March 2013 - TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Volunteer Coordinator Position
by Tim Buckingham 26 Mar '13

26 Mar '13

As you can see, Broke Spoke is growing like a weed, we have been hitting this list hard the last few days. We are an all volunteer run organization and have the opportunity to create a short-term funded position. We have kicked it around a lot and are looking at a Volunteer Coordinator who will do a lot of behind the scenes work. Including: - Volunteer Recruitment - Volunteer Communications - Volunteer Trainings - Scheduling - etc Shop that have a position such as this or outreach coordinator shop manager, can you send me job descriptions? Cheers Tim

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Policy on Profiteering from Community Bike Shops
by Edward Kirkwood 25 Mar '13

25 Mar '13

I am curious if any of you have had problems with folks using community bike shops to run their own repair business? We currently have some folks who are abusing the privilege of purchasing parts with sweat equity volunteer time and then selling those parts to folks outside the shop. How does your shop police that? Allen Kirkwood

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Volunteer Background Checks
by Tim Buckingham 25 Mar '13

25 Mar '13

At Broke Spoke (Lexington) we are working to improve our volunteer process and how we create shift managers and dull out keys. What type of checks (if any) do other shops use prior to handing out shop keys to volunteers? Any background, employment history, references, etc? Some of these might be barriers as we work with a lot of folks who are in recovery centers, shelters, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated. Cheers Tim

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Sackville Bike Co-Op
by Michael Watkins 25 Mar '13

25 Mar '13

Hello Everyone I'm Michael Watkins one of the co-founders and coordinators of the Sackville Bike Co-op. After discussing some stuff with Amanda Hachey of La Bikery in Moncton, I was hoping to give everyone our Co-op's elevator speech while asking for some help. The Sackville Bike Co-op is a small not for profit startup run out of the Mount Allison University Students' Union looking to open our doors to the public this spring. Through the Co-op we will be providing students and members of the Sackville community with access to low cost rental bikes throughout the season, and in future we hope to start providing community workshops on bike repair, safety, and general maintenance. Through this co-op we hope to lessen our communities dependance on fossil fuels while simultaneously providing access to safe and healthy transportation for everyone, including those without alternate means. However, my current question/request is for advice on procuring a legally vetted waiver form to place the safety of our members into their own hands while they use our bicycles. If anyone on the mailing list can provide me with some advice, or better yet an already vetted form that would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for any help, and with any luck the Sackville Bike Co-op will be up and running before we know it. Thanks again -Michael --- Michael Watkins Mount Allison University '13 BA Double Major in History and Biology Sackville Bike Co-Op Coordinator Mount Allison Students' Administrative Council email: mewatkins(a)mta.ca Facebook: Sackville Bike Co-Op

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Wait list managment
by Patrick VDT 25 Mar '13

25 Mar '13

Hello everyone, Im curious to find out how people are managing wait lists for programs. More specifically, are you picking students for your programs or is it first come first served on a sign up list. If you are picking students, what criteria are you using? We are starting to get more attention than we want to handle at this point. So we have programing slots for 350 students but we have 5-600 students sign up for the wait list. Up until this point we have always done first come first served. But we are trying to avoid telling a kid : Thanks for signing up, we will see you in 8 months when we have an opening. Thanks Patrick

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Revolve Community Bike Shops seek Shop Manager
by Elizabeth Bejan 21 Mar '13

21 Mar '13

Sorry about the duplication...Job description is attached The Shop Manager will coordinate operations of the Revolve Community Bike Shops, located at 5100 Troost in Kansas City, MO and 554 Central Avenue; Kansas City, KS. The Shop Manager will primarily work out of the Kansas City, KS location. The Shop Manager will offer guidance and technical support in all areas of shop operations, including but not limited to: refurbishing bicycles for sale; tearing down bicycles for parts; maintaining inventory, equipment, and supplies; organizing volunteers; and administering business aspects of the shop. The Shop Manager will report directly to the Executive Director and help supervise the Part-Time Mechanic working at the 5100 Troost location. Revolve, Inc. (www.revolvekc.org) is a 501(c)3 organization that offers bicycle safety education and several Earn-A-Bike programs; in addition, Revolve sells donated, refurbished bicycles to support its mission of redistributing refurbished bicycles to those who cannot afford a bicycle. See photos and newsclips of what we do at: www.facebook.com/RevolveKC.org. Read a recent *Kansas City Star Magazine *cover story on us here: http://revolvekc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/KC-Star-Mag-Article.pdf *Minimum Qualifications:* [image: *] Experience working on a wide range of bikes; familiarity with bikes and components from the1960s through the 1990s a must [image: *] Minimum of one year bike shop mechanic experience [image: *] Passion for bikes and bicycling as transportation *Desired Qualifications:* [image: *] Excellent shop organization skills [image: *] Strong written and verbal communication skills [image: *] Ability to work collaboratively with community members and community partners [image: *] Demonstrated ability to work with diverse people while observing sensitivities and differences [image: *] Ability to foster an environment of empowerment and cooperation [image: *] Experience organizing volunteers and staff [image: *] Familiarity with relevant safety and health issues [image: *] Experience in sustainable business practices [image: *] Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Google Docs office suite, and social media [image: *] *Ability to speak Spanish a huge plus* *Job Tasks:* [image: *] Build bicycles for sale from donated supplies of bikes and bike parts [image: *] Oversee shop operations, repair bikes, and conduct sales [image: *] Oversee volunteers [image: *] Maintain an organized and safe workspace [image: *] Manage the inventory of new and used equipment [image: *] Answer questions and provide information to the public about programs and services [image: *] Coordinate closely with staff and attend relevant meetings [image: *] Submit regularly scheduled report of activities and shop operations [image: *] Maintain updated records and files of bikes and inventory *Salary:* [image: *] Commensurate with experience. Manager will work a set schedule of 40 hours/week (generally Tuesday through Saturday), with occasional over-time. We are ready to pay to offer competitive pay to a bike mechanic who speaks Spanish. *Benefits: * [image: *] Discount on purchases of new bike-related items from bike store partner and discounts on used parts from Revolve [image: *] 13 Days of Paid Time Off per year for use as vacation, sick, and holiday pay (hours are proportional for first year) [image: *] F lexible Winter Schedule We'll put mechanically-inclined significant others to work as our PT Bike Mechanic. -- reuse, reduce, recycle, Revolve! Elizabeth Bejan, MSW Executive Director, Revolve 816-835-3310 (cell) www.facebook.com/RevolveKC.org www.revolvekc.org Revolve acts on the belief that the bicycle is the simple solution for healthy lifestyles, and affordable, earth-friendly transportation. We get Kansas City cycling!

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(no subject)
by Elizabeth Bejan 21 Mar '13

21 Mar '13

The Shop Manager will coordinate operations of the Revolve Community Bike Shops, located at 5100 Troost in Kansas City, MO and 554 Central Avenue; Kansas City, KS. The Shop Manager will primarily work out of the Kansas City, KS location. The Shop Manager will offer guidance and technical support in all areas of shop operations, including but not limited to: refurbishing bicycles for sale; tearing down bicycles for parts; maintaining inventory, equipment, and supplies; organizing volunteers; and administering business aspects of the shop. The Shop Manager will report directly to the Executive Director and help supervise the Part-Time Mechanic working at the 5100 Troost location. Revolve, Inc. (www.revolvekc.org) is a 501(c)3 organization that offers bicycle safety education and several Earn-A-Bike programs; in addition, Revolve sells donated, refurbished bicycles to support its mission of redistributing refurbished bicycles to those who cannot afford a bicycle. See photos and newsclips of what we do at: www.facebook.com/RevolveKC.org. Read a recent *Kansas City Star Magazine *cover story on us here: http://revolvekc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/KC-Star-Mag-Article.pdf *Minimum Qualifications:* [image: *] Experience working on a wide range of bikes; familiarity with bikes and components from the1960s through the 1990s a must [image: *] Minimum of one year bike shop mechanic experience [image: *] Passion for bikes and bicycling as transportation *Desired Qualifications:* [image: *] Excellent shop organization skills [image: *] Strong written and verbal communication skills [image: *] Ability to work collaboratively with community members and community partners [image: *] Demonstrated ability to work with diverse people while observing sensitivities and differences [image: *] Ability to foster an environment of empowerment and cooperation [image: *] Experience organizing volunteers and staff [image: *] Familiarity with relevant safety and health issues [image: *] Experience in sustainable business practices [image: *] Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Google Docs office suite, and social media [image: *] *Ability to speak Spanish a huge plus* *Job Tasks:* [image: *] Build bicycles for sale from donated supplies of bikes and bike parts [image: *] Oversee shop operations, repair bikes, and conduct sales [image: *] Oversee volunteers [image: *] Maintain an organized and safe workspace [image: *] Manage the inventory of new and used equipment [image: *] Answer questions and provide information to the public about programs and services [image: *] Coordinate closely with staff and attend relevant meetings [image: *] Submit regularly scheduled report of activities and shop operations [image: *] Maintain updated records and files of bikes and inventory *Salary:* [image: *] Commensurate with experience. Manager will work a set schedule of 40 hours/week (generally Tuesday through Saturday), with occasional over-time. We are ready to pay to offer competitive pay to a bike mechanic who speaks Spanish. *Benefits: * [image: *] Discount on purchases of new bike-related items from bike store partner and discounts on used parts from Revolve [image: *] 13 Days of Paid Time Off per year for use as vacation, sick, and holiday pay (hours are proportional for first year) [image: *] F lexible Winter Schedule We'll put mechanically-inclined significant others to work as our PT Bike Mechanic. -- reuse, reduce, recycle, Revolve! Elizabeth Bejan, MSW Executive Director, Revolve 816-835-3310 (cell) www.facebook.com/RevolveKC.org www.revolvekc.org Revolve acts on the belief that the bicycle is the simple solution for healthy lifestyles, and affordable, earth-friendly transportation. We get Kansas City cycling!

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Hollering again - call on financial planning for community bike shops
by Mary Lauran Hall 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

Hey everybody, I'm giving a shout again just because, you know, the internet is overloaded with cats and you might have missed it. The Alliance is hosting a call on financial planning for community bike shops on Wednesday. All are welcome! Deets below. Feel free to join and/or pass along to someone who might benefit. *Financial Planning for Community Bike Shops* *Wednesday, March 20, 2013* *4:00 PM to 5:00 PM eastern* *Register online here<http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/EventRegistration-…> * Financial planning and fundraising are challenging for all advocacy groups, but it can be particularly difficult for community bike shops, which deal with the seasonal increases and decreases of ridership as well as the cost of purchasing parts and tools. Join leaders from three community bike shops as they discuss key concepts of financial planning and give examples of how their shops have created stable funding streams. Please note that *this call will begin at 4 PM ET* instead of the normal 2 PM ET. Panelists will include: - Momoko Saunders, Bike Farm, Portland, OR - Rambod Behnam, Bikerowave, Los Angeles, CA - Nathan Wilkes, Yellow Bike Project, Austin, TX - ... and featuring Noah Chubb-Silverman of Reno Bike Project, who's going to share Reno's super detailed budget with us and will be around to answer questions. Ride on! Mary Lauran -- Mary Lauran Hall Communications Manager Alliance for Biking & Walking mlhall(a)peoplepoweredmovement.org (202) 449-9692 x2 P.O. Box 65150 Washington, DC 20035 *We've got big plans for 2013. Join or renew<http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/membership/welcome/> with the Alliance today!*

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Bike System funding - Bike tax?
by scott＠gknightride.org 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

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Bike System funding - Bike tax?
by Ryan Kragerud 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

Hey there, Bicycle Longmont is working on a bike system funding project and we're in the research phase right now. Who out there is aware of innovative ways communities, states/provinces, are funding bike improvements? We've heard of Bike taxes, like in Colorado Springs where $4 is added to the price of every new bike sold, We've heard of options where local sales tax derrived from bike sales go toward infrastructure/bike projects. Also - Oregon and Maine have surcharges on traffic infractions that go toward statewide funds that include grants that make biking and walking to school safer and to programs for adult and children bike education. Anyone aware of other sources of info on this topic? Thanks, Ryan Kragerud, President Bicycle Longmont

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