• Final check-ins about stuff before opening
• Fill the staffing calendar
• Decide about womens’ night
• Brainstorm Code of Conduct
• How to strengthen & improve the FR community

Final check-ins about stuff before opening

what to call “volunteering”?

• free ride night
• community building night
• give-back night
• housekeeping
• organization
• team night
• member night

Info from the EAB committee meeting:

• new form for volunteering for classes – like a ticket that shows you have done their hours before taking a drop-in classes
• We are using Google Checkout for registering for program classes – won’t pay a fee because BP has already done
• enrollment for EAB will be done at a set time on each open shop, maybe 8pm
• Monday drop-in classes – will allow a set number (e.g. 4) of the participants to pre-register.
• will we not set a hard limit on the number of EAB’s in progress at any time?
  no – because there are all the other limits
• reminder about who can get trained – only council members until we feel we have straigtened out our finances – you also need a key
• training to be an instructor – shadow, then co-teach respective (or all) drop-in classes

Village Bikes project – in a couple of months, contact them. They give us a container, we fill it up with ~ 560 bikes, they send it to Ghana.

What needs done before the shop opens

• Women’s night: backup person with a key; if there is no female staffer, fall back to a male staffer to offer women participants to staff women’s night.

• Who qualifies as council members at this point: people who spent time on restructuring meetings and work? Yes.

• Who should get a key?

• Fill the staffing calendar: send an eamil about it!

• Need to make posters about new organizations

• Order general parts (not funky parts for very specific types of bikes) that we are short on in order to build bikes
  • need to find out what
  • create a system to know which parts are low
    • rrevise the parts drawers, especially the small parts
  • may buy some used parts from Kraynick

• functional gauge for easy sorting of tubes and tyres by diameter and maybe thickness – WillW will make one
• Could make and hang more charts around the shop explaining e.g. which tubes fit on which rims

• Website can be easier to understand – Philip and WillW will consider and offer suggestions.

Brian organized four light fixtures for free – need to

• organize with CJ to put them up
• drop them lower and spread them around the shop, esp. the back dungeon
• will organize lights in the corridor

How to strengthen & improve the FR community:

• more the black community
• what about donating bikes to the local communities?
• more communication among FR for the ones that have the contact with organizations we deal with.
• documentation about the organiations that we dealt with in the past and have some more info about how we dealt with them in the past (pros and cons)
• how do increase more access for kids to the shop?
  • what about a parents’ night?
• advertisement so that we advertise the shop more around Pgh
  • to increase the number of kids we cuold target schools
  • there was a suggestion about coming up with a strict and organized program to go to schools and see if they are interested
  • Jessica said that there is a brochure about it already and people interested about it can see it and see what they think about it and maybe suggest changes if needed
• We need a sign for the top of the door.
• social events:
  • rides
  • special topics event
  • quarterly
• Philip is interested in createing a teach class for how to ride safely

How to improve conflict resolution between individual members?

• there is nothing concrete to unify the collective like sports teams might
• need more guidelines about when you can act autonomously and when do you have to consult the group?
• discuss issues non-personally
• more focus on collaborative work – many people don’t have experience
• we are a group that changes people a lot
• bylaws – objective criteria for what’s ok, so it’s not
• conflict resolution team or mediator
• vibe monitor person
• check out ideas from other groups

Brainstorm Code of Conduct

• check out other groups, companies and the Quakers
• cover the legal stuff
• something about pro-active resolution of conflicts
• how to ask other people to leave the collective

Date: 02/11/09; Location: Mick’s place.
Attendees: Jessica, Mick (host), Morgan, Philip, Will W., Zach, and Massimo.
Roles:

• Facilitator: Zach;
• Minutes tacker and time keeper: Massimo,
• Stack/Queue holder: Philip

Meeting Agenda:

• Financial Stuff
• Earn-a-Bike counting report from Mick
• Deliverables and Action items for the EAB and membership proposal
• Volunteer night discussion
• Shop reorganization
• Agenda for next week (02/18/09)

WORD of the Night: DOCUMENTATION

Financial Stuff:

• Jessica shared an info she got from Kitty. Assets from a non-profit stays non-profit. This means that if we go for-profit we will say goodbye to it and it will stay with BP.
• Massimo also shared the fact that Kitty sent an email to him a day or so ago and he said he was going to forward the email to all the group. The general jest of the message is that she is getting up to par with things like 1099 forms and that she need any tape or receipt from end of 2008, which Rachel has so diligently collected, already.
• Morgan offered his help for making the shift to whatever status we decide FR will decide to become. He time restrain doesn’t allow him to do this till late March, 2009.
• Jessica suggested that we ask Scott B. if we could have 1 year to make this shift.
• Morgan covered some details about the meaning of non-profit, corporation and board
• Jessica pointed out that there may be more that one class within the 501.c3 status and we should investigate them
• After this discussion a series of question were raised that we would try to answer in the coming weeks:
  • Q1: What does “Volunteering for Incentive” mean in term of tax purposes as a way to pay someone?
  • Q2: Is it possible that we won’t be able to pay people as indip. contr. as it used to be till now? This is in case make the financial change.
  • Q3: Is it true that the Board (and not the executive manager) is fiscally responsible for the organization? (financial duty)
  • Q4:What are our options in term of legal status? Pros and Cons for each to decide which way to go.
  • Q5: Could it be that a for-profit or not-for-profit represent a possible good choice for us?
  • Q6: Should we ask a lawyer what the legal aspects are for any of the possible choices we have?
    • Zach’s dad is a lawyer, and Zach offered to ask him about our options and possible legal aspect of each
  • Q7: should we start searching for an accountant?
    • Last night committee felt we should.
  • Q8: What is the problem in changing the register from the one we have now?
    • Philip offered to look into a replacement register and evaluate costs for the change.
    • The people attending the meeting felt that Tuesday (02/17/09) is a very short time to get the current register reprogrammed
    • There was a suggestion: Will (PGH), Philip, and Massimo showed interest on checking the reprogramming of the register.
    • The committee agreed to check with Rachel by Monday (02/16/09) to see if Will, Philip, and Massimo feel that they can reprogram the register but they just need a little more time.
    • Suggestion for the Shop (Action item): Add better documentation about using the register in the shop.
  • Q9: How do we want to make sure the Financial task force is operating and moving along with their task?
  • A9: We could set deliverables and deadline.
  • Q10: What these should be?
  • A10:
    • Take money out of the EEFC account.
    • Twice a month prepare a report of finances with income and expenses by FR.
    • We need to have a definitive list of people that are committed to be involved with the financial aspects of FR.
    • Send out an email setting a meeting with Kitty and also to have another mini-group meeting to discuss the finances future of FR.
    • Formulate some questions to ask Kitty in person.

Report from Mick about 2008 EAB Stats:

• Departed bikes: 173
• Rejected bikes: 167
• Most common amount of hours spent on a bike before departure: 12
• Suggestions for EAB:
  • We should check these numbers on a regular basis to see how the new program is going and if we are getting close to the number of departed bikes in 2008.

Deliverables and Action items for the EAB and membership proposal to be completed before reopening of FR:

1. EAB:
   • Change forms (possibly)
   • Put a new explanation of EAB program on the FR website; posts around the shop (maybe as a list of bullet points), and other information items as a brochure.
   • Instruction, signs, rulse of EAB
   • Gather all the documentation already existing about EAB and see what needs to be changed/modified
   • Ask Erok about any possible electronic version of this
   • How is the current system for paying for the drop-in classes? Is the system already ironed down?
   • Enrollment for EAB and rules
   • Explanation of the limitation
   • Proposal approved last night about “Low-income” EAB users:
   • If a person is able to prove that he/she is a low income (by showing an Access card) then access to the two classes required for the EAB is free.
   • Try to promote volunteering as a way to pay for the two classes for others.
   • Aside note: The Programming committee has to figure out the sign up for classes should be implemented
   • In the EAB proposal there should a change from drop-in classes to just two mechanics classes.
   • People at the meeting are concerned about asking people to pay using a CC instead of checks. Some people don’t like to use CC online.
   • Also, there is a concern about using web tools like “google checkout” to accept donation payments. FR has to pay a fee for each transaction. Is this worth?
   • Possible alternatives are to program the register to accepts classes payments and that way we can keep track of that income.
2. Membership proposal:
   • most of the documentation is already available in crabgrass but not entirely ready yet

Volunteer Night Proposal:

• We need to be committed to do this volunteer night and then we felt that we can actually do it!
• During this meeting the following points have emerged:
  • volunteer coordinator is hard to do for some of FR’rs
  • some volunteers don’t like the feel that the coordinator doesn’t know what is needed to be done
  • There is a need to improve utilization of volunteer time
  • Suggestions: Let’s make a commitment to have this volunteer night and to be clear since start and then we will organize it.
  • There was a discussion about the fact the most of the people at the meeting felt that this proposal was passed a few meetings ago, but at the last meeting (02/04/09) we were not so sure anymore. We would like to bring this proposal to the committee attention again.
  • We felt that it is important to elevate the maintenance of the shop organization to have a more efficient and pleasant environment for the regular open shop nights.
  • Volunteer night will be like a group/social event where we take some time to give back to the shop.
  • We need to:
    • Pick a night (reach consensus)
    • concerns: we need to account for EAB completion
    • create documentation that describe the new volunteer night
  • Explain how the other open shop night will be different
  • Start a crabgrass page about the list of task that we feel the shop needs to have done (regular/non/regular basis)
  • The communication committee need to address the documentation needed to self-direct volunteer during regular open-shop nights so that the volunteer coordinator figure will be removed from those nights.
  • Concerns about this proposal:
    • Add an additional night or take place of one open shop night?
  • We concluded that since we are doing all these changes about EAB and coop, then we could just add the changes for the volunteer night.

Aside comments:

• We need a documentation/communication committee meeting to take place
• We identified some communication needs:
  1. description of tasks to do in the shop during regular open shop shift that will allow the volunteers to operate without the volunteer coordinator
  2. prepare a task-list that can be kept in the shop for people to review and to identify needed tasks to be accomplished
  3. documentation about volunteer night
  4. Documentation for the EAB program as listed above
• In the past we talked about addressing education in the shop: is this still like a plan or in some people mind?
• The shop is very unorganized and some people get frustrated when they have to spend hours of their time other people time to fix their bike for the EAB program.
• A few of us noted that on the FR website there is the wrong schedule about the opening of the shop. Zach reported to have seen many people at the shop on Sat (02/07/09) hoping that FR was open. This should be fixed.
• Is is possible to have a combined place for the shop calendar and staffer calendar? Confusing to have two separate places as it is now.
  1. Philip will look into some options
  2. calendar in the shop so that people would see it.
• Morgan is going to look into getting a computer into the shop and the cost of having a DSLconnection.

Agenda items for next week (02/18/09):

• Shop reorganization ideas/suggestions
• Volunteer night issues to be addressed
• Check on implementation task for the proposals

Take a look at what we’ll be discussing this winter below.  If you have ideas on these topics, or other ideas about how to improve Free Ride and make it a more sustainable operation, please post them to this blog thread!  (scroll all the way down past the schedule to post).

Winter Meeting Schedule:

Every Wednesday January 8th through February 25th.  We’ll provide dinner at 6 pm, meeting starts at 7 pm.  Location will rotate among volunteers’ homes, email for directions.

Week One, Jan 7

Location: Jessica’s house, (for directions call 412-310-4641 or email jessica_mcp at yahoo.com)

• Free Ride history and identification of problems
• Refer to mission statement and past strategies
• Express individual vision/goals for FR
• Discussion on cooperative module (maybe this is actually next week?)

Week Two, Jan 14. (at Jami and Erok’s house)

• Proposals of new ideas for how Free Ride operates.  This is aimed at the bigger picture of how the organization is structured, how our programs work.  This would be the time for proposals to reform earn-a-bike, establish a co-op model, etc.. Also the time for any proposals unrelated to physical shop organization that will solve the problems we identify in week one.

Week Three, Jan 21.

• Evaluate proposed new ideas.  If the group is ready we will also try to decide on them.

Week Four, Jan 28.

• Decision making on proposals (if it doesn’t happen last week)

Week Five, Feb 4.

• Discussion of physical shop organization.  How do we organize our stuff and keep it that way so people can actually use the shop efficiently?  (brainstorming, proposals)

Week Six, Feb 11

• Evaluate proposals for shop organization (also can decide if we are ready)

Week Seven, Feb 18.

• Decide on shop organization proposals

Week Eight, Feb 25.

• Strengthening FR
• Enrichment of FR community.  The number one thing people said they valued about free ride in the survey was the community.  How can we make it stronger, especially for volunteers?