- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

getting to know each other ideas for bike!bike!
by rachael spiewak 23 Jul '09

23 Jul '09

Hi, everyone. After attending a handful of Bike!Bike! conferences and putting on a regional one, it seems to me that folks are looking for opportunities to: 1. tell their own bike shop stories, 2. have those stories be heard, and 3. get to know other shops with stories that resonate with them. I think facilitating some of that up front will make workshops move along faster and go deeper, and it would help us find that magical person we needed to talk to about whatever nagging issue's been bothering us. At BBSE we did a conference-wide go-around of introductions and then we broke out into pairs to share bike shop stories, which seemed to go really well. I think we could take it a few steps farther if folks are into it: 1. It might be nice to have info booths or tables for all of the shops if there's a big common area available at the conference. Then you could move about, see photos or slide shows, put faces to names, and show off what you're proud of at your shop. We did this at an community arts gathering in Atlanta a few weeks ago, and it was pretty great. It might lend to developing a few ad hoc workshops or post-conference partnerships. 2. And it might be nice to have a big map and push pins to get a visual geographic depiction of who's present. Anyway, just putting some ideas out there so we can get the most out of sharing a short period of with each other. Looking forward to it! Rachael -- Sopo Bicycle Cooperative 404-425-9989 www.sopobikes.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hours of operation: Tues, Wed, & Thurs 7 pm - 10 pm Sat & Sun 2 pm - 6 pm

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Bike Maintenance Classes
by Jason Tanzman 23 Jul '09

23 Jul '09

Hi everybody, I'm putting together a workshop for Bikebike on how to organize and teach bike maintenance classes, and I would love some feedback from different sho Stps on their community education programs. Info I'm interested in includes: -Do you charge for your classes? If so, how much? -How many hours/weeks does your class last? -How many participants do you allow in each class? How many staff/core volunteers help teach the class? -How regularly do you offer classes? -How do you publicize your classes? -What classes do you offer? (Basic Bike Maintenance? Wheel Building? Safe Cycling/Commuting classes? Advanced Mechanics classes? I work with Sibley Bike Depot in St. Paul, MN; we teach all our classes for free which has been awesome. We've thought about charging for classes but decided that the benefits of bringing new people into the shop and educating current volunteers outweighs the revenues that we might get from charging for classes. We also receive about $1800 per year from a free community education program in the Twin Cities for teaching classes for free, which helps offset our costs of paying staff to teach classes. I would love to get information/feedback! Jason Tanzman Sibley Bike Depot www.sibleybikedepot.org

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Bicycle Repair Coordinator Job Posting at Cycles of Change APC in the SF Bay Area
by Cycles of Change APC 23 Jul '09

23 Jul '09

Cycles of Change APC Bike Shop seeks a Bicycle Repair Coordinator to join our fantastic, fast-paced and friendly grassroots, not-for-profit community bike shop in Alameda. The shop provides people of all backgrounds and ages earn-a-bike and job training programs, do-it-together repair access, bicycle donation drop-off and much more! The shop offers a full-range of services which fund the shop including sales of used bicycle and parts, and comprehensive bicycle repair services. We seek a staff person who will professionally and productively repair bicycles. The Cycles of Change APC shop has been thriving and this position is critical to its ongoing success. The primary responsibilities of this position are: • Repairs: o Repair a very wide range of used bicycles professionally and efficiently. o Excellent familiarity with compatibility and quality of used bicycle components. • Sales o Sell refurbished bicycles to people of all incomes and backgrounds from all over the Bay Area. • Saturday shop o Staff our community shop on Saturdays in order to assist with bike sales and helping visitors. • Active team member o This job requires that you have the passion for expertly repairing bikes, and that you deeply believe in the mission of the project. Following qualities are some which are important for success at this position: • Able to communicate effectively and patiently with people of all ages, backgrounds, preferences and income levels individually and in groups whether selling a bike, meeting with other staff/volunteers or teaching a young person how to fix a flat. • Ability to stay organized and grounded while multi-tasking. • Able to travel to Alameda 3-4 times per week, including Saturdays from 10am-5pm. • Commitment to recycling, reusing and reducing consumption in carrying out the work. • Strong desire to promote bicycle use as a strategy to strengthen the health and sustainability of communities. HOW TO APPLY: In order to apply for this position, please send or email, your resume and a brief letter of introduction about your interest and experience to: Email: bikeshop(a)apcollaborative.org See our craigslist posting at: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/npo/1274851559.html www.myspace.com/cyclesapc Mailing address: Cycles of Change APC 677 W. Ranger Avenue Alameda, CA 94501 COMPENSATION: This position pays $15/hour for between 12-20 hours per week. There are no additional benefits to this position currently, and we’re working on offering health benefits soon! There may be opportunities for increased hours in the Fall. We are an equal opportunity employer. Women, People of Color, and people with experience working w/ African-American and/or formerly homeless people and Alameda residents are strongly encouraged to apply!

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City Support
by 1304bikes 21 Jul '09

21 Jul '09

We at 1304bikes here in Raleigh recently had our shop shut down by the city due to zoning/building code issues. We are currently regrouping and fundraising, while trying to find a new space. We like to hear from other shops as to what kind of support you get from the cities you are located in (the actual city government, not the people in it). Whether it be donated space, money, or just good will. We are hoping to get some info about relationships that other shops have with their respective cities to use in our attempt to find a new location. Thanks all! -Doug -- 1304bikes www.1304bikes.org

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Re: [TheThinkTank] How do you keep track of your in kind donations?
by Clifford McCarten 17 Jul '09

17 Jul '09

For clarification (particularly on balance sheets) "in-kind" is not a blanket term to use whenever there is something exchanged in w/o cash. There is a critical distinction between donations coming in to your org, and donations going out that your org makes. "In-kind expenses" represent donations coming in to your shop (i.e., they are assets you've received that you would have otherwise had to pay for). "In-kind donations/contributions" represent donations your shop is making out into the world. Also, importantly, you can't consider trades to be donations because you have the same on-paper asset value at the end of the transaction. Cheers, Clifford McCarten Co-Director, B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop communitybikeshop.org 400 Wolfe St, Peterborough ON K9J 2P3 (705) 748-6681

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How do you keep track of your in kind donations?
by rachael spiewak 17 Jul '09

17 Jul '09

Hi, everyone. Gotta bookkeeping question for you. How do you keep track of your in kind donations, especially used items? Do you log every item? How do you assign value? Help me finish this sentence: The annual cost of stocking Awesome Bike Co-op's community bike repair shop is $X. Funding sources and amounts include: $X - self-generated funds $X - foundation funds $X - in kind donations I can assign numbers to everything but the in kind donations because we haven't tracked them, and a grant application is asking for this information. It looks like it would be good practice anyway. On the other hand, donations kind of come and go. People drop off handlebars and pick up a saddle with a total lack of formality. Should we exclude trades and stick only to the more formal donations (a box of parts, for example)? It would be easiest to restrict it to bike donations. Thoughts? Thanks! Rachael -- Sopo Bicycle Cooperative 404-425-9989 www.sopobikes.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hours of operation: Tues, Wed, & Thurs 7 pm - 10 pm Sat & Sun 2 pm - 6 pm

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Re: [TheThinkTank] How do you keep track of your in kind donations?
by james blesdoe 16 Jul '09

16 Jul '09

we have a computer program that will generate a receipt when a Donner asks for one. we make a simple note saving for instance; one trek 4000 bicycle and two bicycle wheels. we do not assign a value or go into any detail concerning condition or quality. we also do not connect the donation to subsequent sales or disposal of the donations. jim bicycle kitchen los angeles --- On Thu, 7/16/09, reno bikes <renobikeproject(a)gmail.com> wrote: From: reno bikes <renobikeproject(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] How do you keep track of your in kind donations? To: "The Think Tank" <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> Date: Thursday, July 16, 2009, 9:50 AM poorly, to say the least On Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 9:01 AM, rachael spiewak <rachael(a)sopobikes.org> wrote: Hi, everyone. Gotta bookkeeping question for you. How do you keep track of your in kind donations, especially used items? Do you log every item? How do you assign value? Help me finish this sentence: The annual cost of stocking Awesome Bike Co-op's community bike repair shop is $X. Funding sources and amounts include: $X - self-generated funds $X - foundation funds $X - in kind donations I can assign numbers to everything but the in kind donations because we haven't tracked them, and a grant application is asking for this information. It looks like it would be good practice anyway. On the other hand, donations kind of come and go. People drop off handlebars and pick up a saddle with a total lack of formality. Should we exclude trades and stick only to the more formal donations (a box of parts, for example)? It would be easiest to restrict it to bike donations. Thoughts? Thanks! Rachael -- Sopo Bicycle Cooperative 404-425-9989 www.sopobikes.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hours of operation: Tues, Wed, & Thurs 7 pm - 10 pm Sat & Sun 2 pm - 6 pm _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… -- www.renobikeproject.com Wed-Sat 11-6pm 541 E. 4th Street. Reno, NV 89512 775.323.4488 Please let us know if you would like to unsubscribe to our email list. -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave(a)bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.…

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volunteer appreciation party
by MoBo Bicycle Co-op 16 Jul '09

16 Jul '09

Hello all, I'm from MoBo Bicycle Co-op in Cincinnati. We're an all volunteer run organization. Every year we like to throw a volunteer appreciation party to celebrate all the volunteers who bust their bust to make MoBo happen. The problem is, it ends up being the core volunteers who throw the event. We're brainstorming ways to have a fun event, that is moderately priced, that we don't have to put too much planning into. Any ideas? Lucia -- MoBo Bicycle Co-op a project of The Village Green Foundation 1415 Knowlton Ave Northside Cincinnati, OH

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Re: [TheThinkTank] [MBAC] Fwd: [People] The Alliance Needs Your Help to Earn
by noah 13 Jul '09

13 Jul '09

In response to all the negativity about Twitter, this is a worthwhile read. http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-other-half-writes-in-defense-of.ht…

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Re: [TheThinkTank] [MBAC] Fwd: [People] The Alliance Needs Your Help to Earn $42K
by R2carbaugh＠aol.com 13 Jul '09

13 Jul '09

Just shoot me right now if I have to use Twitter for anything. Robin Carbaugh ************** Looking for love this summer? Find it now on AOL Personals. (http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000003)

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