Bike Collectives Wiki - User contributions [en]

Grant Writing

2008-01-29T10:05:06Z

Rachael:

== Letter of Inquiry ==

Some foundations request that initial contact is made via letter of inquiry. [http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/letter.html The Foundation Center's FAQ] provides HOW TO information. Letters of Inquiry can be accompanied by a phone call to the contact person. You may explain that you have put a letter in the mail and that you would like to begin to build a relationship with the contact person before the letter is received.

'''Sample Letter of Inquiry'''
January 24, 2008
Milton W. Brannon
President
Livingston Foundation, Inc.
171 17th St. N.W., Ste. 2100
Atlanta, GA 30363-1031
USA

Dear Milton W. Brannon, President:

Sopo Bicycle Cooperative is a community driven nonprofit agency that takes the lead in creating clean, affordable transportation for inner city Atlantans. I am writing to ask you to consider a proposal to increase our paid staff to include a Project Manager for our core program, the Repair Shop, so we can best meet the educational needs of our expanding community.

Our organization uses bicycle repair education as a method of creating transportation-based community development through our core program, the Repair Shop. Each week, the Repair Shop serves 100 people, all seeking opportunities to learn from and to teach each other. This is a 30% boost in activity since we hired our Executive Director in October 2007 and increased our hours of operation from 9 hours per week to 12. Our major goal is to maintain the Repair Shop as a high performing community education resource as the demand for our services continues to grow.

We believe our chances of accomplishing this goal will be improved by hiring a full time Project Manager who will oversee all shop operations and provide necessary support to shop participants. Your foundation has expressed a special interest in providing operational support for community development and education agencies in Atlanta, GA. We are committed to using bicycle repair education as a tool for community empowerment, and we believe that creating sustainable transportation is important community development work. We hope that you will give our project further consideration.

Other foundations, including the Fund for Southern Communities and the Thomas P. Waters Foundation, have pledged their cooperation. They agree that a major challenge for Sopo is our need to staff our organization. We are also seeking the support of the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, Inc. and the Atlanta Foundation. We estimate the cost of hiring our Project Manager for her or his first year of paid service at $40,000, of which $10,000 will be provided by the cooperating agencies. We hope you will consider a proposal for the remainder of the needed funds.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am available for further discussion via email at rachael@sopobikes.org or by telephone. I would greatly appreciate receiving a copy of your application guidelines and any instructions for preparing a completed proposal. A copy of our 501(c)(3) letter is enclosed.

Sincerely,

Rachael M. Spiewak, MSW
Executive Director
404-392-4597

Grant Writing

2008-01-29T10:00:23Z

Rachael:

== Letter of Inquiry ==

Some foundations request that initial contact is made via letter of inquiry. [http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/letter.html The Foundation Center's FAQ] provides HOW TO information.

'''Sample Letter of Inquiry'''
January 24, 2008
Milton W. Brannon
President
Livingston Foundation, Inc.
171 17th St. N.W., Ste. 2100
Atlanta, GA 30363-1031
USA

Dear Milton W. Brannon, President:

Sopo Bicycle Cooperative is a community driven nonprofit agency that takes the lead in creating clean, affordable transportation for inner city Atlantans. I am writing to ask you to consider a proposal to increase our paid staff to include a Project Manager for our core program, the Repair Shop, so we can best meet the educational needs of our expanding community.

Our organization uses bicycle repair education as a method of creating transportation-based community development through our core program, the Repair Shop. Each week, the Repair Shop serves 100 people, all seeking opportunities to learn from and to teach each other. This is a 30% boost in activity since we hired our Executive Director in October 2007 and increased our hours of operation from 9 hours per week to 12. Our major goal is to maintain the Repair Shop as a high performing community education resource as the demand for our services continues to grow.

We believe our chances of accomplishing this goal will be improved by hiring a full time Project Manager who will oversee all shop operations and provide necessary support to shop participants. Your foundation has expressed a special interest in providing operational support for community development and education agencies in Atlanta, GA. We are committed to using bicycle repair education as a tool for community empowerment, and we believe that creating sustainable transportation is important community development work. We hope that you will give our project further consideration.

Other foundations, including the Fund for Southern Communities and the Thomas P. Waters Foundation, have pledged their cooperation. They agree that a major challenge for Sopo is our need to staff our organization. We are also seeking the support of the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, Inc. and the Atlanta Foundation. We estimate the cost of hiring our Project Manager for her or his first year of paid service at $40,000, of which $10,000 will be provided by the cooperating agencies. We hope you will consider a proposal for the remainder of the needed funds.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am available for further discussion via email at rachael@sopobikes.org or by telephone. I would greatly appreciate receiving a copy of your application guidelines and any instructions for preparing a completed proposal. A copy of our 501(c)(3) letter is enclosed.

Sincerely,

Rachael M. Spiewak, MSW
Executive Director
404-392-4597

Grant Writing

2008-01-29T09:59:18Z

Rachael:

== Letter of Inquiry ==

Some foundations request that initial contact is made via letter of inquiry. [http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/letter.html The Foundation Center's FAQ] provides HOW TO information.

Here is a sample letter of inquiry:<nowiki>
January 24, 2008
Milton W. Brannon
President
Livingston Foundation, Inc.
171 17th St. N.W., Ste. 2100
Atlanta, GA 30363-1031
USA

Dear Milton W. Brannon, President:

Sopo Bicycle Cooperative is a community driven nonprofit agency that takes the lead in creating clean, affordable transportation for inner city Atlantans. I am writing to ask you to consider a proposal to increase our paid staff to include a Project Manager for our core program, the Repair Shop, so we can best meet the educational needs of our expanding community.

Our organization uses bicycle repair education as a method of creating transportation-based community development through our core program, the Repair Shop. Each week, the Repair Shop serves 100 people, all seeking opportunities to learn from and to teach each other. This is a 30% boost in activity since we hired our Executive Director in October 2007 and increased our hours of operation from 9 hours per week to 12. Our major goal is to maintain the Repair Shop as a high performing community education resource as the demand for our services continues to grow.

We believe our chances of accomplishing this goal will be improved by hiring a full time Project Manager who will oversee all shop operations and provide necessary support to shop participants. Your foundation has expressed a special interest in providing operational support for community development and education agencies in Atlanta, GA. We are committed to using bicycle repair education as a tool for community empowerment, and we believe that creating sustainable transportation is important community development work. We hope that you will give our project further consideration.

Other foundations, including the Fund for Southern Communities and the Thomas P. Waters Foundation, have pledged their cooperation. They agree that a major challenge for Sopo is our need to staff our organization. We are also seeking the support of the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, Inc. and the Atlanta Foundation. We estimate the cost of hiring our Project Manager for her or his first year of paid service at $40,000, of which $10,000 will be provided by the cooperating agencies. We hope you will consider a proposal for the remainder of the needed funds.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am available for further discussion via email at rachael@sopobikes.org or by telephone. I would greatly appreciate receiving a copy of your application guidelines and any instructions for preparing a completed proposal. A copy of our 501(c)(3) letter is enclosed.

Sincerely,

Rachael M. Spiewak, MSW
Executive Director
404-392-4597
</nowiki>

Grant Writing

2008-01-29T09:57:14Z

Rachael: New page: Letter of Inquiry Some foundations request that initial contact is made via letter of inquiry. [http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/letter.html The Foundation Center's FAQ] ...

Letter of Inquiry

Some foundations request that initial contact is made via letter of inquiry. [http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/letter.html The Foundation Center's FAQ] provides HOW TO information.

Here is a sample letter of inquiry:
January 24, 2008
Milton W. Brannon
President
Livingston Foundation, Inc.
171 17th St. N.W., Ste. 2100
Atlanta, GA 30363-1031
USA

Dear Milton W. Brannon, President:

Sopo Bicycle Cooperative is a community driven nonprofit agency that takes the lead in creating clean, affordable transportation for inner city Atlantans. I am writing to ask you to consider a proposal to increase our paid staff to include a Project Manager for our core program, the Repair Shop, so we can best meet the educational needs of our expanding community.

Our organization uses bicycle repair education as a method of creating transportation-based community development through our core program, the Repair Shop. Each week, the Repair Shop serves 100 people, all seeking opportunities to learn from and to teach each other. This is a 30% boost in activity since we hired our Executive Director in October 2007 and increased our hours of operation from 9 hours per week to 12. Our major goal is to maintain the Repair Shop as a high performing community education resource as the demand for our services continues to grow.

We believe our chances of accomplishing this goal will be improved by hiring a full time Project Manager who will oversee all shop operations and provide necessary support to shop participants. Your foundation has expressed a special interest in providing operational support for community development and education agencies in Atlanta, GA. We are committed to using bicycle repair education as a tool for community empowerment, and we believe that creating sustainable transportation is important community development work. We hope that you will give our project further consideration.

Other foundations, including the Fund for Southern Communities and the Thomas P. Waters Foundation, have pledged their cooperation. They agree that a major challenge for Sopo is our need to staff our organization. We are also seeking the support of the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, Inc. and the Atlanta Foundation. We estimate the cost of hiring our Project Manager for her or his first year of paid service at $40,000, of which $10,000 will be provided by the cooperating agencies. We hope you will consider a proposal for the remainder of the needed funds.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am available for further discussion via email at rachael@sopobikes.org or by telephone. I would greatly appreciate receiving a copy of your application guidelines and any instructions for preparing a completed proposal. A copy of our 501(c)(3) letter is enclosed.

Sincerely,

Rachael M. Spiewak, MSW
Executive Director
404-392-4597

Volunteers

2007-05-16T16:26:10Z

Rachael:

Volunteers are vital to a thriving bicycle repair shop. Keeping volunteers engaged is challenging for most volunteer-based organizations. Possible ways to meet this challenge are:

1. Provide volunteer training and bicycle maintenance 101 classes.
*Use "each one teach one" method.
*Not the most effective solution given the amount of work that goes into it and the low volunteer return.

2. Host potlucks and special events for volunteers.

3. Schedule "secret" time in the shop for volunteers.
*Volunteers may find that they never get a chance to work on their own bicycles. Volunteers may appreciate secret or volunteer-only time in the shop.

4. Host a special event/volunteer training combination.

5. Provide proactive volunteer management during shop time.
*Greet them as they arrive.
*Remember their names.
*Show appreciation.
*Give them souvenirs.
*Provide food.

6. Create volunteer schedule.
*Weekly schedules are easier to manage than monthly schedules, especially when volunteers are mainly students and people working in the service industry.

7. Call volunteers ahead of time to confirm scheduling commitment.

8. Provide prize incentives.
*Enter volunteers in a raffle to be drawn at the end of each month. Use donated prizes and gift certificates from local businesses.
*Find local businesses who will give volunteers special discounts or giveaways.

These suggestions were gathered from The Think Tank and the Community Bike mailing lists.

Volunteers

2007-05-16T16:25:24Z

Rachael: Suggested methods of maintaining your volunteers.

Volunteers are vital to a thriving bicycle repair shop. Keeping volunteers engaged is challenging for most volunteer-based organizations. Possible ways to meet this challenge are:

1. Provide volunteer training and bicycle maintenance 101 classes.
*Use "each one teach one" method.
*Not the most effective solution given the amount of work that goes into it and the low volunteer return.
2. Host potlucks and special events for volunteers.
3. Schedule "secret" time in the shop for volunteers.
*Volunteers may find that they never get a chance to work on their own bicycles. Volunteers may appreciate secret or volunteer-only time in the shop.
4. Host a special event/volunteer training combination.
5. Provide proactive volunteer management during shop time.
*Greet them as they arrive.
*Remember their names.
*Show appreciation.
*Give them souvenirs.
*Provide food.
6. Create volunteer schedule.
*Weekly schedules are easier to manage than monthly schedules, especially when volunteers are mainly students and people working in the service industry.
7. Call volunteers ahead of time to confirm scheduling commitment.
8. Provide prize incentives.
*Enter volunteers in a raffle to be drawn at the end of each month. Use donated prizes and gift certificates from local businesses.
*Find local businesses who will give volunteers special discounts or giveaways.

These suggestions were gathered from The Think Tank and the Community Bike mailing lists.