- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Undergoing Sustainable Transition
by Leslie Peteya 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

Hey y'all! We here at the Durham Bike Co-op in Durham, NC are undergoing some major growing pains as an 8-year-old 501c3 non-profit in the midst of launching a crowd funding campaign to upfit a new space. Along with that community presence, we are transitioning to a more expanded board structure and are looking to add some new board member roles. We run on consensus, and currently have 2 Shop Coordinators, the Treasurer, and Social Media/Outreach as board roles. Questions: 1) What new board member roles did you want to add as you expanded as an organization? 2) How did you advertise these positions? 3) What were your requirements for active board members? So far we are entertaining the addition of a Business, Fundraising and Legal Consultant to help with capital campaigns, big money donors, and revision of by-laws. Thanks!. Leslie Social Media/Outreach Durham Bike Co-op

1 0

Sister/satellite organizations
by Ryan Sharpe 12 Jul '15

12 Jul '15

Greetings from Sacramento! There's an effort underway in an underserved neighborhood to start a Bike Kitchen, which would be our town's second collective/cooperative/community shop. I'm curious to hear from those that have experience with second shops, both those affiliated with an existing shop and those that were set up and/or stand independently. Are there any pitfalls or benefits (for either shop) we can expect in donation impacts, volunteer activation, community engagement, or fundraising? --Ryan

3 2

Advice for hiring an Exec Director
by Doug 09 Jul '15

09 Jul '15

Our organization, the Fort Collins Bike Co-op, based in Fort Collins, CO is looking to hire an ED and we would like to leverage what other collectives have already learnt. Please send me any job descriptions for Exec Dir or words of wisdom you have as we step in this direction. I'd also be interested in how you initially structured a compensation package. Thank you, Doug Cutter President Fort Collins Bike Co-op

1 0

Interbike, Festival of Fancy
by Joergen Trepp 08 Jul '15

08 Jul '15

Hi All! Interbike's around the corner, *September 14th-18th* with the Outdoor Demo the two days before. As you probably know, the industry's dog-and-pony show is a great environment for Collectives to meet retailers and shop owners and let them know about all the great ways to get involved with what we do on a local and national level. Last year we didn't get a ticket confirmation until the LAST MINUTE, which was annoying, so I wanted to reach out to the network early this year with two things. 1. Would you like to go and get a (free) ticket through us? 2. What resources should we bring to bear and share with the cycling industry? *1. If you'd like to go, sign up on this sheet and fill out the relevant tabs. < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mcqVNpCdwITiXhBM5RORTaklCbTnj2BZgSr… > *If you're needing a hotel room, put yourself down in one of the slots, we aim to put 4-6 people in each room to keep 'em cheap. If you're looking to carpool, put down your arrival/departure details and room in your vehicle, if applicable. Going to Interbike with us comes with responsibility: Firstly, everyone attending has to sign up for two shifts at the Bicycle Collective Network booth (*third tab below*), where we'll be representing the Bicycle Collective and the Alliance for Walking and Biking. Secondly, we will not tolerate conduct that doesn't represent us favorably to the rest of the bicycling industry. Being inconsiderate of an exhibitor's time, heckling for swag or deals from people you haven't developed a relationship with or who haven't clearly offered that sort of thing, or generally behaving like a child will earn you a boot from the show. We're not willing to jeopardize the reputation of the Bicycle Collective Network. Barring major conflicts, we'd also like to do a night out for Collective folks on Tuesday night, the night before the show, where we would briefly go over our responsibilities formally and then just kick back, catch up across the city, state, and national lines between our different shops. *Sign up:* https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mcqVNpCdwITiXhBM5RORTaklCbTnj2BZgSr… *2. How should we represent the Bike Collective Network? * In years past, the question we're most asked at the booth is "Who's the local collective in our neck of the woods?" To answer this question, we have a print-out of the organizations listed on the Bicycle Collectives Wiki: http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Community_Bicycle_Organ… Is this the most current and representative list? Or is there a more current resource out there, like the organizations tab on bikecollectives.org? http://www.bikecollectives.org/#organizations Beyond that, let me know if there's anything else we should try and tout! I'll send a followup out later when tickets are secured. Joergen Trepp Director of Operations Bicycle Collective Work // 801.328.2453 Mobile // 231.392.3403 www.bicyclecollective.org The mission of the Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

1 0

Closing a shop
by Beth Barnes 06 Jul '15

06 Jul '15

Does anyone have suggestions on how to close/drastically downsize a full blown shop with slim sales but over active repairs? 25 years in business with great following but in a remote, depressed area in far north VT. Any ideas on how to downsize/diversify/still make a living? Very active ebay presence. Lots of vintage bikes and parts. Been collecting for many years. No rush, just starting to weigh options. Thanks

3 3

Shop pricing and expectations/rules list
by Sarah Schaan 03 Jul '15

03 Jul '15

Hey folks, Our shop (Fargo Moorhead community bicycle workshop) is having some issues with pricing nicer used parts pricing/ used bike (fundraiser) pricing. We have used eBay and Google etc... and it's tough to find a consistent amount to agree on. We are also trying to come up with a posted "expectations" board so that we can be a little less opaque with

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 106, Issue 1
by Josh Goran 03 Jul '15

03 Jul '15

We keep things pretty simple and have a rack that is in our (admittedly large) loading dock/entrance area and volunteers/visitors just lock their bikes up. It keeps them separate from donations and secure. Similarly, we have lockers that volunteers are encouraged to use to keep their possessions safe from unscrupulous folks or from thinking something is a donation. We also have a "project room" for bikes that are being worked on, and each bike that doesn't belong to the co-op gets a tag with the owners name, number, project start date, and project 'log' to make sure people are actively working on bikes, along with a basic release stating that OCBC isn't responsible in the case of damage etc that the shop user signs. We also technically require that projects be removed within 2 months and be worked on at least every 2 weeks, though have been lax about enforcing this. *----------Joshua GoranAdministrator, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op* 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org <http://ohiocitycycles.org/> > Subject: [TheThinkTank] In-shop bike check/claim ticket? > We're in the midst of a nasty situation where a new visitor parked her > bike in our Donated/To Be Assessed pile, then left it there for a week. It > was a good bike, and it sold quickly. Fortunately we know the buyer, and > we're probably going to get it all sorted out. > > Does anyone use a bike check-in or claim ticket process to avoid this sort > of thing? We've also had some issues with visitors either claiming a shop > bike was theirs, or ownership of a visitor's bike coming into question (one > visitor claiming another stole it). It seems like some way to check a bike > in could help, but we don't want to add much drag to our shop process. > > Any ideas? > > Andy > > Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop > Lexington KY > >

2 1

In-shop bike check/claim ticket?
by Andrew Shooner 03 Jul '15

03 Jul '15

We're in the midst of a nasty situation where a new visitor parked her bike in our Donated/To Be Assessed pile, then left it there for a week. It was a good bike, and it sold quickly. Fortunately we know the buyer, and we're probably going to get it all sorted out. Does anyone use a bike check-in or claim ticket process to avoid this sort of thing? We've also had some issues with visitors either claiming a shop bike was theirs, or ownership of a visitor's bike coming into question (one visitor claiming another stole it). It seems like some way to check a bike in could help, but we don't want to add much drag to our shop process. Any ideas? Andy Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington KY

2 1

Hiring!: Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective location director
by David Eyer Davis 29 Jun '15

29 Jun '15

Hi all! Please see the below posting for our Salt Lake director, to expand our capacity both in Salt Lake and on an organizational level. This is a crucial hire, obviously second-most critical behind our executive director role. If properly selected, trained, and enabled this person will allow us to evolve our education programs, prepare us for expansion of our volunteer and open shop hours as more space becomes available, and improve our mechanic recruitment and training methods to meet the overwhelming supply and demand we face. Further, they will free me up to raise more funds, pursue purchasing the Salt Lake building, and enable our current and prospective satellite locations around Utah. I encourage everyone with suitable experience in the wider bike collective world to consider applying. This person will bring their skills and experiences to the table and will work together with our staff and volunteers to get a huge job done. You may not be perfect for the job, but neither was I, and through amazing support and a great crew of staff and volunteers we've been able to do a ton over the past two years despite my shortcomings. So definitely apply if you're interested. Please spread the word and work on recruiting suitable candidates from your networks. If possible I need you to do more than a facebook post. Personally approach individual people who'd be a great fit and would grow with the Collective. If you find our next Salt Lake director, it'd be a huge contribution to our organization specifically. It will also allow us to provide a dynamic and strengthening job to one more person in the wider bike collective world so we can all get better at empowering people through bikes. http://www.bicyclecollective.org/locations-a-hours/salt-lake-city/item/428-… <http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bicyclecollective.org%2Flocati…> For more about our collective, please peruse our website, or look over this overview of 2014: *-We had 2837 bikes donated to the SLC shop alone, up from 1800 in 2013.* *-We gave away 1443 bikes through our Goodwill programs.* *-414 kids graduated from Earn-A-Bike, each with their own bike, lights, locks, helmet, and patch kit. * *- Trips for Kids took a record 316 kids on their first mountain bike rides. For the first time we were able to take each Earn-A-Bike student on an enabling graduation ride, over doubling our Trips for Kids participants to 730.* *-Due to the most successful (Utah) Bike Prom ever, we were able to expand operations at the SLC shop this summer to being open longer hours and 7 days a week, with 5 open shop days. This expansion was sustainable and we plan to do the same next year.* Thanks again! Davey -- David Eyer Davis Executive Director Bicycle Collective c: 801-230-6308 www.bicyclecollective.org The mission of the Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households. -- David Eyer Davis Executive Director Bicycle Collective c: 801-230-6308 www.bicyclecollective.org The mission of the Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

1 0

You're invited to BikeVON Fundraiser - Bike Sale (Jun 29, 2015 - Jul 11, 2015)
by Bikevon14＠gmail.com 29 Jun '15

29 Jun '15

Raleigh Talus Hybrid Adult Bike Large height for 5.9—6.0 Ex Large 6.0—6.4 Few scratches from shipping Limited quantities Reg. $299—Sale Price $150 price is final Contact Yvonne Rucker bikevon14(a)gmail.com Share this event on Facebook and Twitter We hope you can make it!Cheers,Bikevon14(a)gmail.com ------------------------------ Event Summary: ------------------------------ Event: BikeVON Fundraiser - Bike Sale Date: Monday, June 29, 2015 at 7:00 PM <span class="pipe">-</span> Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 10:00 AM (EDT) Location: ------------------------------ Event Details: ------------------------------ Raleigh Talus Hybrid Adult Bike Large height for 5.9—6.0 Ex Large 6.0—6.4 Few scratches from shipping Limited quantities Reg. $299—Sale Price $150 price is final Contact Yvonne Rucker bikevon14(a)gmail.com ------------------------------ Hosted By: ------------------------------ Bikevon14(a)gmail.com Mission Statement: To increase cycling awareness, accessibility and affordability for the youth of color in Metro Detroit ages 11 – 18 with bike share and bike safety programs. To expose the youth to the elite sport of velodrome cycling while teaching them the core values of diversity and inclusion, a healthy lifestyle, and community service. Educate, Advocate, and Motivate ThroughCycling Vision: BikeVON envisions a competitive cycling team comprised of underrepresented youths of color and bike share facilities at Detroit community centers. ------------------------------ Register Online: ------------------------------ More information and online registration are available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bikevon-fundraiser-bike-sale-tickets-175644878… ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Collect event fees online with Eventbrite http://www.eventbrite.com

1 0