Volunteering
Everyone is welcome to volunteer at the co-op: members and non-members, experienced bicycle mechanics or people who can't fix a flat. We ask only that volunteers observe the core values of Respect, Resourcefulness, and Reciprocity described in our non-discrimination policy; and volunteer for at least an hour each visit. We want people to learn as well as to contribute, and try to reward everyone fairly for their help. Children can volunteer with an adult, as described on our Earn A Bike page.
When you can volunteer
Volunteers are welcome during any of our retail service times (see the hours to the right), and, if they've completed or are taking our Repair Classes, also on Apprentice Wednesday. On Mondays we give priority to helping members with their personal shop-use needs, but we'll find beginners something to do, of course.
We also need volunteers to help staff off-site events we do, like kids' rodeos at schools and community events, valet bike parking at festivals, and Bicycle Scavenger Hunts . You can sign up to volunteer for specific events on our Calendar by registering on the lower right of this (or any) page.
What volunteers do
We try to find volunteering tasks which are educational, rewarding, and matched to anyone's skill level. Sometimes there is shop "house-keeping" work to be done like cleaning, organizing or moving bikes around, but usually volunteers will work on something bike-related. However, on Saturdays during the summer we are often very busy and can't always spend as much time personally assisting volunteers as we would like. On Apprentice Wednesday everyone (usually) works on bike-repair tasks regardless of skill level.
If you have particular skills like bookkeeping, graphics or web design, construction or plumbing, please mention that; we can probably use your talents! If you are an experienced bike mechanic, we'll have you fix a bike for sale if you want to test out of the repair classes, and start right in helping others learn to use their bikes.
How to sign up
To begin volunteering we want everyone to attend an orientation, held every Thursday 7 - 8pm (no need to reserve a spot: you can just show up). After that you don't need to schedule any times, the only requirements are that you have at least one hour to spend volunteering each time you visit, and unskilled volunteers (who have not taken or tested out of our Repair Classes) are limited to three hours in one visit, and four hours per week. (We are flexible about this, but have to be sure we don't run out of basic tasks for beginners to do.)
What volunteers get
For any time spent volunteering, everyone gets $5/hour credit toward purchases of used parts, bikes, Repair Classes, and Members' shop use. Volunteering credits do not apply to new parts, or some special classes.
OCBC works by people volunteering; so we try and make it as fun, rewarding, and pleasant as possible. We usually have good food around for volunteers (you can bring something to share, or make a donation if you are able). We ask only that everyone observe our core principles of Respect, Resourcefulness, and Reciprocity, and hope that anyone who volunteers will learn something that will help them use their bicycle.
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