- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Re: [TheThinkTank] $$$
by Joshua Goran 11 Mar '15

11 Mar '15

We charge for our Shop Classes, which are open to the public/individuals, more info here: http://tinyurl.com/lhr2zej ...and we also charge for groups who hire us - those programs are usually customized for the partner organization and typically are for kids programming. Our base rate for private groups is *$100/hour* for most all of our programming, be it school presentations or what we call "Fixathons". There's some more info here under "For Organizations": http://tinyurl.com/n5sfuqn Most commonly these are programs that are organized with another organization such as what we call CDCs (Community Development Org) around here, schools, neighborhood groups, and sometimes corporate entities for things like teambuilding exercises. We don't explicitly promote our pricing as sliding scale, but we are sometimes flexible for organizations that we value as partners who may not be able to pay the full standard rate, sometimes by having the org's staff or volunteers spend some time volunteering for us. These sorts of programs comprised brought in about $15k for us last year, factoring in that we comp'd about $3500 worth of fees for orgs who couldn't pay our full rate. This is about 10% of our gross income, though these programs take a lot of time to organize and I'd like to see us streamline and standardize our programs more to make them easier to promote, easier to organize, easier to train volunteers for, more profitable, and to give us the capacity to do more of them! Hope this helps! ---------- *Joshua GoranAdministrator, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op* 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org <http://ohiocitycycles.org/> ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

3 2

Join us for Bike! Bike! Southeast!
by Kat Volzer 11 Mar '15

11 Mar '15

*[image: BIKEBIKE_SE2015_web_fb_burgundy_phoenix.jpg]Dear Bike Co-op Friends,Sopo Bicycle Cooperative (located in Atlanta, GA Grant Park area) is happy to invite you to the 2015 Bike! Bike! Southeast Conference. The conference will be held March 26-29. We are working hard to get our registration site up, but wanted to let you know so you can go ahead and save the date! Registration is a suggested donation of $25 and includes almost everything you need for the weekend including meals and snacks. Registrants will be paired with home-share hosts according to preferences (vegan friendly, LGBT friendly, cycling ability comfort level, and other common interests). If you’re coming from out of town and need a loaner bike, we will have plenty of those too. All proceeds of the registration donation go to Sopo Bicycle Co-op and BBSE expenses. What’s on tap for this year? We’re still planning the details, but so far we have plenty of sessions and plenty of fun scheduled, including an all-Atlanta Critical Mass Friday night, a chili cook-off complete with beer and bands Saturday, and an optional “mini-tour” on Sunday, just in case you didn’t get enough riding in! Want to present a session? We would love for you to share your thoughts, ideas, and successes of your shops. Please mark your calendars for March 26-29 and plan on visiting us in Hotlanta for what is going to be an awesome good time. We hope to have the registration page up soon, along with any other information you might need. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to respond to this thread!Sincerely,Kat VolzerSopo Bicycle Cooperative586 Woodward Ave SEAtlanta, GA 30312www.sopobikes.org <http://www.sopobikes.org> * ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

2 1

Re: [TheThinkTank] We Need Your Recommendations on Children's Bikes
by christopher＠holisticcycles.com 07 Mar '15

07 Mar '15

____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

We Need Your Recommendations on Children's Bikes
by Justin Smith 06 Mar '15

06 Mar '15

Our local school district wants to purchase about 20 bikes that can be used for children in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades. We're looking for recommendations of particular bikes to purchase. We're thinking strong, workhorse bikes that are comfortable and easy to ride and will require little to no maintenance. Almost like a children's bike share bike but without all the weight. Likewise, we're also considering purchasing some Strider bikes [1], to help teach children who don't know how to ride, but we also think that we can probably just take the pedals off of the bikes that we do buy. Any suggestions, recommendations and feedback are greatly appreciated. Thank you, -- Justin Smith Bike Erie www.bikeerie.org [2] (814) 580-9108 Follow us on Facebook [3] & Twitter [4]! Links: ------ [1] http://www.striderbikes.com/ [2] http://www.bikeerie.org/ [3] http://box809.bluehost.com/facebook.com/BikeErie [4] http://box809.bluehost.com/twitter.com/BikeErie ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

6 5

Fort Collins Bike Co-op needs your help
by Doug 04 Mar '15

04 Mar '15

We just launched a Community Funded campaign to help pay for replacing the roof structure on our permanent location which we purchased last summer. If you can't personally donate, please share on social networks with anyone who can help make this campaign a success. Every little bit helps........ http://communityfunded.com/projects/fcbikes/make-our-new-warehouse-a-home/ Thanks for your help, Doug Cutter President Fort Collins Bike Co-op ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

What are you up to? (Strategic planning info-share)
by Jim Sheehan 04 Mar '15

04 Mar '15

Folks, Our organization is undertaking a strategic plan to evaluate our many different programs, and we'd appreciate your help by taking this brief questionnaire <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fyh9dkIAxEP2Nym3viT9wAaUsZKQRAm5hpcfGkOxIj…>. If your director, a board member or other knowledgeable member of your group who can answer some basic questions about your organization's structure and experiences has about 5 minutes, it would greatly help us -- and all members of this list, hopefully, as the results are available here <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16kD8mzfHHx_ku2VM1sDoIkNEE7nnerDZy55…>, and we will provide a digested version when we complete our planning process in April. Thanks for all of your time, and for all you do for cycling and community! Sincerely, Jim Sheehan Director, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org jim(a)ohiocitycycles.org ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] What level of repairs at Farmers Market
by christopher＠holisticcycles.com 28 Feb '15

28 Feb '15

____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

3 2

Re: [TheThinkTank] What level of repairs at Farmers Market
by christopher＠holisticcycles.com 28 Feb '15

28 Feb '15

____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

Bike value
by Justin Smith 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

We'd like to know how everyone assigns value to donated bikes? Do you assess each bike to estimate its individual value, or do you assign some sort of average value, or something else altogether? Thanks, -- Justin Smith Bike Erie www.bikeerie.org [1] (814) 580-9108 Follow us on Facebook [2] & Twitter [3]! Links: ------ [1] http://www.bikeerie.org/ [2] http://box809.bluehost.com/facebook.com/BikeErie [3] http://box809.bluehost.com/twitter.com/BikeErie ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

3 2

Re: [TheThinkTank] What level of repairs at Farmers Market
by christopher＠holisticcycles.com 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

2 1

Re: [TheThinkTank] What level of repairs at Farmers Market
by christopher＠holisticcycles.com 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] What level of repairs at Farmers Market
by christopher＠holisticcycles.com 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

3 2

Second Hand Dealer License? : Bike Coop : Illinois
by Chad Ahmad 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

I am part owner of a bicycle coop in Illinois and we are just getting acquainted with what we are supposed to be doing. Does anyone know if we are required to have a second hand dealer license? According to the municipal code, it appears that non-profits are exempt. Anyone have any experience with this? Here is the wording… Sales conducted by governmental, civic, patriotic, fraternal, educational, religious or benevolent organizations which have been in active and continuous existence for at least one year prior to the holding of the sale, or which are incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation by the state. Chad Bike Peoria Coop www.bikepeoria.org ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

2 1

Re: [TheThinkTank] What level of repairs at Farmers Market
by Joshua Goran 26 Feb '15

26 Feb '15

For a now defunct start-up project I had a few years ago, we would do chain and cable/housing replacements and true wheels on the bike when I did repairs at a local Farmers Market, and I charged $30/hour + parts at that time, but that is very cheap in hindsight. Basically we'd do up to what a typical shop includes in their 'basic tune up' plus cable and minor accessory installation and flat repairs. *----------Joshua GoranAdministrator, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op* 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

2 1

Cycles for Change Hiring Experienced Mechanics
by Ana Begej 25 Feb '15

25 Feb '15

Hello all, Cycles for Change <http://www.cyclesforchange.org/>in St Paul, MN, is looking to hire an experienced full time seasonal retail mechanic! Job posting can be found at this link <http://www.minnesotanonprofits.org/job-details?id=93699>. Thanks! Ana Begej SPOKES Program Manager Cycles for Change SPOKES Bike Walk Connect 1915 E 22nd St Minneapolis, MN 55404 Shop: 612.787.7433 ana(a)spokesconnect.org ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] volunteer coordination advice
by Joshua Goran 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

We do a weekly new volunteer orientation. Details are here: http://tinyurl.com/lywkttz Unless you have very high new volunteer volume, I'd personally recommend once or twice a month to get more folks in the orientations and to maximize the time your staff or experienced volunteers spend training new people. We've been doing weekly orientations for a long time but sometimes only have 1-2 new people per week, which is inefficient and sometimes awkward, and sometimes no one new at all which wastes our time waiting around. On the other hand, we sometimes have ~10+ people, and more than that can get unruly. *----------Joshua GoranAdministrator, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op* 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

$$$
by Falls City Community BikeWorks Community BikeWorks 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Hi all, Have any of you had success with charging for maintenance classes (on-site or hosting) for private groups? We're looking at that as a potential revenue stream, but don't know what that would look like and would love some feedback <http://www.bicyclingforlouisville.org/#fccb> Thanks Bella ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

2 1

Re: [TheThinkTank] $$$
by Bob Giordano 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

We've had success: We have a sliding scale: zero for groups with no money, $25/hr for small groups with small budgets, $45/hr for workshop at a school or community location, $65/hr for a large non-profit or business. We include one staff, 1-3 volunteers, tools and supplies. Examples of 'workshops': we are the 'fixit' station at a school bike rodeo, we help fix bikes at an apartment building, provide oil and air at a University event, etc Actual hands on bike fixing help seems to be much more in demand than a more general maintenance class, yet those work too for donations, $5 a class or set fee for series of classes. -- Bob Giordano, Free Cycles Missoula Falls City Community BikeWorks Community BikeWorks wrote: Have any of you had success with charging for maintenance classes (on-site or hosting) for private groups? We're looking at that as a potential revenue stream, but don't know what that would look like and would love some feedback ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

volunteer coordination advice
by Laura Biren 24 Feb '15

24 Feb '15

Hi y'all, It has been so wonderful being a part of The Think Tank. Super helpful advice from everyone. I have a volunteer coordination question here: We're trying to figure out how to become more sustainable in the bike shop area and how to coordinate our volunteers better. We've now got a volunteer questionnaire asking volunteers what their skills are, and what they hope to learn while volunteering for us. We want to try and get more people committed to working in the shop but we can't "hire" people because we don't have the funds to pay anyone else. We also want to get people on the same page before they start working in the shop and I am wondering - what is the best way to do that? Once a month orientation? Once a week offering classes/tutorials? What has worked for you in your beginning stages? Right now there is a lot of pressure on our shop manager, and so we want to try and spread out this pressure, without scaring away potential volunteers. Thank you! -- Laura Biren Outreach Intern at BF Community Bike Project bfbike.org 617 939 4330 ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

Bike!Bike! Guadalajara
by Tigre Bici 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

Hey y'all We are wondering if there is anyone that wants to pedal to next B!B! Most likeley we are going to pedal from Monterrey to Guadalajara, will take us around 5-7 days If you want to join in, let us know. *** Hola banda! Queremls saber si alguien tiene pensado/quiere pedalear a B!B! Nosotrxs estamos pensando irnos en bici desde Monterrey a Guadalajara tardando entee 5-7 dias. Si se quieren unir, avisen! Que siga el pedal! R. ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

2 1

You're Invited! Bike! Bike! Southeast March 26-29
by Kat Volzer 19 Feb '15

19 Feb '15

Dear Bike Co-op Friends, Sopo Bicycle Cooperative (located in Atlanta, GA Grant Park area) is happy to invite you to the *2015 Bike! Bike! Southeast Conference*. The conference will be held *March 26-29*. Registration is a suggested donation of $25 (cash or check when you check-in) and includes almost everything you need for the weekend including meals and snacks. Registrants will be paired with home-share hosts according to preferences (vegan friendly, LGBT friendly, cycling ability comfort level, and other common interests). If you’re coming from out of town and need a loaner bike, we will have plenty of those too. All proceeds of the registration donation go to Sopo Bicycle Co-op and BBSE expenses. *What’s on tap for this year? *We’re still planning the details, but so far we have plenty of sessions and plenty of fun scheduled, including an all-Atlanta Critical Mass Friday night and a chili cook-off complete with music and libations Saturday. *Want to present a session?* We would love for you to share your thoughts, ideas, and successes of your shops. *Please mark your calendars for March 26-29* and plan on visiting us in Hotlanta for what is going to be an awesome good time. To register, please visit our website at http://bikebikese.org/. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to respond to this thread! Sincerely, Kat Volzer Sopo Bicycle Cooperative 586 Woodward Ave SE Atlanta, GA 30312 www.sopobikes.org ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] Database suggestions
by Sam Haraldson 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

> > ...organize our infrastructure by putting everything we can into a > database (volunteer information, inventory, bike donations, events, > individual donations, memberships, etc). We've been looking into CiviCRM, > and getting an external host for that, but before we commit to anything I > am hoping to hear any feedback/comments anyone might have on what systems > you are using?? Thank you! > Lauren, What is your current system? Are you tracking on paper, in a spreadsheet, something else, possibly not at all? We have operated out of a simple shared spreadsheet (Google Docs) since 2009 and have found it to work acceptably and are only now 5+ years later thinking about getting more serious about that side of our operations. I am a firm believer of getting a system dialed in using as simple a method as possible and then figuring out how to map that onto a true software solution rather than finding a software first and trying to make it work for your needs. Best of luck in sorting out your needs. Cheers, Sam Bozeman, MT -- http://bozemanbikekitchen.org ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

6 6

Outcomes & Outputs
by Justin Smith 15 Feb '15

15 Feb '15

We'd really appreciate any data, information, stories and so forth on the impact, outcomes and outputs of other bike cooperatives, collectives, earn-a-bike and youth education/repair programs, especially with regard to the medium and long-term (please indicate the period of time since medium and long-term is open to interpretation). Many thanks, -- Justin Smith Bike Erie www.bikeerie.org [1] (814) 580-9108 Follow us on Facebook [2] & Twitter [3]! Links: ------ [1] http://www.bikeerie.org/ [2] http://box809.bluehost.com/facebook.com/BikeErie [3] http://box809.bluehost.com/twitter.com/BikeErie ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

3 2

Database suggestions
by Laura Biren 13 Feb '15

13 Feb '15

Hi all, I am interning at a volunteer-run non-profit called the Community Bike Project in Bellows Falls, VT. We've been around about a year and a half now and have been quite successful! We're excited for what the future holds but one thing we are trying to do now is organize our infrastructure by putting everything we can into a database (volunteer information, inventory, bike donations, events, individual donations, memberships, etc). We've been looking into CiviCRM, and getting an external host for that, but before we commit to anything I am hoping to hear any feedback/comments anyone might have on what systems you are using?? Thank you! -- Laura Biren bfbike.org 617 939 4330 ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

4 3

Corvallis Bicycle Collective is Hiring a Part Time Shop Manager
by Corvallis Bike Collective 13 Feb '15

13 Feb '15

Hey there Think-Tankers, Long time reader, first time poster. It's a great resource you have here. We just want you to know, for those of you in the Pacific Northwest, who want to come out this way, or who know someone here who would make a good fit, the *Corvallis (Oregon) Bicycle Collective is hiring a part time "Shop Czar."* The Shop Czar position is a combination of teaching, mechanics, volunteer management, and shop organization. To learn more about the details of this position and our organization, please visit our website. <http://www.corvallisbikes.org/were-hiring.html> --Bobby Mauger, Treasurer *Corvallis Bicycle Collective* www.CorvallisBikes.org <http://www.corvallisbikes.org/> Twitter @cvoBikes <http://twitter.com/cvobikes> *Hours & Directions to Our Shop <http://www.corvallisbikes.org/location--hours.html>* *(541) 224-6885* ____________________________________ The ThinkTank mailing List <a href="http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o…">Unsubscribe from this list</a>

1 0