Dear ThinkTank,
I am writing to inquire about how any of your organization have dealt with the issuing of assigning value to the services that a non profit community bike space provides (ideally in creative ways outside of our money transaction economy), particularly with pre-teenage youth in urban areas. Troy Bike Rescue functions strictly on donations and a sliding scale pay system where patrons are asked to pay for specific items based on what it is worth to them and what they can afford. This sliding scale pay system applies to the 5 or 6 floor bikes we may have at any one time as well as a small selection of tires, bells, locks, and other very basic bike necessities.
What we are struggling with is how to become not just a "place to get your bike fixed for free". How do we handle the swarm of kids, convey a message about WHAT we are doing, and also provide the services needed to keep bikes on the road?
thanks ryan troybikerescue
We didn't deal with this very well at the outset and ended up having to put the kibosh on kids using the space for a few months after a particularly bad week that involved many thefts and some vandalism / destruction (kids could access other parts of building not related to the shop when we were open).
Anyway, we've got a better grasp on it now. A few things I try to do:
if it's "can we just pump up our tires / tighten our handlebars", I just pass them the tool.
if it's next level stuff, I try to be really involved so they understand that this is a workshop/learning space. Oftentimes they just want you to go away and let them monkey around, but I think always going through the teachy motions is important even (especially) if they don't want to hear it. That will help it avoid becoming a situation where they just grab some tools and head to a dark corner.
the most effective thing we did was to make a deal with the most frequent kids using the space. I laid it out clearly how most everyone else pays to be there, and that we were making a special case for them. They could use the shop so long as it wasn't busy and wouldn't interfere with the volunteers / members working on bigger projects. The kids, at least the group we predominately deal with, really understood this and have been surprisingly respectful about it.
finally, when it comes to buying new/used parts, i break it down like this:
free things: used parts that cover basic safety stuff like one set of brakes, saddle, or a tire with a sidewall that isn't about to explode. The caveat is I / volunteers choose what is going on the bike.
barter things: used parts that they want to add as a blingy upgrade to their bike. I get them to tear rags to useable sizes, or to sort used tubes.
things they gotta pay for: any new parts. We can't afford to give away that stuff, and it sends a bit of a message.
Obviously you've got to be careful, especially with the "barter" system as there will definitely be kids who will pick out soft targets to manipulate. I was burned a lot before I decided to draw a hard line around what they could get.
Clifford
On 2011-08-10, at 2:13 PM, ryan jenkins wrote:
Dear ThinkTank,
I am writing to inquire about how any of your organization have dealt with the issuing of assigning value to the services that a non profit community bike space provides (ideally in creative ways outside of our money transaction economy), particularly with pre-teenage youth in urban areas. Troy Bike Rescue functions strictly on donations and a sliding scale pay system where patrons are asked to pay for specific items based on what it is worth to them and what they can afford. This sliding scale pay system applies to the 5 or 6 floor bikes we may have at any one time as well as a small selection of tires, bells, locks, and other very basic bike necessities.
What we are struggling with is how to become not just a "place to get your bike fixed for free". How do we handle the swarm of kids, convey a message about WHAT we are doing, and also provide the services needed to keep bikes on the road?
thanks ryan troybikerescue _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
-- B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop 336 Rubidge St, Peterborough ON communitybikeshop.org (705) 775-7227
I am going to pick up a couple of threads here: Hours:We have really focused on trying to be open as many hours a week as possible as the demand is extremely high. We are currently open Wed, Thur, Fri, and Sat. year round. We are thinking of adding Tuesdays in the summer with doors closed to the public. This rarely works, if we are working at midnight we still get people knocking and trying to buy stuff. We get about 50-70 people a day enter our space for one reason or another. Our model is similar to most regarding teaching and free use of tools/stands and a desire to get more people on bikes. Our desire to please, meant that our volunteers started doing jobs for people who didn't want to do it themselves and would rather pay us. Our volunteers were really stretched and the number one comment we got from homeless/street involved kids was, "I love volunteering and feel like I have found a place to belong but what I really want is a job." This changed our focus slightly. We now have 3 part-time "skilled staff" and 3 part-time "unskilled staff" plus lots of volunteers. Of the 3 unskilled, one is living in a homeless shelter, and two are 14 year old kids living in the neighbourhood. 2 street involved youth who worked for us have now moved on to full-time jobs! Kids are welcome if they are volunteering or working on their own bike, otherwise they get kicked out. The appeal of getting a job if they are a helpful volunteer also helps as an incentive. With all this help, we are refurbishing and selling about 20-30 bikes a week. This helps us to become sustainable and we are teaching important employment and entrepreneurial skills. Because we can only create so many unskilled jobs at the bike co-op, we are now in the process of starting a human-powered lawn care service (bikes pulling trailers with reel mowers) targeting youth in our neighbourhood looking for summer employment. Labour Rates:Interestingly enough our labour rates have become an issue. We were charging $3 for a tube or $5 installed. We thought low cost was good for the community but no one wanted to install their own tube as the $2 extra was a good deal. We have actually started raising our labour rates to give people a motivation to fix their own bikes. Receipt Policy:Regarding money transaction procedures: We run our finances through a church so we have to have accurate sales receipts and account for every penny. To help this we have a cash register and debit machine. Jeff Neven, volunteerNew Hope Bike Co-opHamilton, ONFrom: director@communitybikeshop.org Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:50:26 -0400 To: thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] assigning value to our work
We didn't deal with this very well at the outset and ended up having to put the kibosh on kids using the space for a few months after a particularly bad week that involved many thefts and some vandalism / destruction (kids could access other parts of building not related to the shop when we were open). Anyway, we've got a better grasp on it now. A few things I try to do:
- if it's "can we just pump up our tires / tighten our handlebars", I just pass them the tool. - if it's next level stuff, I try to be really involved so they understand that this is a workshop/learning space. Oftentimes they just want you to go away and let them monkey around, but I think always going through the teachy motions is important even (especially) if they don't want to hear it. That will help it avoid becoming a situation where they just grab some tools and head to a dark corner. - the most effective thing we did was to make a deal with the most frequent kids using the space. I laid it out clearly how most everyone else pays to be there, and that we were making a special case for them. They could use the shop so long as it wasn't busy and wouldn't interfere with the volunteers / members working on bigger projects. The kids, at least the group we predominately deal with, really understood this and have been surprisingly respectful about it.
- finally, when it comes to buying new/used parts, i break it down like this:- free things: used parts that cover basic safety stuff like one set of brakes, saddle, or a tire with a sidewall that isn't about to explode. The caveat is I / volunteers choose what is going on the bike.- barter things: used parts that they want to add as a blingy upgrade to their bike. I get them to tear rags to useable sizes, or to sort used tubes.- things they gotta pay for: any new parts. We can't afford to give away that stuff, and it sends a bit of a message.
Obviously you've got to be careful, especially with the "barter" system as there will definitely be kids who will pick out soft targets to manipulate. I was burned a lot before I decided to draw a hard line around what they could get. Clifford
On 2011-08-10, at 2:13 PM, ryan jenkins wrote:Dear ThinkTank, I am writing to inquire about how any of your organization have dealt with the issuing of assigning value to the services that a non profit community bike space provides (ideally in creative ways outside of our money transaction economy), particularly with pre-teenage youth in urban areas. Troy Bike Rescue functions strictly on donations and a sliding scale pay system where patrons are asked to pay for specific items based on what it is worth to them and what they can afford. This sliding scale pay system applies to the 5 or 6 floor bikes we may have at any one time as well as a small selection of tires, bells, locks, and other very basic bike necessities.
What we are struggling with is how to become not just a "place to get your bike fixed for free". How do we handle the swarm of kids, convey a message about WHAT we are doing, and also provide the services needed to keep bikes on the road?
thanksryantroybikerescue _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
--B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop336 Rubidge St, Peterborough ONcommunitybikeshop.org(705) 775-7227
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
Our pricing policy for the Nasson Community Bicycle Center:
- Used parts: $1
- Refurbished bikes: $5 + $1 per used part, total not to exceed $15
- If someone cannot pay for a bicycle, they must repair and donate a
bicycle, which earns them the right to repair a bicycle to keep for themselves
- If someone cannot pay for used parts, they must put in the equivalent
hours at the shop
- We receive donations of new equipment/parts. We sell these at full
value to help fund our programs.
- Adult shop nights: adults pay a $10 yearly shop membership fee for the
use of our shop to fix their bikes. Volunteering is free. We use the revenue to fund grease, raffles at events, and other small program costs.
Maryalice On Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 2:13 PM, ryan jenkins ryan.t.jenkins@gmail.comwrote:
Dear ThinkTank,
I am writing to inquire about how any of your organization have dealt with the issuing of assigning value to the services that a non profit community bike space provides (ideally in creative ways outside of our money transaction economy), particularly with pre-teenage youth in urban areas. Troy Bike Rescue functions strictly on donations and a sliding scale pay system where patrons are asked to pay for specific items based on what it is worth to them and what they can afford. This sliding scale pay system applies to the 5 or 6 floor bikes we may have at any one time as well as a small selection of tires, bells, locks, and other very basic bike necessities.
What we are struggling with is how to become not just a "place to get your bike fixed for free". How do we handle the swarm of kids, convey a message about WHAT we are doing, and also provide the services needed to keep bikes on the road?
thanks ryan troybikerescue
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:
http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
Something that MoBo Bicycle Co-op in Cincinnati did to address "swarms of kids" was to open up a dedicated "Kids' Night." This occurred once weekly throughout the summer, allowed kids to earn a free bike by working one on one with an adult mechanic. While waiting for their turn with a stand, kids were fed courtesy of local grocery store donations and were kept busy with a wide variety of educational activities. During the rest of the year, kids (ages 6-15) were allowed in the shop ONLY with an adult. We allowed kids, and everyone else, to pump up their tires outside of the work area if they were not signed in for a stand.
Creating dedicated space for youth is a great opportunity to build connections within the community you are located in, to teach bicycle safety and mechanics, and to prove that you are doing something other than "giving away free stuff."
On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 10:07 AM, Maryalice Walker maryalice.walker@gmail.com wrote:
Our pricing policy for the Nasson Community Bicycle Center:
Used parts: $1 Refurbished bikes: $5 + $1 per used part, total not to exceed $15 If someone cannot pay for a bicycle, they must repair and donate a bicycle, which earns them the right to repair a bicycle to keep for themselves If someone cannot pay for used parts, they must put in the equivalent hours at the shop We receive donations of new equipment/parts. We sell these at full value to help fund our programs. Adult shop nights: adults pay a $10 yearly shop membership fee for the use of our shop to fix their bikes. Volunteering is free. We use the revenue to fund grease, raffles at events, and other small program costs.
Maryalice On Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 2:13 PM, ryan jenkins ryan.t.jenkins@gmail.com wrote:
Dear ThinkTank, I am writing to inquire about how any of your organization have dealt with the issuing of assigning value to the services that a non profit community bike space provides (ideally in creative ways outside of our money transaction economy), particularly with pre-teenage youth in urban areas. Troy Bike Rescue functions strictly on donations and a sliding scale pay system where patrons are asked to pay for specific items based on what it is worth to them and what they can afford. This sliding scale pay system applies to the 5 or 6 floor bikes we may have at any one time as well as a small selection of tires, bells, locks, and other very basic bike necessities. What we are struggling with is how to become not just a "place to get your bike fixed for free". How do we handle the swarm of kids, convey a message about WHAT we are doing, and also provide the services needed to keep bikes on the road? thanks ryan troybikerescue _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:
http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
-- Maryalice Walker, M.S. BPSE Resiliency Activities Coordinator Nasson Community Center Tel: 207-324-5657 Web: www.nassoncc.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/NassonCC Facebook: Nasson Community Center and Little Theatre
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
we currently employee twice a week a "kids only" session, but that session is still swarmed with children with the gimme gimme's. We are working on it, and have employed a lot of the suggestions that people have made. Some days are gratifying and great, some days are rough. I personally am not there for kids time as i have work, but I feel for those that are.
thanks for the info all !
On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 10:16 AM, Katharine Vogel < katharine.d.vogel@gmail.com> wrote:
Something that MoBo Bicycle Co-op in Cincinnati did to address "swarms of kids" was to open up a dedicated "Kids' Night." This occurred once weekly throughout the summer, allowed kids to earn a free bike by working one on one with an adult mechanic. While waiting for their turn with a stand, kids were fed courtesy of local grocery store donations and were kept busy with a wide variety of educational activities. During the rest of the year, kids (ages 6-15) were allowed in the shop ONLY with an adult. We allowed kids, and everyone else, to pump up their tires outside of the work area if they were not signed in for a stand.
Creating dedicated space for youth is a great opportunity to build connections within the community you are located in, to teach bicycle safety and mechanics, and to prove that you are doing something other than "giving away free stuff."
On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 10:07 AM, Maryalice Walker maryalice.walker@gmail.com wrote:
Our pricing policy for the Nasson Community Bicycle Center:
Used parts: $1 Refurbished bikes: $5 + $1 per used part, total not to exceed $15 If someone cannot pay for a bicycle, they must repair and donate a
bicycle,
which earns them the right to repair a bicycle to keep for themselves If someone cannot pay for used parts, they must put in the equivalent
hours
at the shop We receive donations of new equipment/parts. We sell these at full value
to
help fund our programs. Adult shop nights: adults pay a $10 yearly shop membership fee for the
use
of our shop to fix their bikes. Volunteering is free. We use the revenue
to
fund grease, raffles at events, and other small program costs.
Maryalice On Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 2:13 PM, ryan jenkins ryan.t.jenkins@gmail.com wrote:
Dear ThinkTank, I am writing to inquire about how any of your organization have dealt
with
the issuing of assigning value to the services that a non profit
community
bike space provides (ideally in creative ways outside of our money transaction economy), particularly with pre-teenage youth in urban
areas.
Troy Bike Rescue functions strictly on donations and a sliding scale
pay
system where patrons are asked to pay for specific items based on what
it is
worth to them and what they can afford. This sliding scale pay system applies to the 5 or 6 floor bikes we may have at any one time as well as
a
small selection of tires, bells, locks, and other very basic bike necessities. What we are struggling with is how to become not just a "place to get
your
bike fixed for free". How do we handle the swarm of kids, convey a
message
about WHAT we are doing, and also provide the services needed to keep
bikes
on the road? thanks ryan troybikerescue _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:
http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
-- Maryalice Walker, M.S. BPSE Resiliency Activities Coordinator Nasson Community Center Tel: 207-324-5657 Web: www.nassoncc.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/NassonCC Facebook: Nasson Community Center and Little Theatre
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to
TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org
To manage your subscription, plase visit:
http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
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In Los Angeles at the bicycle kitchen we make parts available for clients wrenching on bicycles in our shop only.
used parts are $5-$15 more or less we don't have a set price.
new parts (things we buy) are priced at standard market levels
we only stock consumables like tires, tubes, cables and a few other items
which typically can't be reused.
whole bicycles can be obtained by repairing and refurbishing the bike the client has selected.
For the education and empowering experience. clients donate on average $100.
jim
--- On Thu, 8/11/11, ryan jenkins ryan.t.jenkins@gmail.com wrote:
From: ryan jenkins ryan.t.jenkins@gmail.com Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] assigning value to our work To: "The Think Tank" thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Date: Thursday, August 11, 2011, 7:23 AM we currently employee twice a week a "kids only" session, but that session is still swarmed with children with the gimme gimme's. We are working on it, and have employed a lot of the suggestions that people have made. Some days are gratifying and great, some days are rough. I personally am not there for kids time as i have work, but I feel for those that are.
thanks for the info all !
On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 10:16 AM, Katharine Vogel katharine.d.vogel@gmail.com wrote:
Something that MoBo Bicycle Co-op in Cincinnati did to address "swarms
of kids" was to open up a dedicated "Kids' Night." This occurred once
weekly throughout the summer, allowed kids to earn a free bike by
working one on one with an adult mechanic. While waiting for their
turn with a stand, kids were fed courtesy of local grocery store
donations and were kept busy with a wide variety of educational
activities. During the rest of the year, kids (ages 6-15) were
allowed in the shop ONLY with an adult. We allowed kids, and everyone
else, to pump up their tires outside of the work area if they were not
signed in for a stand.
Creating dedicated space for youth is a great opportunity to build
connections within the community you are located in, to teach bicycle
safety and mechanics, and to prove that you are doing something other
than "giving away free stuff."
On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 10:07 AM, Maryalice Walker
maryalice.walker@gmail.com wrote:
Our pricing policy for the Nasson Community Bicycle
Center:
Used parts: $1
Refurbished bikes: $5 + $1 per used part, total not to
exceed $15
If someone cannot pay for a bicycle, they
must repair and donate a bicycle,
which earns them the right to repair a bicycle to
keep for themselves
If someone cannot pay for used parts, they must put in
the equivalent hours
at the shop
We receive donations of new equipment/parts. We sell
these at full value to
help fund our programs.
Adult shop nights: adults pay a $10 yearly shop
membership fee for the use
of our shop to fix their bikes. Volunteering is free.
We use the revenue to
fund grease, raffles at events, and other small
program costs.
Maryalice
On Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 2:13 PM, ryan jenkins ryan.t.jenkins@gmail.com
wrote:
Dear ThinkTank,
I am writing to inquire about how any of your
organization have dealt with
the issuing of assigning value to the services
that a non profit community
bike space provides (ideally in creative ways
outside of our money
transaction economy), particularly with
pre-teenage youth in urban areas.
Troy Bike Rescue functions strictly on donations
and a sliding scale pay
system where patrons are asked to pay for specific
items based on what it is
worth to them and what they can afford. This
sliding scale pay system
applies to the 5 or 6 floor bikes we may have at
any one time as well as a
small selection of tires, bells, locks, and other
very basic bike
necessities.
What we are struggling with is how to become not
just a "place to get your
bike fixed for free". How do we handle the
swarm of kids, convey a message
about WHAT we are doing, and also provide the
services needed to keep bikes
on the road?
thanks
ryan
troybikerescue
Thethinktank mailing list
Thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
To unsubscribe, send a blank email to
TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org
To manage your subscription, plase visit:
http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
--
Maryalice Walker, M.S. BPSE
Resiliency Activities Coordinator
Nasson Community Center
Tel: 207-324-5657
Web: www.nassoncc.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NassonCC
Facebook: Nasson Community Center and Little Theatre
Thethinktank mailing list
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Clifford McCarten -
james bledsoe -
Jeff Neven -
Katharine Vogel -
Maryalice Walker -
ryan jenkins