- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Volunteer Retention
by Geoff Smart 02 Feb '26

02 Feb '26

Hi All, In some but not all of our sessions we have an issue with volunteer retention. After surveying our volunteers and people who left after 3-4 sessions the consensus is that our 1 hour induction is not enough and that we need a more structured training and onboarding over multiple sessions for the cohort that for various reasons need more training and more interaction with staff and volunteers. Has anyone had any luck with increasing retention using a more structured approach. If you have, we would appreciate any content or information you can share with us, and any other tips you may have to increase retention Regards *Geoff Smart* Chair Back2Bikes M : 0419 345 440 525 Williamstown Rd Port Melbourne 3207 back2bikes.org.au

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Let's talk about DEI
by angel york 31 Jan '26

31 Jan '26

Hi everyone, I was just reading about how one large corporation was like "we are absolutely keeping our DEI" while a deluge of other large corporations were getting rid of or tearing apart theirs last year. And I got to thinking about bike collectives. Most bike collectives that I've been have DEI statements and try to have approaches to their community that reflect those values. Some do not. Does your org have a DEI statement or policies as active guiding principles (you have many diversities in patrons/volunteers/staff/etc)? What are they? Maybe in practice, your collective is really good at one kind of DEI but not others? How did your community get to where it is today? Why is DEI important? What aspects of it are hard, and why is it worth the ongoing effort by your community? Does your org have neglected DEI statements or policies? Or none? What questions can you ask this group to feel like you have the resources and understanding you need to start the process of bringing DEI into your own community? Thanks, everyone!

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volunteer opportunity
by angel york 09 Jan '26

09 Jan '26

Hi everyone, Volunteer Responsibility Amnesty Day is coming up in a few months, and I'm going to be removing myself as an admin on https://opencollective.com/bike-collectives-tech . There is no day-to-day responsibility involved. It's basically just a way to hold enough money to occasionally pay for hosting and registration, which are covered for a few years. Jonathan has taken over all other tech duties, so it would be nice if someone else could replace me so it's not just Étienne and April on there, and so that it's slightly more of a collective. Short version: admin needed for the open collective account. no day-to-day responsibility required. Thanks! Angel

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Quantifying Impacts
by Bobby Kennedy 26 Dec '25

26 Dec '25

Howdy, all! Tis' grant application season and we at the Street Collective are busy as elves begging Santa for decent wages and sanitary working conditions! Something that comes up regularly is that major donors want to see quantitative data about our impacts on the community as part of their grant application processes. We've talked about follow-up surveys, but I wanted to know if other organizations have tried to gather hard data about how bikes have helped their clients. Thanks in advance! -Bobby Bobby Kennedy Director of Bike Shop Operations 515-288-8022 c: 319-551-6174 bobby(a)dsmstreetcollective.org [cid:f0f690cd-6478-4088-aba7-30646a5672ef]

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E-bikes
by Andy Ballentine 01 Dec '25

01 Dec '25

Hi -- How are bike co-ops dealing with e-bikes? We are all-volunteer at the Bicycle Co-Op of Williamsburg (Virginia). We have several very fine mechanics, but none of us is expert in the motors and batteries of e-bikes, and we don't know whether we should accept them as donations or sell them. I'd be interested in others' experience and policies. Thanks -- Andy Ballentine

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Regional Bike Bike 2026: Oakland CA June 11-14th- Let's get Rolling!
by july 16 Oct '25

16 Oct '25

Hey all, It was absolutely awesome meeting the lot of you at Bike Bike in CDMX. If we didn't meet there and you're getting this email anyways, you've probably met me in person. If neither of these things are the case, congratulations, I found you somehow. I'm hitting yall up because we're gonna host Regional Bike Bike in Oakland CA but this is gonna be a group effort. Obviously everyone is strapped for time and money, so it's a pitch in where and how you can kinda thing; - Workshops! I put this together to help us collaborate on what workshops we want: [PADLET LINK TO WORKSHOPS](https://padlet.com/scaredycatoakland/workshop-proposals-ves8zvnm… - Organizing who's staying where: Some people are coming from very far away. I will be helping people get housing but if yall wanna also do this, that'd be awesome. Here's [a place to organize that](https://padlet.com/scaredycatoakland/who-s-staying-where-r5hq4mu1dgf1… - Help me grow the list of bike collectives we're inviting! An official Email to all the bike collectives I'm aware of is gonna go out the third of November, but more is super fucking helpful. I've got a running contact [list](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Olm3jIgUiGHxOfQ1RSasx4SEYjDLj… here but more would be awesome. - Other stuff that needs doing: Website, graphic design, travel equity fund, grant writing, promotion, etc. Please reach out to me if you'd like to assist with any of these tasks. Sincerely, July PS- yes please forward this to other folks who should be in the know that I missed and also send me their contact info PPS- Picture in case you forgot who I was[Screen Shot 2025-10-12 at 11.05.15 PM.png] PPPS- if you read this far, go outside and get a bike ride in, that's too much time on the computer bru

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Bike commuter survey
by Sam Tracy 28 Sep '25

28 Sep '25

Greetings all, I'm writing a new book on bike commuting, and I'm looking for input. Have thoughts to share on the topic? I'd love to hear from you! Basic bike commuting advice is easy to find online, and we're lucky for it, yet the few recent books on the topic tend to be academic, or first-person accounts. So I'm hoping to broaden the aperture; to include a range of perspectives on this topic. The goal is to create an engaging and credible reference for readers who might not have immediate access to bike culture; for those who may be thinking about riding to work, but may not know anyone nearby to ask about it. This will be an invitation to join us! The approach here mirrors what I did with my last book, Riding More With Less: A Future for Bike Repair (see https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1543), which surveyed community bike shops to gather ideas on resourceful approaches to bike repair. So this new book also begins with a survey, which is available as a Google form: https://forms.gle/Jxh8dmF9BRosoMA46 The same survey is also accessible via Survey Planet, for the Google-averse: https://s.surveyplanet.com/f451kkqy The survey opens with additional detail on the rationale for this project, for any curious to know more. Thanks in advance for returning the survey, should you be so inclined. And please feel free to share! Best, Sam Tracy

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Alley Cat/ Bike Scavenger Hunt
by julytenenbaum＠proton.me 25 Sep '25

25 Sep '25

Hey all, if you're in the bay area we're hosting a bicycle scavenger hunt that's fundraising for scraper bikes. It's Nov 2nd at Snow Park in Lake Merritt Oakland, CA. Hope to see you there! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scaredy-cat-oaklands-halloween-alleycat-bike-r…

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entry door(s)
by weogo＠liveedge.net 01 Sep '25

01 Sep '25

Hi Folks, Our new bike shop, Pigeon River Bikes, in Haywood County, North Carolina, is moving in to an old building that’s being renovated. The owners will install a new entry door for us, and it can be double doors or a single, wide door. I’m thinking one, big door will be a good choice. Bigger is better, up to the point where it’s hard to deal with. If you had your choice, would you prefer a 36”, 40” or other size door width? Thanks and good health, Weogo

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Creating Self-Guided Volunteer Tasks
by Aaron 21 Aug '25

21 Aug '25

Hey everyone, Our collective (Davis Bike Collective) is struggling to implement a volunteer-for-credit system. One of the big questions is how to make it easier for volunteers to, well, volunteer. I think creating some more "self guided" volunteer tasks would help make everything run more smoothly by opening the door to more volunteers while increasing the effectiveness of their efforts. How do other collectives make it easy for volunteers to stay on task? What are some good "self-guided" tasks that wouldn't require lots of oversight from more experienced mechanics? Does anyone have any other tips regarding volunteer for credit i.e. what worked and what hasn't? Thanks in advance! Aaron

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