting older volunteers to come back who haven't
> > > been around for a
> > > while, and generally helping volunteers to feel
> > > appreciated and like the
> > > shop is a fun space.  but all in all, i think we
> > > also need more and
> > > better strategies.  i'd be really interested in
> > > hearing in things others
> > > have tried, or even ideas about what else might
> > > work.
> > >
> > > macho
> > > http://bike-dump.ca
> > >
> > > rachael spiewak wrote:
> > > > hiya, folks.
> > > >
> > > > something sopo's always struggled with is finding
> > > volunteers and
> > > > convincing them to stay.  many people who visit
> > > our shop would rather
> > > > have a hands on demonstration than look up how to
> > > do repairs in our
> > > > manuals.  we tried having a few bike maintenance
> > > 101 classes to get
> > > > people feeling like they have the capacity to help
> > > others with basic
> > > > repairs, but that didn't stick.  does anyone have
> > > ideas or experience
> > > > in this department?  or is it sufficient for us to
> > > tell people that
> > > > reading about repairs in our manuals is part of
> > > their process at our
> > > > shop?  i tend to doubt the success rate of the
> > > last one.  i'm thinking
> > > > food incentives might be a good idea.
> > > >
> > > > love/peace/bicyclegrease,
> > > > rachael
> > > >
> > >
> >
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