Bicycle Church Handbook

Bicycle Church Handbook

This booklet serves as a guide to the Bike Church's organizational structure and a record of procedural decisions. It is a working document and is kept up-to-date and available by the volunteerand membership coordinator.

Mission

The Bike Church provides the tools, shop space, and supervision for a diverse community to learn, share knowledge, and effectively repair bicycles at low cost. This promotes: safe bicycling, more bikes in use, reuse of materials destined for landfill, and learning opportunites via hands-on-work, classes and apprenticeships.

The Bicycle Church is a collective

Community collectives and co-ops are unique institutions. Due to the egalitarian (ideally) nature of the organizational structure, all of the collective members are not only responsible for running a community project, but also for sharing power, and communicating their needs in a constructive and cooperative manner. The collective is ultimately responsible for every aspect of the Bike Church.

For a concise explanation of Concensus process, visit Skip's web pages at: http://www2.cruzio.com/~spitzer/consensus.html

Nonprofit Status: Through its affiliation with Santa Cruz Hub for Sustainable Transportation, The Bike Church receives nonprofit 501(c)(3) status as an educational and charitable organization. Our Federal ID: 31-174-8056

Meetings

Bike Church Core meetings generally happen on a bi-weekly basis at the Hub at a regular time, determined by the meeting. Decisions are made by consensus process. Only core members have decision-making rights, but volunteers and interested parties are welcome to attend. The Bike Church may decided to bar individuals from the meeting process.

• Quarterly Meetings occur on a quarterly basis (in January, April, July and October) at a time and place determined by the regular meeting. Generally, the meeting takes place at a location away from the Hub, accompanied by a Potluck dinner. The agenda is not limited to but contains:
  • Consensus upon current core membership list
  • Clerkship evaluations and assignment
  • Financial reports
  • Long-range visioning/planning
    • Core membership appreciation and evaluation?
  • Long-term scheduling
  • Other current pertinent agenda items
  • Schedule next Quarterly meetings.
  • Clear tabs with charges over $30.00

Volunteers

There are 3 levels of volunteer.

• Core Volunteer/Core mechanics are repsonsible for a shift of 4 hours/week, and help to maintain the space. They are also welcome, and encouraged to take on a clerkship. Twice monthly meetings are manditory.

Priviledges: keys (access to the shop in off hours), getting parts at 10% over wholesale (with a cap at $10.00), cheap to free used parts (use discretion and don't be a hog), and the right to keep a running tab in the finance book. If using the hsop in off-hours, make sure it is clean and clear of projects at least 15 minutes before a shift or scheduled workshop/class.

• Committed volunteers work at least 8 hours a month, either as an apprentice/aid to the core mechanics on a weekly basis, or by doing odd tasks from the chore list regularly. After volunteering consistently for one full month, they are entitled to the following privledges: New parts at 35% over Wholesale and cheap to free parts (@ the discretion of the shift mechanic), and membership privledges. The meeting may decide to offer keys to a long-term committed volunteer.

Access to the office and mechanics only areas is granted by the mechanic on duty, and should not be assumed.

• Impromptu volunteers are people who ask if they can do some work for that day, usually as a trade for shop use/assistance, and necessary used parts (and occasionally a new tube). The volunteer is referred to a list of chores, and the value is determined by the mechanic.

Clerkships

There are various paid clerkships avaliable to help maintain and improve the Bike Church. Clerkships are paid at a rate of $10.00/hour and assigned to core mechanics at the Quarterly meeting. Hours are recored in the finance binder and tallied on each mechanic's tab sheet. Payment is by check, or as payouts through the register (Even if no money is exchanged, the transaction goes thru the reg. as payout and then sale of parts or what-have-you.) There is some amount of flexiblity in adding to another clerk's hours with your own labor, but generally it's best to talk with the clerk or meeting first.

Clerkships are greater than 5 hours allocated are generally filled by more than one person. Roation of clerkship of clerkships is highly encouraged every 6-12 months.

Finances and Bookkeeping

Ordering

Cage/facilities/donations

Shop maintenance and stocking

Office Clerk

Membership and Outreach

Tools and Workspace Clerk

Memberships

Members are entitled use of shop facility and assistance from staff mechanic during open hours on a first-come first-serve basis. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone/suspend membership privledges. No one will be denied reasonable help for lack of funds.

Membership rates: (as of Jan. 1st, 2006)

• Monthly membership: $20
• Yearly membership: $50
• Lifetime membership: $100
• Drop-in fee: $5/hour
• Volunteer exchanges are available for shop use, please see "impromptu volunteers"

Services for special needs or low-income patrons

In addition to our no-one turned away for lack of funds policy and our "generous attitudes," the Bicycle Church offers the following services, for qualifying individuals. This offer is limited to one bicycle per person per year.

• Free-bicycles are available to individuals who fill out the free bikes application (sheet in the binder). Many times the bicycles available for free require additional labor and a safety check from the mechanic on duty. This work is to be done by the recipient of the bicycle with the assistance of and under the supervision of a bike church volunteer.
• Volunteer exchange for bicycle Patrons with demonstrable need and a willingness to volunteer may work for a bicycle at $10/hour. Bikes available are those under $50 (total value plus used parts). For volunteer tasks, refer to the jobs sheet up on the office. Record this transaction on the work trade binder.

• The Impromptu volunteers category allows people to come in and volunteer for a day, ususally as a trade for shop use/assistance, and necessary used parts (and occasionally a new tube). The volunteer is referred to a list of chores, and the value is determined by the core mechanic. (This is a priviledge and not a right of our patrons, and whether or not to offer it is up to the mechanic on duty.) Volunteer exchanges can also be made for project bikes.

Special Events and Classes

• Special events and classes are highly encouraged, and fall under the volunteer coordinator/outreach clerkship
• Events should be first brought to the meeting and approved.
• Post events on the 2-week dry-erase calendar at least one week in advance.
• Events may be scheduled during off hours, in coordination with other scheduling issues.
• Allow at least one hour after a shift or other event before the start of another.

Building and Selling Used Bikes

• Volunteer bike-builders. A volunteer can build bikes for sale. However, the first bike is built without compensation to demostrate competence. All bikes must be sponsored by a core mechanic and checked before sale. [If at lesat 8 hours a month are spent building bikes, they gain the priviledges of a committed volunteer. All profit shar payments from bikes sold are by check or payout thru the register.

• Core volunteers are encouraged to build up or tune up bikes to sell. Depending on the quality and price you aim for, it may not be necessary to overhaul all bearing assemblies, change cables, etc. However, every part of the bike must at least be checked and noted on the appropriate form. The price is up to you to decide, although it is good to discuss and agree on general pricing for bikes and sale. Make sure to record the wholesale cost of all new parts used. Once the bike has sold, the builder is entitled to one half of the profit (subtract the cost of new parts from the sale price, and you get half of what is left). All bikes sales must be recorded in the finance book, including the sale price, and Mechanic's profit share. Bikes for sale must be sold at the full price, unless it is sold by the mechanic who built it up.

• Once a bike is sold, let the buyer know he or she can use the shop to make any adjustments to help size the bike to the body. Seats or other parts may also be exchanged for free. Similarly, if any problem arises within a week or two of the sale, the buyer is granted free shop time and exchange of necessary parts. People often want us to fix their problems, but except in rare cases this is not our policy. They are used bikes with old parts, sold at very cheap prices. Thus we are happy to let people use the shop to fix it themselves, but we have no responsibility for it once it is sold.

Storage Policies

• All claimed bikes must be tagged, if possible with red and blue tags (red is for sale, blue is projects or personal storage). Untagged bikes may be considered "raw material" and sold. The left-hand side by the door of the cage should be reserved for bikes for sale.

• Mechanics (Core Volunteer) may temporarily (and for a short amount of time) store their own bike and any projects, and on occasion a friend's bike. Of course, we have only so much space, so we should keep non-project bikes to a minimum. No long term bike parking/storage is available for personal bikes.

• Core-mechanic projects: Mechanics may only claim 2 projects at a time. (in order of limit hoarding and excessive storage)

• Members ( and only members) have the right to store a bikes they are working on in a cage for a week, which is renewable indefinitely, so long as they are consistently working on it, and the tag is renewed by a core mechanic weekly. To store a bike, one must tag it with name, phone number, date, and the signature of a core mechanic. To renew it, again it must be signed and dated by a core mechanic who can vouch that they have been working on it. (Storage rights are a great draw for people to buy memberships and keep them current)

Bike Rentals and Loaners

• We do not currently rent bikes. We do allow core volunteers to loan out bikes by their own discretion, but no tagged bikes (i.e. for sale, or works-in-progress). Thus, we will only loan out "raw material", and get back "raw material".

• The Burley trailer from the cage (currently being reworked by Steve martinez) is the community trailer adn available for short term loan.

Shop Policies/running the shop

Opening Procedure:

The Shift:

Closing Procedure: