Volunteer

There are many ways to volunteer at the Davis Bike Collective. Any shop worker on duty can help you get started with what you do best and can lead you to the tasks that are needed. There are intermitent orientations scheduled throughout the year that will get you familiar with the shop.

Come to the shop.

The easiest way to volunteer is to come to simply come to Bike Forth and let the Minister on duty know that you want to volunteer. There are many day-to-day tasks that always need to be done.

Get in the know.

The second step is to join one or both of our mailing lists.so that you can see what is currently going on.

Davis Bike Collective Announcements

This is our weekly newsletter. We send out information about all the latest events.

Bike Ministry Discussion

We talk about all the latest events and happenings here. It is the best place to ask questions too. If you want to be a regular volunteer, you should be on this list

Attend a volunteer orientation.

Volunteer orientations are usually the second Saturday of each month from 11am-12pm at Bike Forth. To be a regular volunteer you must attend one of these sessions, so you can learn about our style of work. Check the calendar to see when the next one is coming up.

Do something.

Minister

A Minister is a mechanic that runs a shift at Bike Forth. If you are interested in running a shift, you first have to learn the ropes as an Acolyte and shadow other ministers for a while. Ministers open and close the shop, teach folks how to fix their bikes and coordinate volunteers during the shift.

Acolyte

An Acolyte is a Minister in training. Acolytes are dedicated volunteer mechanics that are learning the ropes of our org. The best way to start as an Acolyte is to come to the shop and tell the Minister on duty that you would like to start your training!.

Greeter

A Greeter is someone who greets folks who come to the shop. You need no prior training to be a greeter. Simply come to Bike Forth during open hours and let the minister on duty know you'd like to be a greeter. You will then say hi to everyone that walks up, direct them to the sign in sheet, familarize them with the space and show them who to ask for technical assistance. Other than that you can hang out or do other tasks around the shop

Shop Volunteer

There is always lots to do around the shop that doesn't involve being a mechanic. We need help organizing the space, making signs, cleaning up, taking out the trash and recycling, triaging through bicycle parts, stripping bicycles for parts, etc. Show up and Bike Forth and ask the Minister on duty what needs to be done that day.

Outreach Folks

We get requests to attend tons of fun events in Davis and beyond. It is tough for us to make it to all of them. If you'd like to take the MMU out to local events like WEF, Cool Davis, and music shows and tell the public all about our organization, then this position is for you!

Web Site

We need help maintaining our website. If you'd like to add content, make graphics, administer, program, blog or all of the above then this is for you. You'd be working to help make our site super fun and useful for the public

Advertising

Advertisers get to make flier, newsletters, video etc to help promote our organization. We need to generate info about our events and send it out to the masses. If you are good with Facebook, Twitter, email lists, fliers, radio, tv, etc, then we need your help

Volunteer Coordination

Want to help coordinate all of our wonderful volunteers? We have lots going on and it helps to have folks organized.

Open Bike Night

We host regular fun events for Open Bike Night, from movies and potlucks to bike rides and workshops. If you want to help coordinate events like these on a regular basis, this is for you.

Event Planning

We host lots of events besides open shop hours. Things like music shows, fundraisers, outreach events, workshops, bike races, conferences, etc. We need people who like to plan and organize events.

Talk to a volunteer coordinator.

Our volunteer coordinators are Angel (aniola/gmail) and Sarah - (smcc/gmail)

They can get anyone started at the collective and introduce you to the daily needs at the collective.

What needs to get done?

You don't need to know how to fix bikes to help out. Some of the daily tasks include simple things like sweeping up and cleaning. Tool organization and more project oriented tasks can be done after some time spent at the shop getting to know the process and the other enthusiastic volunteers.

Regular Tasks

• Clean-up (sweep, put tools aways, scrub the bathroom, etc)
• Meet-and-greet (show people how to sign in and introduce them to a lead volunteer)
• Bike education with new customers (check in with Sarah for the next volunteer orientation.
• Flyers and event calender updating
• Merchandise sales

Special projects

• Graphic design
• Translation of portions of the website into Spanish and other appropriate languages
• Grant writing and fund raising
• Painting the MMU (mobile ministry unit)
• Website administration
• Bathroom overhaul
• Special events coordination
• We need better lighting in the shop and a certified electrician to set it up.

Since the shop is solely run by volunteers any help is extremely appreciated and welcomed. Check out the event calender to see what works with your schedule.