- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Compiling a best practices survey...
by Cycles of Change APC 19 Jan '09

19 Jan '09

Hi all,My name is Barry and I'm the site director for a non-profit bike shop in the city of Alameda in the San Francisco Bay Area. We operate a full service recycled community bike shop that is just over 2.5 years old. I was wondering if you would be willing to contribute some info about your org around strategic development that we can use, and that can be shared by all users of this e-group. Thanks, to Bikes not Bombs for the suggestion to post here! If you can answer any or all of them, that'd be great. And if you have any questions, feel free to email me/us directly at bikeshop(a)apcollaborative.org Take care in these crazy times, Barry www.myspace.com/cyclesapc Here's the questions... > What has been your biggest challenge? > How did you develop a long-term plan? > What do you believe are some of your best practices? > What is your mission statement? > What services do you offer? > What are your plans for growth? > What are your current / prior threats and how did you address them? > How do you balance revenue generation versus services provided? > What are your most successful hours? When are your biggest sales? > What / who is your core market? Where are the best prospects for focusing > growth? > What are your staffing levels? What is your overall budget and staffing > budget? > What was your history of growth (financially and staffing wise) > What was the "critical mass" to become successful? > Do you consider yourself successful? How do you define the success of > your shop? > How do you see the growth of the industry? Where are the biggest > opportunities? > Are you situated to take advantage of these opportunities? > What is your commitment to community involvement? > How much funding is from sales vs other sources and how does that affect > your shop? -- Cycles of Change APC (510) 898-7830 www.apcollaborative.org/cycles.htm www.myspace.com/cyclesapc

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Bike sales out of control.
by an undercover cop 18 Jan '09

18 Jan '09

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 i don't really have a solution for you, other than to shut down sales or limit them to very specific hours. do just enough to meet your needs. if you sell out, you sell out, and so be it. whatever you do, don't get sucked into selling for sales' sake. working bikes in chicago is just now recovering (afaik) from a bunch of years of being overwhelmed by the demand for their bikes. i remember the shop opening at noon and being empty by 2.30 pm. - -ben > On Jan 19, 2009, at 12:08 AM, Patrick VDT wrote: > >> So we have an interesting problem. >> We have become so engrossed with raising money that 95% of our time >> is spent selling off what was donated to us. >> We are seriously putting in 100 hours a week building and selling >> but only 2-4 hours on programs. >> >> Im so fed up with it im going to start giving away all the bikes >> that would have been sold to other charities in town. >> >> Money is not an issue for a at least two years. . . . >> >> Ideas >> >> Please help, we are turning into a real shop that sells only to >> college students with $100 shoes. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iEYEARECAAYFAkl0Dx4ACgkQSfGaTCxqHXEf2wCdH1LdxrqGlsMqsswVOzl3ardA OnIAn0x5NjdJ+X2WgRipjp8J4BwWBL4z =Zexm -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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A good bike for maintenance classes
by Carl Voss 18 Jan '09

18 Jan '09

We're just about to roll out a 4-part series of bike mechanic classes (two-hour sessions). Do any of you offer a general bike repair book as part of the fee or have a recommended bike repair book that you stock? Suggested soft cover bikes include *Anybody's Bike Book (updated version that includes indexed shifters) *Bicycling magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair *Park Tool School student manual (140+ pages, spiral bound) Carl carlvoss(a)mac.com Mobile: 515-210-0237

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Exploded Diagrams
by Genevieve Luikart 18 Jan '09

18 Jan '09

Greetings! Bike Saviours in AZ is looking for any good renderings you have of exploded bicycle part diagrams. We've been looking in books on our own, but we figure that many of you have already done the work for us, and if your willing to share, we could help pass on some great information. We're most interested in jpgs and or tiff files that you already have access to, and can either send or link to. Thanks for your time, Genevieve Luikart

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 29, Issue 13
by Clifford McCarten 18 Jan '09

18 Jan '09

This is a great topic, one that we could definitely use advice on. Our shop (like many are, I'm sure) is in a fairly rough section of town. High density, low-income housing=lots of deadbeat parents = lots of surly kids with nothing to do. The kids end up coming down and hanging out, sometimes working on their bikes, sometimes "volunteering"; but more often than not creating... challenges... for the actual volunteers. The other factor is the arrangement of our shop. We're in a 2000 square foot church basement, with only about 1/4 of it taken up with workstations & bike storage. The rest is a wide-open concrete floor - a dreamland for rambunctious kids who run down and grab bikes, covering the floor with skid marks & crashing into things. As a result, our policies undergo trial-by-fire tests & revisions very quickly. Since this is our first year of being formally established, we're still working out how the shop can be a productive space for the kids _without_ it being overrun/taken advantage of/creating unsafe conditions. Some things we've faced: Issue: Kids working on bikes that aren't remotely safe (i.e., they've come in to patch a flat on a majorly dented aluminum frame mountain bike with its brakes _removed_) Resolution: No bikes are allowed to leave the shop until they are safe, even if it means taking a hit on the shop's end to equip them with brakes. Issue: Kids arriving @ the shop who are much too young (10 and under) to care about (or able to torque!) the mechanics of their bike. (i.e., they just want to ride something) Resolution: This is tough -- we don't want to demand that they have a parent/guardian present to come to the shop because, if actually enforced in this neighbourhood, we would never see _any_ of these kids. Most of the time our mechanics are busy helping members & not able to drop everything to supervise, step-by-step, a kid working on overhauling a BB or something. We've suggested that they come with an older sibling or something, but this is still an unsatisfactory situation. The best thing we've been able to come up with is getting the kid (everyone under 16) to have their parent sign the waiver that we get all members to sign. This at least lets the parent know that the kid is out there, and then we (hypothetically) have their phone number for when/if the kid steals tools... Issue: Kids offering to "volunteer"; but really just cause havoc. This was a difficult situation with one kid in particular. He has a good heart & a not-good home life, so he wanted to hang out at the shop and "work" for us. Problem was that he was relentlessly attention seeking (see home life), and wouldn't pay attention or follow through on any tasks we tried to give him. He was really disruptive when new members came down. We had numerous chats with him, but ultimately nothing changed. Eventually I had to come down hard and ask him to leave. Resolution: We've resolved to only allow kids with these kinds of interests to show up _one_ day out of the three that we're open; where they are then allowed to spend time doing some organizational etc tasks we've set up for the day. They are _not_ allowed to work on bikes until they've shown an ongoing commitment to the shop & a legitimate commitment to learning. We also have a "you're only here if you're gonna volunteer" rule; where, if there's nothing to do, they can't just hang out (because this inevitably leads to grabbing random bikes and crashing them into walls/bikes/members etc. ...The big workshop is a blessing & a curse). Issue: Kids stealing & wrecking tools Resolution: Any expensive tools or delicate repairs (i.e., chainbreaks) are ALWAYS used under supervision. We are generally aware of who was using tool X the day it went missing; so we can use the waiver form phone numbers to get them back. Our wednesday nights are a sort of free-for-all, where non-members & kids can come down for free to work on their bikes. This gives us some leverage when we're talking to surly/klepto youth -- I say something like "why bother stealing the tool when you know you can always come down for free on wednesdays? It'll always be here!" Not a comprehensive list, and I really look forward to seeing what others have come up with! Cheers, Clifford McCarten Director, B!ke: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop 400 Wolfe St Peterborough, Ontario (705) 745-2103 http://www.communitybikeshop.org On 16-Jan-09, at 4:09 PM, thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org wrote: > Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to > thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > thethinktank-owner(a)bikecollectives.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. your org's policy on working with kids? (veganboyjosh(a)gmail.com) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:22:30 -0700 > From: veganboyjosh(a)gmail.com > Subject: [TheThinkTank] your org's policy on working with kids? > To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> > Message-ID: > <53e5a1720901152122w1c040b10xcb8e9c8ccc958960(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > we're hard at work on Community Cycles' shop manual, and we're > wondering if > any of you have any formal policies for shop volunteers and/or staff > that > you'd feel like sharing. i'm imagining something to the effect of > "at least > two staff must be present when kids are around..." or something like > that. > > on a somewhat related note, have any of you had any experience with > someone--staff, volunteer, customer, etc--being inappropriate around > kids, > (aside from normal bad language..) that you had to deal with a > parent for? > i'd be interested in hearing about that experience... > > thanks! > > josh. >

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bike talk today--hacked! alternate site
by bike talk 17 Jan '09

17 Jan '09

Hi, if you want to listen today, go to www.killradio.org:8000--we're working on it. we have tandem, Ron Milam, Liz of C.I.C.L.E., Christian of Torelli bikes, and a Jim C interview. listen. -- please let me know if you want to be taken off this list. See Bike Talk! on kpfk: http://www.kpfk.org/programs/170-bike-talk.html

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Fwd: Update on Google Checkout transaction processing fees for non-profits
by Jonathan Morrison 14 Jan '09

14 Jan '09

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Google Checkout Team <checkout-merchant-support(a)google.com> Date: Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 1:35 PM Subject: Update on Google Checkout transaction processing fees for non-profits To: treasurer(a)slcbikecollective.org Hello, We're writing to let you know that Google Checkout's free transaction processing offer for non-profits has been extended until 2010. However, in an effort to bring more consistency to the eligibility guidelines for our non-profit offerings, only those non-profits who are also members of our Google Grants program will be eligible for free donation processing. All other non-profits will transition to Checkout's standard fee structure on March 1, 2009. If you're a Google Grants recipient, please make sure to link your Grants account with Checkout by February 15, 2009 to continue to receive free transaction processing without interruption. Learn how to link your accounts: http://checkout.google.com/support/sell/bin/answer.py?answer=72722 If you're not a Google Grants recipient, we strongly encourage you to learn more about the program and apply. Google Grants awards free AdWords advertising to non-profits who meet certain eligibility guidelines, and integrates with Google Checkout to help you increase your online fundraising. Plus, if you apply for Google Grants by March 1, 2009 and you're accepted, we will retroactively credit you for any Checkout fees incurred while your application was pending. Learn more about Google Grants: http://www.google.com/grants/ If your organization falls outside of our guidelines or decides not to apply for a Google Grant, we realize this news may come as a disappointment and hope that you'll still find Checkout's ease of use and competitive rates compelling reasons to keep using our product. You'll be charged a low 2.0% plus $0.20 per transaction for all payment types (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover), and there are no monthly, setup, or gateway fees. Learn more about Google Checkout fees: http://checkout.google.com/seller/fees.html Please visit our Help Center or reply to this email if you have any additional questions. Thank you for using Google Checkout for Non-Profits. Sincerely, The Google Checkout Team Note: To be considered for Google Grants, organizations must meet the program's legal requirements and policy guidelines. Eligible non-profits may focus on areas such as the arts, disaster and relief services, education, health, youth programs, and more. Groups that have a political, religious, or commercial focus are not eligible for the program, and we have additional guidelines around other types of non-profits as well. Before you consider applying for Google Grants, please review all of our guidelines regarding eligibility: http://www.google.com/grants/details.html#eligibility Copyright 2008. Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043. Email preferences: You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Checkout account.

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bikebike 2009 dates?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 12 Jan '09

12 Jan '09

does anyone know the fine folks at the greasepit in minneapolis have decided on dates for bikebike yet? i'm sure i'm not the only one who's mapping out my late summer/early fall plans for the year... thanks! josh.

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anti-discrimination statements
by Liza Mattana 10 Jan '09

10 Jan '09

Hey guys, What are your co-op's anti-discrimination statements? Are they online? I couldn't find any on the wiki. Thanks in advance, liza -- Liza Mattana president www.pedals2people.org Spokane, WA

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Re: [TheThinkTank] shop space design advice
by mike eng 10 Jan '09

10 Jan '09

Thanks, all. Interesting point about the seasonal variation. I'll pass the info on to the team. --- Mike Eng www.recycleabike.org (temporarily down due to account transition) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org> Date: Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 2:56 PM Subject: Thethinktank Digest, Vol 29, Issue 8 To: thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org You can reach the person managing the list at thethinktank-owner(a)bikecollectives.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: shop space design advice (Recycle Bicycle of Harrisburg, Pa) 2. Re: shop space design advice (Jonathan Morrison) 3. Bike Talk Web Stats on KPFK.org (bike talk) 4. Re: anti-discrimination statements (Liza Mattana) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:18:29 -0500 From: "Recycle Bicycle of Harrisburg, Pa" <recyclebicycle(a)verizon.net> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] shop space design advice To: "The Think Tank" <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> Message-ID: <002201c971f8$2edbbab0$0202a8c0@VALUED9133F4FA> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Same advice I give when pastors say they are building a new church: 1) Install showers 2) Install loading dock for tractor trailer 3) Install loading dock for pick up truck 4) Garage door for vehicules to pull in 5) Garage door on the walk-in side - because it show all the happy activity - with a dividing counter inside to limit access Ross Willard Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg Hi. Sorry I've been a stranger on this list as of late. But Here at Recycle-a-Bike in Providence, RI, we're working on a design of a new home for our program. I've teamed with an interior architecture grad student and an architecture grad student at a local design school who are awesome and excited about the project. We have a small plot of land set aside for it, and we will be designing and building our new home from the ground up. So we are starting our research, and I'm putting the question out to the list - Do folks have design examples of their shops to share? or insights as to what works and what doesn't in the usage of your shops? Any other thoughts about design / construction? I've taken a look at Austin Yellow Bike's new space on their website and the "shop organization" page on the Bike Collective Wiki, both of which were helpful, but what would be useful for us at this point is more thinking on the whole building scale. If people have info to contribute, I'd suggest putting it on said shop organization page on the Bike Collective Wiki so that it's there for everyone to refer to. I'll be posting progress on our blog as we go (nothing up there yet). Thanks! --- Mike Eng www.recycleabike.org www.octopusroad.com

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