Re: [TheThinkTank] Community Bike Shops and academic research.

23 Aug 2010 · *this*

      i have time. i know that it started last year with about 30 or 40 people
from this list and bike!bike! in Mpls, who were talking about a larger
organization, and it's since grown to include over 200 organizations, as i
integrated a few different lists into it.
since it started as a relatively small group, i know that there's some
personal phone numbers and email addresses in there. from a privacy and
security standpoint, it's probably best that these be left out of some
document that's moving forward.
On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 9:00 AM, Boson Au instructions@gmail.com wrote:
...
I'd love to be included in discussions/planning related to a larger,
loosely coupled collective of community bike projects.
re: veganjosh's spreadsheet... I think it's a googledoc that can be set up
sop others can get access....let me know if josh don't have the time to
share it; I think I still have access...
Boson Au
2818 st paul st.  apt 1F
Baltimore, MD 21218
443-286-8494
http://velocipedebikeproject.org
4 W. Lanvale St.
Baltimore, MD
On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 10:39 PM, Godwin goodgodwin@hotmail.com wrote:
...
Creating a large registered organization was something that we briefly
talked about at one of the workshops at Bike!Bike!, the main reason was to
help give small cooperatives power to order from a centralized distributer.
Although the idea of creating an umbrella organization to gain access to
greater funding for many is likely on the table and should be discussed
throughly, I didn't get the impression that this was the sole intent.
The idea of a collective!collective! could be as simple as increasing
communication and resource sharing between our organizations. Also, it
sounds like Ainsley was interested first in creating a mission statement for
Bike!Bike! itself, whether or not it became more than a yearly conference.
-godwin
On 22/08/2010 3:31 PM, Jonathan Morrison wrote:
...
In the not so distant past (mostly at Interbikes) I have been
approached by larger funding entities sincerely interested in creating
a formal "Bikes Belong" / "Alliance for Walking and Biking" for
community bike organizations.  Where large sums of money could be
given to the formal larger organization, and then filtered down to the
smaller community bike orgs.  Even start up grants and packages for
new orgs.  On many levels it would be very empowering and give our
community a clear voice.  However...
While there were a few orgs that would be interested, there wasn't
enough to create the critical mass of membership that representatives
in the bike industry were looking for.  Even if the membership was
adequate, it would require adding business structure and
accountability to a lot of organizations that were working just fine
without those things.
So while I did think about it a lot, I have to be honest, I don't
think it appropriate or even worth it for *this* group.
Our organizations are decentralized, autonomous, and internally
motivated.  While at the same time we have voluntary channels for
information sharing and communication through the Bike Collective
Network tools, Bike!Bike!, and others.  There is redundant work,
overlap, and lessons re-learned -- but to an acceptable degree.
Frankly, what we have is simple, low overhead, functional but not
elaborate.
I think this is the challenge with sustainability.  Everyone always
wants to see and feel growth.  Orgs reach the mission and stabilize --
but either those involved or the community still wants more.  At which
point they break something that worked just for the sake of fixing it
again, often out of scope with the mission.
So the question in my mind becomes...  What more would a "cooperative
of cooperatives" yield to the community bike projects that wouldn't be
possible with our currently decentralized structure?   Furthermore,
would the existing and future community bike projects be willing to
conform elements of their current structure in order to reap some of
those benefits?
In my mind benefits would be things like:

Centralized/single contact point for [inter]national media.
Career creation for staff at an [inter]national headquarters.
Group buying power (printing, graphic design, tools, parts, helmets,

etc.,..).

Retainer services (legal, cpa, grant writing, etc.,...)
A dirty word, but effectively a franchise package for rapid startup

and growth.

Foundation like attributes such as grants.
Accept and disperse large in-kind donations from the bike industry

Again, while some of those sound really great, we are all doing them
locally in one way or another already.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Morrison
Executive Director
Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
2312 S. West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
w: 801-328-2453
c: 801-688-0183
f: 801-466-3856
www.slcbikecollective.org
The mission of the Salt Lake City 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 Bicycle
Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to
the community, focusing on children and lower income households.
On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 1:19 PM,veganboyjosh@gmail.com  wrote:
...
Godwin, I'm guessing the small group of people involved in software
development all have access to email? Can we take the discussion off of
this
list (with anyone who's interested being welcome to join and
receive/contribute, of course) with the goal of more focused and rapid
discussion that doesn't distract from the purpose of this group?
I'm no longer a paid employee at Community Cylces, but I am still here
and
interested and passionate about bikes being the way of the future. This
project specifically is something I'm interested in contributing to.
josh.
On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 1:07 PM, Godwingoodgodwin@hotmail.com  wrote:
...
I would most definitely like to be a part of this. At Bike!Bike! we put
together a small group to work on software development but I would also
be
game for some brainstorming and decision making.
Did you want to take lead on getting this off the ground Ainsley?
-godwin
On 22/08/2010 12:12 PM, Ainsley Naylor wrote:
sounds great. the *collective of collectives* is going to be a
main-focus
for me within this community for the coming year. lots of ideas and
projects
that need to be hatched and hashed out.
talk to VeganJosh about the spreadsheet he has started whcih has a very
large collection of data on 150+ bike collectives.
also somewhat related: what about a Bike!Bike! collective that helps
facilitate work from year to year? website, money, scholarships,
archiving,
history-writing? We realized last week that B!B! needs to have a
mission
statement and an anti-oppression policy, among other things. anyone
want to
be a part of this work?
bike love,
ainsley.

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Community Bike Shops and academic research.

veganboyjosh＠gmail.com