Wow is there a lot of interest in creating a local sharing cooperative! James, who is the person who told me about Asheville’s Tool Shed, a sharing non-profit, has shared some great suggestions towards the creation of our local cooperative. Here is what he shared:
The quickest and lowest cost way to grow this idea would probably be to start with a members only sharing library, from there we could grow the idea or work to form a new business.
#1 Items could be listed online.
*all monatary transactions could be done via the Moving Conservers website using PayPal. *or it could operate as Cash Only
#2 use storage units for holding shared items (Brevard location & Cedar Mountain location)
#3 have 4-5 key holders per location (key holders are compensated for time spent handling the pickup and return of items)
Some other thoughts
1. having a members only club not open to the general public would limit liability
2. members will take better care of rental items than the general public
3. starting with a internal sharing library could create donations to help fund Moving to Conserver projects.
JamesToye
Our potluck gathering on August 1st will be dedicated to getting the sharing coop off the ground! If you would like to be a part of starting this exciting adventure, please join us and share your ideas.
In the meantime, I have put together a short survey, using a few of the 20 questions The Sharing Solution book recommends asking when setting us a sharing community. Your input would be appreciated. Click here to go to the survey.
