[hackerspaces] Makerspace best practices in the US context (was payed staff vs volunteers)
Randall Arnold
randall.arnold at texrat.net
Wed Dec 17 17:17:25 CET 2014
I can attest that the Dallas makers are a great bunch. I'm ~30 miles away in
Fort Worth and envious of their success. They're definitely worth a visit.
In my opinion, just based on observation, they've been helped by:
- hardcore love of hacking. There are many members who are persistent and
consistent in getting together to just Do Stuff
- community classes. Folks like Eric Chaney have done a great job putting
together sessions that people find interesting and useful
- tolerance for diversity. The membership runs the gamut of interests and
ideals, and even when there's disagreement they haven't let it derail the
overall purpose (unlike Tarrant Makers, which did)
We've got other maker communities and spaces popping up in the DFW area, so the
movement is catching on. In Fort Worth we'll even be holding our first
maker-oriented event next month: http://www.fabnowconference.com/. All are
welcome, and I'm putting together a panel for the local maker orgs (Robert, that
should include you guys).
Randy
> On December 17, 2014 at 9:55 AM Shirley Hicks <shirley at velochicdesign.com>
> wrote:
>
> Robert,
>
> It sounds like you and the folks at the Dallas Makerspace are doing a
> _great_ job at building community.
>
> I saw your IRS tax filing numbers on both<http://Guidestar.org> and the
> Foundation Center's database (<http://www.foundationcenter.org> ) while doing
> initial grant research for the Red Mountain Maker space in Birmingham, AL.
> (I'm new to writing grants, and have since recruited a more experienced new
> makerspace member) Sounds like you are doing many things right. In your
> opinion, what has made the difference for you in doing that? Leadership with
> experience in other non-profits or in the corporate world? People who know how
> to work within the US non-profit grant system?
>
> Am somewhat intrigued by the speed at which you have grown and your
> apparent level of success.
>
> Your space in Dallas is definitely on my "must visit" list when I have a
> reason to be in Dallas.
>
> Shirley Hicks
> Red Mountain Makers
> Birmingham, AL
>
> In your opinion,
> On Dec 17, 2014, at 9:36 AM, Robert Davidson < robert at dallasmakerspace.org
> <mailto:robert at dallasmakerspace.org> > wrote:
>
>
> > > At Dallas Makerspace we are running on both volunteers and
> > > paid services a little background we are at 500+ Paying Members
> > > and that number is increasing at approx. 20-30 people a month and
> > > ~17,000 Square Feet of Fully A/C space.
> >
> > We hire out,
> > Weekly cleaning contract (Bathrooms, Trash, Vacuuming, Mopping,
> > Dusting (We have this done on the same day before our weekly open house))
> > Weekly Dumpster Pickup
> > Electricians that will come in that will handle the permits and
> > connecting up new equipment
> > Maintenance Contracts on the Air Conditioning and to do maintenance
> > (Required by our Lease but Highly recommended especially if you have a
> > metal/woodshop)
> > Landscapers that come in during seasonal change to change out
> > flowers (Covered by the Lease)
> > Paid Services for equipment repair (Depending on the equipment
> > Volunteer Speed is way to slow and we have to hire someone to get it up
> > fast)
> >
> > Volunteers,
> >
> > Take out the trash
> > Give Tours
> > Teach Classes (We are doing a pretty cool Honorarium Program (
> > http://dallasmakerspace.org/teach) it's a program to pay teachers and what
> > they care about
> > Manage Committees
> > Enforce Policy's
> >
> > Stuff we are looking for,
> > Full Time Teachers (Very Wide Skill-set and would need to be able to
> > demonstrate the ability to create a good program)
> > Bookkeeping (We have not gone this route we tend to do a lot of
> > automation but our transaction count is going up every month so it will come
> > up)
> >
> >
> > A couple notes,
> >
> > We have tried hiring members for cleaning and it just has never
> > worked out usually it does not scale well and members become to personal and
> > in the end it's a business transaction and the organization has
> > requirements.
> >
> > The honorarium program has been great addition
> >
> > Volunteers are great but as the organization grows larger and larger
> > it becomes hard for volunteers to keep up and that is when hiring someone is
> > viable so you can focus on creating a great org.
> >
> > Volunteer burnout - It can be a lot of work to volunteer so from an
> > administrative position one of my overall goals is do anything I can do to
> > help the volunteers that could be hiring them help or finding more people
> > that will help them.
> >
> > Criticism - volunteers will occasionally get criticized for
> > volunteering, we call this drive by criticism they have no intention of
> > helping they are just criticizing (Beware this is POISON and is deadly to
> > the volunteers)
> >
> > Feel free to ask any other questions
> >
> > Robert Davidson
> > Dallas Makerspace
> > Board of Director
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 17, 2014 at 4:10 AM, Mark Janssen < maniac.nl at gmail.com
> > <mailto:maniac.nl at gmail.com> > wrote:
> >
> > > > > At<http://revspace.nl/> we are running on
> > > > > volunteers only, we have thought about hiring people to do
> > > > > some cleaning, but in the end settled on a cleaning-bounty
> > > > > system.
> > > Every week there are a few (monetary) bounties that can be
> > > claimed by members (vacuuming the space, taking out the trash, etc), which
> > > can be signed-up for. The volunteers who do these tasks then get
> > > drinks-credits for their work.
> > > So far (we've been doing it for a couple of weeks), this has
> > > been working nicely, even if it's still mostly boardmembers and the usual
> > > suspects doing the cleaning, they at least feel somewhat compensated for
> > > their time now.
> > >
> > > It costs us a lot less then hiring a cleaner, the money still
> > > flows back into the space mostly, and we end up with less grumpy people.
> > >
> > > Note that the larger common-area's (and stuff like toilets and
> > > kitchen, which are shared) are cleaned by a cleaning-company hired by the
> > > landlord, with the costs as part of our (and everyone's) rent.
> > >
> > > Otherwise, we have no intention of (ever) having payed staff,
> > > this is, and should be, a community driven thing
> > >
> > > Mark
> > > Revspace
> > >
> > > On Tue, Dec 16, 2014 at 9:46 PM, Clement Quinson <
> > > clem at electrolab.fr <mailto:clem at electrolab.fr> > wrote:
> > >
> > > > > > > Hello all,
> > > > well, that is exactly our status at the Electrolab : we
> > > > just recruited our first staff in december !
> > > > Just FYI, Electrolab = 1500m2 near Paris, officially a
> > > > hackerspace, closer to a makerspace given our equipment.
> > > >
> > > > We've been running our non profit for four years on
> > > > volunteers only, and 6 months ago we moved to a bigger space (from 150
> > > > to 1500m2). It sort of always was part of the plan to have paid staff at
> > > > some point to handle such a big space. We're just having some sort of an
> > > > egg & chicken issue : you need someone here full time to start new
> > > > activities (think workshops with kids -> during the day, when most of
> > > > our volunteers do work, think coworking space, same issue...), and these
> > > > activities shall get some money in to actually be able to fund these
> > > > salaries.
> > > >
> > > > Thankfully, we've found a heavily subsidised (by the
> > > > state) contract, which in the end isnt that expensive, and which core
> > > > members can, if required, pay with their own money for the transition
> > > > time.
> > > > We've also recruited someone who has been a member for a
> > > > long time, knows the group & environment quite well, while at the same
> > > > time not being a suuuper involved/often present volunteer.
> > > > So far, so good... but I cannot really give you a
> > > > valuable feedback, as we just started this whole "having paid staff"
> > > > thing :)
> > > >
> > > > BTW about cleaning up the space, we had a discussion
> > > > something like 2 years ago. The question we discussed in the yearly
> > > > member meeting was something like this:
> > > > - the space is dirty most of the time.
> > > > - The board thinks it is a problem.
> > > > - the board cannot clean after you all the time
> > > > - the board choses to attribute some of our budget to
> > > > the cleaning, but would like to think about two scenarios: first one, we
> > > > pay x €/month to a company that will come and clean the space. Second
> > > > one, some members organize a cleaning each week, at a specific time (eg,
> > > > a proper cleaning), and we keep note of who/which group comes to do so.
> > > > The money budgeted for the cleaning then goes to the subsidised project
> > > > they support.
> > > >
> > > > In the end, members chose the second version (eg, do not
> > > > pay someone else for something as trivial as cleaning). It did work
> > > > quite well for like... 12?18 months ? and these days, well... it doesn't
> > > > work that well, but for other reasons (huge evolution on the operations
> > > > of our space after a x10 increase in its size).
> > > > C.
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, Dec 16, 2014 at 9:00 PM, Florencia Edwards <
> > > > floev22 at gmail.com <mailto:floev22 at gmail.com> > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > > > > > This is good , thanks.
> > > > > > > > > Any space that had volunteers and changed
> > > > > > > > > to payed staff?
> > > > >
> > > > > 2014-12-16 5:09 GMT-03:00 JB Zurn <
> > > > > jbzurn at gmail.com <mailto:jbzurn at gmail.com> >:
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > I am a member of a nonprofit hackerspace,
> > > > > > and also helped start a space with employees nearby.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > In my experience it has been beneficial to
> > > > > > have -both- types of groups (with employees, and all volunteers).
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The volunteer spaces can have great
> > > > > > communities and you can meet many interesting people, doing things
> > > > > > for fun.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The space with employees is great for
> > > > > > starting businesses. When you are trying to run a business, you need
> > > > > > to know the machines will work & that they will be available at a
> > > > > > specific time. Employees monitor the space and machines.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > We've found it is actually nice to have the
> > > > > > spaces separate. You can send the people who are over-utilizing
> > > > > > machines for work, to the professional space. And the people who
> > > > > > want to hang out and chit-chat, you can send them to the volunteer
> > > > > > club.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Another thing that is working for us. You
> > > > > > don't want people to leave the volunteer club. People rarely get the
> > > > > > kind of community in a business environment, that you have in a
> > > > > > club. That social environment is helpful to people.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Simple solution - set the membership fees
> > > > > > for the professional space high enough. Then if someone is a member
> > > > > > of the volunteer club, you can deduct their dues from the
> > > > > > professional space membership. That way, they don't have to choose
> > > > > > one over the other.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > -Brooks Zurn
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > > > > > > > > >
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> > > > > > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Mark Janssen -- maniac(at)<http://maniac.nl/>
> > > Unix / Linux Open-Source and Internet Consultant
> > > <http://Maniac.nl><http://Sig-IO.nl>
> > > Vps.Stoned-IT.com <http://vps.stoned-it.com/>
> > >
> > >
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