ontwo

Considering that this call for first-hand accounts has gone unanswered, I will share a bit about my experiences. My first exposure to a nonprofit bike organization was the Iowa City Bike Library. The Bike Library is located in Iowa City, IA (it has relocated to a different space since my time volunteering), and is run by volunteer steering committee members and one paid Americorps volunteer. In my years of semi-frequent volunteering with the organization, it was brimming with donated bicycles, parts, and know-how. Donations were evaluated by mechanics and are either repaired for check-out or stripped for parts. The organization prides itself in recycling all unused materials, and has rehabilitated many bikes which otherwise might have reached the end of their functioning life. Here's a video from a 2012 celebration.

Since moving away from Iowa City, I have also volunteered twice at the Recyclery in Rogers Park (Chicago), and five or six times at Working Bikes in the Lower West Side of Chicago. Neither organization is very close to where I live, now, so unfortunately I am no longer an active co-op volunteer. If you have particular questions about operation of any of these groups or the types of bikes I worked on when volunteering or anything else, feel free to ask!