we've been having a similar experience at the bike dump. a few folks stuck around from our volunteer workshop series this spring, but not as many as i'd hoped. volunteer pot lucks and special events have worked all right at getting new folks feeling comfortable in the space, in getting older volunteers to come back who haven't been around for a while, and generally helping volunteers to feel appreciated and like the shop is a fun space. but all in all, i think we also need more and better strategies. i'd be really interested in hearing in things others have tried, or even ideas about what else might work.
macho http://bike-dump.ca
rachael spiewak wrote:
hiya, folks.
something sopo's always struggled with is finding volunteers and convincing them to stay. many people who visit our shop would rather have a hands on demonstration than look up how to do repairs in our manuals. we tried having a few bike maintenance 101 classes to get people feeling like they have the capacity to help others with basic repairs, but that didn't stick. does anyone have ideas or experience in this department? or is it sufficient for us to tell people that reading about repairs in our manuals is part of their process at our shop? i tend to doubt the success rate of the last one. i'm thinking food incentives might be a good idea.
love/peace/bicyclegrease, rachael
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