Hi, Graham from the bike dump in Winnipeg here. Were in canada so things might be a little different from the states.
How did your project begin? (tell me as much or little about what was
involved to get you started…. From idea to actualization)
A group of interested people with bikes and tools got together and
rented a space.
What was the process of filing for a 501c3 and if you're using an
umbrella organization, how did you find them?
We're mostly unofficial and haven't done any of that forms stuff.
We've looked at becomming legally incorporated and possibly non-profit,
but the benefits just are few over our current operating model.
Do you have a lawyer, or lawyer friends that might give me some legal
advice pro-bono?
Nope.
Where did you get your funding?
Other than a startup grant from a credit union, we do nicely without
any grants or outside funding of any sort. We pay expenses from
donations and the sale of a few used bicycles. Keeping expenses low
helps. Our annual budget is much less then $10K. Budget implies it is
planned though.
How did you enlist volunteers and keep them?
Still working on that. One of our largest challenges.
What do you wish you had known going into this process ahead of time?
You have to make it up as you go.
Graham
Ariel raymon wrote:
Dear bike enthusiasts, Hello from Portland, OR. I may have already contacted some of you, but decided this was a better route to go. My name is Ariel or RaRa. I'm hoping to start a bike mechanic collective here in Portland, as we don't yet have an affordable space for the public to go to work on bikes and learn from experienced mechanics for free. I've come up with 6 questions that would help me on my way to actualizing this idea. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your interest in this project.
Questions for Bike projects:
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...