- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Re: [TheThinkTank] Losing Our Space, Looking for Strategic Guidance & Advice
by Gordon Hamachi 09 Oct '22

09 Oct '22

Josh: Sorry to hear that you're losing your space. Every organization that doesn't own its own space needs to have a plan for what to do if this happens. Therefore, thank you for sharing news of your current crisis with the rest of us. A few years ago, my local nonprofit bike shop lost its space and had to scramble to find a new location. Having experienced that fire drill, here are some actions you could take, in no particular order: - Plead for more time at the current site - Raise funds to purchase the current site - Find and rent a new space - Shrink your space footprint if you can't afford market rents - Become a distributed organization with no specific location - Appeal to local government or business - Partner with a compatible and sympathetic non-profit that does have space *History* Philosopher George Santayana is credited with saying that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. In this case, let's remember the past because we *do* wish to repeat it. How did you get your current space? What are the chances that you can do the same thing again? My own organization had been in a space behind an auto repair shop for over 20 years, because the property owner liked what we were doing. He was willing to rent us space at well below market rates. A few years ago the property owner died and one of the heirs insisted on selling the property. The property was certainly worth millions, so buying it would have required raising big bucks. We had months to deal with this. Instead of trying to raise that much money, we chose to look for a new place. *Time Horizon* I agree that it is critical to know how soon you need to vacate. In the worst case you have less than one month before you need to be out. Do you need to move NOW, or do you have months in which you can apply for grants, and make the rounds of various elected officials, agencies, and friendly non-profits who *do* have space? *Space Needs* Think about your minimal and ideal needs. How much space do you currently occupy? What percent is bike storage, tools parts and supplies, retail space, work space? How much could you shrink your space? Are you willing to temporarily go dormant and store everything while you work on finding a new space? Where I live in California, we can generally wrench on bikes outdoors all year long. At minimum, we need warehouse space to store bikes, tools, and supplies. Our shop was only open on weekends, when we could expand out into the adjacent parking lot. When it is sunny or rainy we work under pop-up canopies. One idea that I floated that didn't gain traction was to become a virtual organization with no specific operating location. We could distribute bikes, tools, parts and supplies to our members. Each member could host small popup neighborhood bike repair activities at or near their homes. Repaired bikes (that were ready to be donated) and broken bikes (that needed repairs), could be picked up and dropped off on demand. This model might need warehouse space somewhere, and occasional use of a truck or van. It is also helpful to think big. Ideally, how much space would you want? Where is the ideal location? Would it include retail space? Shop space? Bicycle storage? *Elevator Pitch* In the world of tech startup companies, founders hone their elevator pitches before seeking funding. This is a brief 30-second presentation that summarizes what you do, what you need, and what benefits will ensue if they give you what you want. Write and practice delivering a compelling pitch. There is plenty of advice on how to do this. For example: https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/elevator-pitch-examples The goal of an elevator pitch is to receive an invitation to make an extended presentation. You'll want to refine your extended presentation before you start beating the bushes for money. Find the best person in your organization to make the presentation. Do dry runs. Get feedback from business people who have experience with PowerPoint. Refine your slide deck. *Finding Money* If you're going to be asking for money, start by knowing how much to ask for, and where it will go. Do you simply need funds to move? Do you need money to purchase real estate or build out a space you intend to rent? If you're considering a purchase, talk to a local commercial real estate agent to get an idea of how much money you'll need. The good news is that in places with high real estate prices, there are bound to be lots of rich people. Some of them are looking for opportunities to do something to benefit the community. You need to find these people and cultivate relationships with them long before you have a need. With luck, you already know some of them. For example, one wealthy friend of mine was interested in creating a "Maker space" where bike repair activities would coexist with artists needing machine tools, welders, plasma cutters and space to fabricate large scale projects. She might have been willing to put up 1/4 to 1/2 of a property's price, if Maker activities could happen there. That proposal didn't go anywhere, I think because our executive director didn't want to share a space. Various charitable foundations may be good sources of money. They usually have a grant application process. Sometimes their current emphasis might be in one particular area. It's best to phone them to try to assess how well your organization fits with the foundation's current priorities (in other words, what your chances are of being funded). Foundations don't want you to waste your time or theirs, if it seems unlikely that they would fund your grant request. They should be willing to tell you the size of grant that they typically make, so you'll know if your request is going to be in their ballpark range. Foundations seem to want to grant large sums for things like new programs or even a new building, rather than for normal operating expenses. If you're going to ask for donations of any kind, it's best if you are already an established non-profit in the eyes of your State and Federal Government. I could be mistaken, but my impression was that the Mechanical Gardens had not jumped through the necessary hoops to do that. It seems to take a long time to obtain nonprofit status, so you should get started on that if you haven't already done so. If you're applying for grants, you're going to need to document the public benefit that your organization has provided to the community. Many nonprofit shops publish an annual public impact summary to boast about the number of low income people served, the number of bikes repaired and donated back into the community, or the like. If you don't already have this information, start assembling the data (if available) to show your historic growth trend in measurable output. I'm personally not that high on crowdsourcing for major capital campaigns. In my opinion, the amount that you'll need to purchase a property is just too large to gain traction. *Appeal to Elected Officials and Local Businesses* Your local government probably controls a lot of space. The ideal time to get the attention of elected officials is during their election campaigns. Candidates seem more open to hearing about your needs, especially if you can explain the larger problem that nonprofits--that benefit the community--need operating space in an area where rents are sky high. They may be aware of city-owned spaces that you could use. One of the best values of good politicians is that they know a lot of people. Perhaps they can hook you up with a company that is looking for a way to give back to the community while boosting its public image. Perhaps they know a business owner who is a bike enthusiast and make space for you to operate. *Appeal to Other Nonprofits* It might be possible to get space from another nonprofit. Our shop donates repaired bicycles to the needy; a local church that has space might be willing to give us space if we could supply more bikes to the people they serve. *Appeal to Everyone You Meet* It probably doesn't hurt to explain your situation and needs to everyone you encounter. The next person may have the ability to help, or know someone who does. *Here's What We Did* A large tech company near us has been buying up entire blocks of properties to build more office space. They had a warehouse that they were willing to lease to us for well below market rate, but it was a month to month lease because they might decide to start building at any time. We can be asked to vacate with 30 days notice. Fortunately, a neighboring business on the block does not want to sell, so it could be years before the large tech company can acquire the entire block and commence construction. The pandemic-inspired popularity of working from home might also mean less pressure to build offices and more surplus property available for non-profits.

3 2

Hiring Shop Director for Community Cycling Center - Portland, OR
by momoko saunders 04 Oct '22

04 Oct '22

Hi all, I want to post about two big positions at the Community Cycling Center here in Portland OR. We're hiring a Bike Shop Director <https://communitycyclingcenter.org/about/jobs/21957-2/> and Service Manager. <https://communitycyclingcenter.org/about/jobs/service-manager/> We are hoping to get in all applications by the first week of October. Community Cycling Center is a Bike non-profit which has been in operation since 1994. We have a full service Bike shop where we offer used bike sales, low income community discounts, volunteer opportunities, and earn a bike programming. We also have a number of programs which help make bicycles more accessible to our community. If you are interested in a position here, please feel free to Direct Message me and we can chat about the opportunities. Thanks all for reading! Pass it along to your friends! -Momoko

1 1

Insurance
by Alexander Lazar 28 Sep '22

28 Sep '22

Hi all! I volunteer with Bikerowave in Mar Vista (Los Angeles). Unfortunately, our current insurance carrier decided not to renew our insurance policy citing the following reasons: “The insured’s operations are no longer eligible within our program due to changes in our appetite. Our program requires the primary operations to involve the insured manufacturing bicycle components, assembly, or a bicycle store selling bicycles, renting them, etc. As this risk is offering space, tools, and assistance for customers to repair their own bicycles, it no longer fits”. We have had no claims in recent years - maybe ever? - and they've been our carrier for quite a while. We're working with an insurance broker to find new insurance, but does anyone have suggestions? Thanks, Alex

4 3

Re: [TheThinkTank] Insurance
by Emily Gage 27 Sep '22

27 Sep '22

Sorry to hear that. I’d recommend asking your broker to get a quote from West Bend. We had trouble finding someone to cover us as a nonprofit bike shop, and West Bend has been a great fit. We’re a slightly different model than yours, but worth a try! Sent from my iPhone > On Sep 27, 2022, at 8:32 PM, Alexander Lazar via Thethinktank <thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org> wrote: >

2 1

Losing Our Space, Looking for Strategic Guidance & Advice
by Josh Bisker 27 Sep '22

27 Sep '22

Hey pals, the Mechanical Gardens in NYC is losing our home base and needs to find a new home. I'm wondering if people have advice on any of these topics: - Leveraging a crisis like this into successful fundraising campaigns - Propositioning other organizations to partner with you and donate space that can house you at a site they control — for example, government agencies, real estate developers, community development corporations, nonprofits, or for-profits. - Some other strategy i'm not seeing here...? I'm eager to hear what's worked for you, as well as any lessons about what hasn't. I'm keen to hear specific pieces of advice about how to construct this pitch or frame the ask, who to engage with, and things like that, and I'd be grateful if you could share specific resources — a pitch deck, a proposal document, anything along those lines. NYC is an extraordinarily hard place for, you know, essentially everything, and real estate is the hardest thing of all, so things that may have worked in other places simply might not work here ... but I'm taking all the advice I can get. xox Josh Josh Bisker | 914-500-9890 <http://voice.google.com/calls?a=nc,%2B19145009890> <http://voice.google.com/calls?a=nc,%2B19145009890>| Executive Director, Mechanical Gardens Bike Co-op <http://bikecoop.nyc/> 2022 Donation Drive is ON! Support Bike Equity in NYC Today! <http://bikecoop.nyc/donate> Funkrust Brass Band <http://funkrust.com/> | Kessel Run Radio Show on Maker Park Radio <https://makerparkradio.nyc/shows/the-kessel-run-w-joshjoshjosh/>

4 3

Thinktank Search Function Errors
by Nicole Muratore 13 Sep '22

13 Sep '22

Anyone else getting this error when searching the thinktank messages? ht://Dig error htsearch detected an error. Please report this to the webmaster of this site by sending an e-mail to: mailman(a)listserver-ogle.dreamhost.com The error message is: Unable to read word database file '/usr/local/dh/mailman/ogle/archives/htdig-db/thethinktank-bikecollectives.org/db.words.db' Did you run htdig? Cheers, *Nicole Muratore, Shop Manager* (she/her) Bike Saviours Bicycle Collective (602) 429-9369 | bikesaviours.org | @bikesaviours

2 1

Re: [TheThinkTank] Freehub Certificate Date Error
by Queen City Bicycle 11 Aug '22

11 Aug '22

Thank you Alon!! We appreciate Freehub very much and are very thankful for it. If there's any support we could offer, please let us know. On Thu, Aug 11, 2022 at 12:28 AM Alon Salant <alon(a)salant.org> wrote: > Hi all, > > Thanks for the heads up and sorry I was not aware of this before you > brought it to my attention. > > Cert is reissued so you should no longer get browser warnings. Let me know > if you do. > > It looks like the scheduled job that should automatically renew SSL > certificates and notify me if it fails was removed in a recent upgrade of > the server. I'm restoring it now. > > Thanks for using Freehub! > > Alon > > On Wed, Aug 10, 2022 at 7:59 PM Alon Salant <alon(a)salant.org> wrote: > >> Thanks all. >> >> Certs should be automatically renewing. I’ll look at it in the morning. >> >> On Wed, Aug 10, 2022 at 9:50 AM Jonathan Rosenbaum <bike(a)bikelover.org> >> wrote: >> >>> I observe what is going on. Freehub utilizes a Let's Encrypt >>> certificate, and it just needs to be renewed. It expired on August 6. I >>> am copying freehub(a)bikekitchen.org so they know about the issue, and >>> can resolve it. >>> >>> -Jonathan >>> >>> On 2022-08-10 04:18, Queen City Bicycle wrote: >>> >>> Yes, thank you Jonathan, I should have proofread my email - apologies, >>> all. >>> >>> The issue we've been having is that the security certificate for >>> freehub.bikekitchen.org seems to be no longer valid (it expired August >>> 6, 2022), which causes the web browser (Chrome, in our case) to act >>> suspicious, and require frequent overrides. >>> >>> We were wondering if anyone else was having similar trouble and were >>> hoping to bring the issue to the attention of the folks with the capacity >>> to address it (if they're not already working on it). >>> >>> Sorry for not clarifying this in the first place. >>> >>> For further clarification, our browsers were defaulting to >>> https://freehub.bikekitchen.org which, because of the expired security >>> certificate, will throw up a "Your connection is not private" warning page. >>> Encouragingly, It does seem like using http://freehub.bikekitchen.org >>> is an effective workaround - Chrome still reports the connection to be "Not >>> Secure", but it doesn't interfere with its dramatic "Return to Safety" >>> warning. >>> >>> We rely on freehub, and are very grateful for it, and all of your >>> support. >>> >>> Thanks y'all >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Aug 10, 2022, 1:32 AM Jonathan Rosenbaum <bike(a)bikelover.org> >>> wrote: >>> >>> Freehub is working fine. The correct link is >>> http://freehub.bikekitchen.org/ . >>> >>> Freehub has a wiki at https://github.com/asalant/freehub/wiki . >>> >>> -Jonathan >>> >>> On 2022-08-09 20:16, Queen City Bicycle wrote: >>> >>> Hey friends, >>> >>> Just curious if any of y'all are having trouble using >>> freehub.bikekitchen.com. >>> If anyone knows any of the folks involved with the backend, we would >>> appreciate any info and love to offer any support. >>> >>> All the best, >>> Tyler >>> >>> -- >>> Tyler Glodt >>> Shop Manager >>> Queen City Bicycle Collective >>> 35 Elm Street >>> Manchester, NH >>> (978) 540-0405 >>> qcbike.org >>> >>> ____________________________________ >>> >>> The ThinkTank mailing List >>> >>> Unsubscribe from this list here: >>> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o… >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to freehub+unsubscribe(a)bikekitchen.org. >>> >> -- Tyler Glodt Shop Manager Queen City Bicycle Collective 35 Elm Street Manchester, NH (978) 540-0405 qcbike.org

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 190, Issue 1
by Lawrence Mohammed 10 Aug '22

10 Aug '22

Hey Tyler, looks like they don't exist (starting up? winding up trading?) and/or they are, but are working on the website and have chosen to publish it before it's ready. Is it website creation/services you're offering? In service, *Lawrence Mohammed* CEO and Founder Pro Bike Service C.I.C. *+44 (0)77 222 58587* *probikeservice.co.uk <https://probikeservice.co.uk>* /::Olympic Park Site:: Pro Bike Service C.I.C. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Canalside, Hackney Bridge London E15 2SJ *map location <https://what3words.com/cuts.porch.logic>* / On 10/08/2022 21:05, thethinktank-request(a)lists.bikecollectives.org wrote: > Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to > thethinktank(a)lists.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)lists.bikecollectives.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > thethinktank-owner(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Freehub Certificate Date Error (Queen City Bicycle) > 2. Re: Freehub Certificate Date Error (Jonathan Rosenbaum) > 3. Re: Freehub Certificate Date Error (Queen City Bicycle) > 4. Re: Freehub Certificate Date Error (Jonathan Rosenbaum) > > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.…

1 0

Freehub Certificate Date Error
by Queen City Bicycle 10 Aug '22

10 Aug '22

Hey friends, Just curious if any of y'all are having trouble using freehub.bikekitchen.com. If anyone knows any of the folks involved with the backend, we would appreciate any info and love to offer any support. All the best, Tyler -- Tyler Glodt Shop Manager Queen City Bicycle Collective 35 Elm Street Manchester, NH (978) 540-0405 qcbike.org

2 3

Launch/Lanzamiento Bike!BIke!Everywhere! Bici!Bici!En todas partes
by Bike!Bike! Everywhere! 29 Jul '22

29 Jul '22

Español (English below) *Bike!Bike *es una reunión internacional anual organizada por y para personas involucradas en proyectos comunitarios alrededor de la bicicleta. Normalmente se realiza en persona en una ciudad diferente cada año, pero la pandemia de la COVID-19 atoró los planes de la comunidad. En 2021*,Bike!* *Bike!En todas partes! *se realizó completamente en línea. Fue un espacio virtual donde entusiastas de la bicicleta pudieron compartir sus experiencias acerca de varios temas como manejo de la pandemia, enseñanza, mecánica, impacto social, mejor acceso a las bicicletas, diversidad, equidad, inclusión y más. Después del éxito de *B!B!E! 2021*, estamos aprovechando la oportunidad para seguir creciendo como comunidad internacional de bicicletas de manera virtual. Si te interesa presentar un proyecto/iniciativa que tú o tu organización están realizando, o impartir un taller para compartir nuevas habilidades, o dirigir una conversación relativa a las bicicletas y la comunidad, o algo similar, entonces por favor regístrate aquí!!. https://es.bikebike.org/conferences/South2022/ Poster oficial <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N5GuUEO5MruP4fZ7-doSb1MyfIWJFe-q/view?usp=…> *Síguenos en instagram <https://www.instagram.com/bikebikeorg/>* Estamos aceptando propuestas de conferencias desde el 20 de julio hasta el 30 de agosto. Estamos pidiendo registros antes este año, porque como es un encuentro internacional, llevará algo de tiempo organizar el evento considerando los diferentes husos horarios y la disponibilidad de lxs presentadorxs. Comparte esta información con tu comunidad. Esperamos conocerles, aprender de ustedes y construir redes juntxs. *El Comité Organizador de B!B!E! * *RECORDATORIO* Bike!Bike! En todas partes! Es un encuentro VIRTUAL en línea. Debido a la pandemia, y para hacerlo accesible a todxs sin importar dónde se encuentren. Lo único que necesitas es una computadora con cámara web y una conexión a Internet. Bike!Bike!CDMX 2022 Ciudad de México fue programada como la sede de la versión presencial de Bike!Bike! en 2022. *Bike!Bike! *En todas partes no busca de ninguna manera reemplazar la versión presencial que CDMX pudiera realizar este año y con mucho gusto apoyaremos y nos coordinaremos para asegurar que el evento sea un éxito. Hemos tratado de hacer contacto de distintas maneras pero no hemos recibido respuesta sobre cuando o si B!B!CDMX sucederá. Si alguien del equipo de B!B!CDMX desea contactarnos para coordinarnos mejor, por favor mándenos un correo a bikebikeeverywhere(a)gmail.com *____________________________* *English* Bike!Bike! is an international yearly gathering organized by and for people who engage in bicycle advocacy and bicycle community projects. Usually, it is hosted in person in a different city every year but the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in our community’s annual plans. In 2021, Bike!Bike!Everywhere! was hosted entirely online and was a virtual space where bicycle enthusiasts could share their experiences relating to a variety of topics, such as pandemic management, teaching, mechanics, social impact, better access to bicycles, diversity, equity, inclusion, and more. After the success of B!B!E! 2021, we’re seizing the opportunity to continue growing our international bicycle community in a virtual way. If you’re interested in presenting a project/initiative that you or your organization is doing, or leading a workshop to share some new skills you learned, or want to lead a discussion on a topic relating to bicycles and community, or anything similar to this, then please register here. https://en.bikebike.org/conferences/South2022/ Official flyer <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N5GuUEO5MruP4fZ7-doSb1MyfIWJFe-q/view?usp=…> *Follow us on instagram <https://www.instagram.com/bikebikeorg/>* We are accepting proposals for workshops/presentations/discussions from July 20th to August 30th. We’re calling for registrations earlier this year because, since this is an international conference, it will take a bit of time to organize the event based on different time zones and presenters’ availability. Share this information with your local communities. We’re looking forward to meeting up with, learning from, and building networks with you. B!B!E! Organizing Committee REMINDER Bike!Bike!Everywhere! is an online VIRTUAL conference. Due to the pandemic and also to make it accessible to anyone regardless of where they’re from. The only thing you need is a computer with a webcam and internet connection. Bike!Bike!CDMX 2022 Ciudad de Mexico was scheduled to host the in-person version of Bike!Bike! In 2022. Bike!Bike!Everywhere! is in no way trying to replace the in-person version that CDMX may host this year and we’re happy to support and coordinate to make sure that this event is a success. We’ve tried to reach out in various ways but have not received a response as to if/when B!B!CDMX was happening. If someone from the B!B!CDMX team would like to reach out and coordinate further, please email us at bikebikeeverywhere(a)gmail.com

1 1