TheThinkTank November 2010

thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org

54 participants
29 discussions

Help with fiduciary paper work etc
by mars psymons 15 Nov '10

15 Nov '10

Greetings and namaste, We would like to run our collective under another persons 501c3 they told us that we would need to give them our mission statement etc to set up the paper work. i dont think i should try and reinvent the wheel here and im wondering if someone could send me their paper work that is doing the same sort of thing or a generic version and i could just use that so that i can pass it on. and then we can begin giving tax writeoffs in exchange for bikes from the community. marshall symons fireweeduniversecity.org

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Nonprofit Branding Contest
by Patrick VDT 15 Nov '10

15 Nov '10

http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/67208/entries/new?ogn=website

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non-profit development questions: staff and board roles
by Ben Tsai 11 Nov '10

11 Nov '10

Hello, We are working on creating new and updated policies for our organization and have lots of questions regarding board and staff roles. We would be happy to hear experiences or feedback on any of the following questions if folks have time. 1) Who should be able to vote at board meetings in a consensus based non-profit, where there is a general desire for as much democracy and particapation as functionally possible? This organization is small and there is considerable overlap in the duties of board members and staff. How many staff should have a vote at board meetings(should there be a restriction on how many)? It seems common that non-profit advisers warn about having staff voting in board meetings (many say limit it to one representative max). Does this still hold if the staff are doing planning and research equivalent to a board member? The executive director or staff representatives are sometimes voting members in other nonprofits we have heard of, but ours doesn't currently have those positions. 2) Our organization has teams that operate semi-autonomously. Staff and board members overlap in these too, but the decision making is by all members of the team (not just board members for example). Reversing question #1, are there issues with having board members voting in groups that focus on daily operations? 3) Who should be allowed to edit the operations manual; staff, board, or both? This isn't the bylaws, but what we call the " handbook for board of directors, staff, and volunteers". Should the staff be able to alter it as long as it doesn't go against the bylaws established by the board? If so, what if no one checks on a regular basis? Are there better ways to divide bylaws from an operations manual. 4) Who do staff turn to when they have problems, or are unhappy with their working hours, pay, coworkers, etc. (There is no executive director). 5) How board members volunteering as staff, on project teams and programs maintain objectivity as a legal employer, while working as part of a team. Are there processes in place that help keep authority issues clear? I guess this ties into question 2. 6) Who are staff accountable to for reviews and pay raises and performance issues? thanks for any info, ben and john

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America reCycled hits the road
by Tim Hussin 10 Nov '10

10 Nov '10

Hey everyone, This is Noah Hussin from America reCycled. We're two bicyclists/storytellers crossing the country on bikes we built at the Recyclery, a bike coop in Asheville, NC. As we ride west, we're documenting efforts to rebuild local culture, community, and economy through short film, photography, music, and writing. We've just started the trip, but have a few stories posted. One explores the bike cooperative where we built our bikes. Here is the link to the bike coop story: http://www.americarecycled.org/?p=293 We tried to capture the magic that happens at bicycle cooperatives, and I figured that this email list would be the best place to get honest feedback about how we're doing so far. Don't hesitate to comment and criticize. We really want to get this out to cyclists everywhere, so if you have a few minutes, we'd love you to look at what we're doing. If you like what you see, it'd be great if you'd pass it on to some friends. The website features a map that charts our route, and nodes that correspond to the stories we're telling along the way. We're also looking for places/communities to visit along the trip. It looks like we'll be heading down to New Orleans, then to Austin, and then up toward N. California. If you have any feedback or ideas for us, please shoot us an email at americarecycled(a)gmail.com Thanks a lot -Noah

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The 816 Bicycle Collective Makes Plans To Move To A Drier Location
by the816bikecollective Kansascity 02 Nov '10

02 Nov '10

August 7th, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *The 816 Bicycle Collective Makes Plans To Move To A Drier Location* Kansas City, Missouri – Last winter electrical damage from a constant leaking roof left the 816 Bicycle Collective without electricity for nearly 3 months. Despite this setback, and the freezing temperatures, volunteers setup shop outside, (sometimes in the snow,) to help all-weather bicycle commuters with repairs. The power is on now, it’s 80 degrees hotter, and with community support 816 is preparing the first steps of relocating to a new building, (with a better roof.) The 816 Bicycle Collective is a recycle a bicycle project that has been helping people in the greater Kansas City area earn bicycles and learn about mechanics for the past 3 years. The organization relies completely on donations and community support. *To help raise funds for a new, drier space, the collective is throwing a party themed BIKES ARE HOT at Californos in Westport located at 4124 Pennsylvania, Sunday, August 22nd at 7PM. Entertainment includes – DJ Madeline, live performances from Andean Express - an Andean folk music group, bike races sponsored by KC Cold Sprints, artwork and bicycle frames/parts for silent auction, games and more!* * * We invite you to be a part of our project! For more information, media inquiries, or to find out what you can do to help – Contact: The816bike(a)gmail.com Or call 505-231-1589 Check out our MySpace http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=2… Read an article written about us in *Spectrum * http://spectrum.mcckc.edu/archives/2007-10-26/features/bike.htm We are also currently in need/accepting the following donations - *All are tax deductable under The Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation* *-Items to raffle – gift certificates, coupons, art, or other merchandise* -Metric box wrenches and Allen keys, or any specialty bike tools -Bike cables, housing, chain lube, grease and degreaser -Helmets and bike locks (cables, chains, u-locks) -Front and rear bike lights -Bike Stands -Printing services ###

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Resources for teaching bike mechanics in a third world country?
by David Branigan 02 Nov '10

02 Nov '10

Dear Will (and bike collective folks), Bikes Not Bombs has experience training mechanic fieldworkers and implementing bicycle start-up projects in developing countries in Central America, the Caribbean and Africa. We do not have a standardized curriculum, but we definitely have some best practices and lots of project experience. Feel free and contact me to discuss details. Also, just to put this out for everyone- Bikes Not Bombs is developing a new start-up project in northern Uganda, with potential implementation beginning mid-year in 2011. We will be looking for a mechanic fieldworker for this project for a period of at least 6 months. The project will train local mechanics, provide bikes to 400 Village Health Workers, and establish a bike co-op workshop. Our ideal fieldworker would have bike shop experience, time spent living in Africa, experience organizing communities, practiced cultural sensitivity, and a track record of self-motivation and determination. Please share this far and wide, and contact me if you are interested to apply. Peace and Justice, David Branigan International Programs Director david(a)bikesnotbombs.org Bikes Not Bombs promotes bicycle technology as a concrete alternative to war and environmental destruction. For 26 years, BNB has been a nexus of bike recycling and community empowerment both in lower income neighborhoods of Boston and in the nations of the Global South. BNB's programs involve young people and adults in mutually respectful leadership development and environmental stewardship, while recycling 6,000 bicycles annually.

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Resources for teaching bike mechanics in a third world country?
by David Branigan 02 Nov '10

02 Nov '10

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Resources for teaching bike mechanics in a third world country?
by David Branigan 02 Nov '10

02 Nov '10

Dear Will, Bikes Not Bombs has experience training mechanic fieldworkers and implementing bicycle start-up projects in developing countries in Central America, the Caribbean and Africa. We do not have a standardized curriculum, but we definitely have some best practices and lots of project experience. Feel free and contact me to discuss details. Also, just to put this out for everyone- Bikes Not Bombs is developing a new start-up project in northern Uganda, with potential implementation beginning mid-year in 2011. We will be looking for a mechanic fieldworker for this project for a period of at least 6 months. The project will train local mechanics, provide bikes to 400 Village Health Workers, and establish a bike co-op workshop. Our ideal fieldworker would have bike shop experience, time spent living in Africa, experience organizing communities, practiced cultural sensitivity, and a track record of self-motivation and determination. Please share this far and wide, and contact me if you are interested to apply. Peace and Justice, David Branigan International Programs Director david(a)bikesnotbombs.org ************ 1. Re: Resources for teaching bike mechanics in a third world country? (John Patterson) 2. Re: bikebike 2011 date (Scott TenBrink) From: John Patterson <john.patterson(a)me.com> Date: November 2, 2010 3:51:49 AM EDT To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Resources for teaching bike mechanics in a third world country? Reply-To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> For Zambia I suggest contacting Zambikes (www.zambikes.org); a non-profit community-based operation doing great things across the country... Regards, John ___________________________ John Patterson | VéloCity Bicycle Co-op | 204 S. Union St., Alexandria, VA 22314 | velocitycoop.org | +1 703-835-0699 | Mobile: +1 703-608-3660 On Nov 1, 2010, at 8:19 AM, michelle mahlik wrote: > Thanks for the question, Will - I'm also interested in teaching bicycle mechanics in Zambia, Africa, if anyone has experience there. > > On Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 7:38 PM, William Wedler <w.wedler(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Hi Thinktank list, > > I have a request. I am helping a friend start up a bike collective of > sorts based out of an orphanage in northern India (about 2 hours north > of Delhi). He will be staying there for about two years and is > arranging for some bikes and tools to be brought over from the US. > > My question is if anybody on this list has experience teaching bike > mechanics in a place like India, where the available tools may be > limited and where bikes are used on a much more utilitarian manner > than we are used to in the US. And if you don't have any experience, > would you be able to forward this request on to anybody who has? I > plan on contacting the village bike project for advice (just sending > them email, so not sure how to best get in touch). Are there any > people running projects in Mexico who may be able to help? > > Specifically, I am asking for resources that could help in developing > a curriculum for teaching bike mechanics in a rural orphanage in > India. Any assistance would be appreciated. > > Thanks, > Will > > P.S. See the website to learn more about the bike project: http://www.kvbp.org/ > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org > To manage your subscription, plase visit: > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > > > > -- > Michelle Mahlik > > "To empathize is to civilize; to civilize is to empathize." ~ Jeremy Rifkin -- David Branigan International Programs Director www.bikesnotbombs.org 617-522-0222 x103 --------------------- Bikes Not Bombs promotes bicycle technology as a concrete alternative to war and environmental destruction. For 26 years, BNB has been a nexus of bike recycling and community empowerment both in lower income neighborhoods of Boston and in the nations of the Global South. BNB's programs involve young people and adults in mutually respectful leadership development and environmental stewardship, while recycling 6,000 bicycles annually.

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Resources for teaching bike mechanics in a third world country?
by William Wedler 02 Nov '10

02 Nov '10

Hi Thinktank list, I have a request. I am helping a friend start up a bike collective of sorts based out of an orphanage in northern India (about 2 hours north of Delhi). He will be staying there for about two years and is arranging for some bikes and tools to be brought over from the US. My question is if anybody on this list has experience teaching bike mechanics in a place like India, where the available tools may be limited and where bikes are used on a much more utilitarian manner than we are used to in the US. And if you don't have any experience, would you be able to forward this request on to anybody who has? I plan on contacting the village bike project for advice (just sending them email, so not sure how to best get in touch). Are there any people running projects in Mexico who may be able to help? Specifically, I am asking for resources that could help in developing a curriculum for teaching bike mechanics in a rural orphanage in India. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks, Will P.S. See the website to learn more about the bike project: http://www.kvbp.org/

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TheThinkTank November 2010