I've been a volunteer at the local bike co-op and recently have been thinking about some way to develop and keep volunteers.
Our board has been thinking that offering used parts for hours worked and 10% over cost on new parts might entice some. Perhaps for volunteers with a history of at least 6 hours a month we could offer something else...
I'm wondering though if we are approaching this correctly.
Perhaps the motivation might be elsewhere. For myself, when I started volunteering, I was just doing it because I thought the co-op was a cool idea (and I wanted to learn more about wrenching...). Others seem to be addicted to fixing up (and possibly flipping...) bikes at home and are always in need of parts. Still others, particularly the younger ones, seem hooked on the coolness of it all.
What does motivate most volunteers? What could we do to keep them coming?
Gervase Gallant
Des Moines Bike Collective: Commuter Corner http://dsmcommutercorner.wordpress.com/
Have you all seen the video "The surprising truth about what motivates us "?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&playnext=1&videos=kEGn34K...
Enjoy! Christine www.bicicentro.org
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 8:50 PM, Gervase Gallant gervasegallant@yahoo.com wrote:
I've been a volunteer at the local bike co-op and recently have been thinking about some way to develop and keep volunteers.
Our board has been thinking that offering used parts for hours worked and 10% over cost on new parts might entice some. Perhaps for volunteers with a history of at least 6 hours a month we could offer something else...
I'm wondering though if we are approaching this correctly.
Perhaps the motivation might be elsewhere. For myself, when I started volunteering, I was just doing it because I thought the co-op was a cool idea (and I wanted to learn more about wrenching...). Others seem to be addicted to fixing up (and possibly flipping...) bikes at home and are always in need of parts. Still others, particularly the younger ones, seem hooked on the coolness of it all.
What does motivate most volunteers? What could we do to keep them coming?
Gervase Gallant
Des Moines Bike Collective: Commuter Corner http://dsmcommutercorner.wordpress.com/
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@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...
At the Durham Bike Co-op, a few things keep the volunteers, including me, a board member (we're all volunteers) motivated:
- Volunteers who regularly clock in at over 10 hours a month can be granted
keys to the space. This allows them to work on their own bikes out of the shop.
- Social benefits- we hang out as a crew, and drink beer after a shift to
discuss and de-compress the day. Usually we go to a restaurant, a potluck, or a BBQ after we are well-watered. Additionally, many of us have formed friendships, found lovers, activity partners, housemates, and jobs through the connections we make.
- Shop perks- Core volunteers can order stuff from our QBP account
at the cost +10% markup and usually have first dibs on incoming parts.
- Mental health- one of the biggest challenges we're facing
right now is our volunteers' mental health as the recession continues. We're trying to figure out how to be both supportive and accountable to those struggling.
Best, Leslie
On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 1:04 AM, Christine Bourgeois cbarreb@gmail.comwrote:
Have you all seen the video "The surprising truth about what motivates us "?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&playnext=1&videos=kEGn34K...
Enjoy! Christine www.bicicentro.org
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 8:50 PM, Gervase Gallant gervasegallant@yahoo.com wrote:
I've been a volunteer at the local bike co-op and recently have been
thinking about some way to develop and keep volunteers.
Our board has been thinking that offering used parts for hours worked and
10% over cost on new parts might entice some. Perhaps for volunteers with a history of at least 6 hours a month we could offer something else...
I'm wondering though if we are approaching this correctly.
Perhaps the motivation might be elsewhere. For myself, when I started
volunteering, I was just doing it because I thought the co-op was a cool idea (and I wanted to learn more about wrenching...). Others seem to be addicted to fixing up (and possibly flipping...) bikes at home and are always in need of parts. Still others, particularly the younger ones, seem hooked on the coolness of it all.
What does motivate most volunteers? What could we do to keep them coming?
Gervase Gallant
Des Moines Bike Collective: Commuter Corner
http://dsmcommutercorner.wordpress.com/
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@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...
-- Christine http://cbarreb.smugmug.com/ _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:
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We imported volunteers from SE asia.
worked great.
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 11:07 PM, Leslie Peteya lesliepeteya@gmail.comwrote:
At the Durham Bike Co-op, a few things keep the volunteers, including me, a board member (we're all volunteers) motivated:
- Volunteers who regularly clock in at over 10 hours a month can be
granted keys to the space. This allows them to work on their own bikes out of the shop.
- Social benefits- we hang out as a crew, and drink beer after a shift to
discuss and de-compress the day. Usually we go to a restaurant, a potluck, or a BBQ after we are well-watered. Additionally, many of us have formed friendships, found lovers, activity partners, housemates, and jobs through the connections we make.
- Shop perks- Core volunteers can order stuff from our QBP account
at the cost +10% markup and usually have first dibs on incoming parts.
- Mental health- one of the biggest challenges we're facing
right now is our volunteers' mental health as the recession continues. We're trying to figure out how to be both supportive and accountable to those struggling.
Best, Leslie
On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 1:04 AM, Christine Bourgeois cbarreb@gmail.comwrote:
Have you all seen the video "The surprising truth about what motivates us "?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&playnext=1&videos=kEGn34K...
Enjoy! Christine www.bicicentro.org
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 8:50 PM, Gervase Gallant gervasegallant@yahoo.com wrote:
I've been a volunteer at the local bike co-op and recently have been
thinking about some way to develop and keep volunteers.
Our board has been thinking that offering used parts for hours worked
and 10% over cost on new parts might entice some. Perhaps for volunteers with a history of at least 6 hours a month we could offer something else...
I'm wondering though if we are approaching this correctly.
Perhaps the motivation might be elsewhere. For myself, when I started
volunteering, I was just doing it because I thought the co-op was a cool idea (and I wanted to learn more about wrenching...). Others seem to be addicted to fixing up (and possibly flipping...) bikes at home and are always in need of parts. Still others, particularly the younger ones, seem hooked on the coolness of it all.
What does motivate most volunteers? What could we do to keep them
coming?
Gervase Gallant
Des Moines Bike Collective: Commuter Corner
http://dsmcommutercorner.wordpress.com/
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@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...
-- Christine http://cbarreb.smugmug.com/ _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:
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Some good ideas here from Tara and also from Christine's video. I'm thinking co-ops evolve differently, of course, but I'm guessing there's a little divide commonly seen between volunteers who appear to be in it for the "long term" and those who show up and stick around long enough to earn a bicycle or whatever they need. We've seen some volunteers who have been dropping by for more than a year and a much larger group who show up for a short while and don't come back. Of course, we'd like to encourage the more longer term people. My big concern with offering only used parts and a discount on new items is that we get more of the short-term people. They basically finish whatever project they needed to work on and that's the end of their gig. It would be nice to have a strong culture like Leslie describes at the Durham co-op. Perhaps we'll see that as we get older here. Gervase Gallant
web site: http://diary.javazoid.com
Des Moines Bike Collective: Commuter Corner http://dsmcommutercorner.wordpress.com/
--- On Sat, 7/31/10, reno bikes renobikeproject@gmail.com wrote:
From: reno bikes renobikeproject@gmail.com Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Volunteers: what motivates them? To: "The Think Tank" thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 8:35 AM
We imported volunteers from SE asia.
worked great.
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 11:07 PM, Leslie Peteya lesliepeteya@gmail.com wrote:
At the Durham Bike Co-op, a few things keep the volunteers, including me, a board member (we're all volunteers)
motivated:
- Volunteers who regularly clock in at over 10 hours a month can be granted keys to the space.
This allows them to work on their own bikes out of the shop.
- Social benefits- we hang out as a crew, and drink beer after a shift to discuss
and de-compress the day. Usually we go to a restaurant, a potluck, or a BBQ after we
are well-watered. Additionally, many of us have formed friendships, found lovers, activity partners, housemates, and jobs through the connections we make.
- Shop perks- Core volunteers can order stuff from our QBP account
at the cost +10% markup and usually have first dibs on incoming parts.
- Mental health- one of the biggest challenges we're facing
right now is our volunteers' mental health as the recession continues.
We're trying to figure out how to be both supportive and accountable to those struggling.
Best, Leslie
On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 1:04 AM, Christine Bourgeois cbarreb@gmail.com wrote:
Have you all seen the video "The surprising truth about what motivates us "?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&playnext=1&videos=kEGn34K...
Enjoy!
Christine
www.bicicentro.org
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 8:50 PM, Gervase Gallant
gervasegallant@yahoo.com wrote:
I've been a volunteer at the local bike co-op and recently have been thinking about some way to develop and keep volunteers.
Our board has been thinking that offering used parts for hours worked and 10% over cost on new parts might entice some. Perhaps for volunteers with a history of at least 6 hours a month we could offer something else...
I'm wondering though if we are approaching this correctly.
Perhaps the motivation might be elsewhere. For myself, when I started volunteering, I was just doing it because I thought the co-op was a cool idea (and I wanted to learn more about wrenching...). Others seem to be addicted to fixing up (and possibly flipping...) bikes at home and are always in need of parts. Still others, particularly the younger ones, seem hooked on the coolness of it all.
What does motivate most volunteers? What could we do to keep them coming?
Gervase Gallant
Des Moines Bike Collective: Commuter Corner http://dsmcommutercorner.wordpress.com/
Thethinktank mailing list
Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org
To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org
To manage your subscription, plase visit:
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--
Christine
Thethinktank mailing list
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participants (4)
-
Christine Bourgeois -
Gervase Gallant -
Leslie Peteya -
reno bikes