volunteer
How to Volunteer with US
1. come by the shop
We welcome volunteers of any age, skill level, and background, and have lots of resources to help get you started! First, please drop in to a weekly Thursday Volunteer Night from 6 - 8 PM. You’ll get to see the shop, meet other volunteers in the program, and assist with a first task!
2. SET UP A VOLUNTEER PROFILE
Setting up a volunteer profile will help us get to know you a little better and get you plugged into the best fit based on your skillset!
3. SIGN UP FOR A SHIFT
Now that you have a profile you can sign up for any shift that matches your interests and availability. Come volunteer to make new friends, learn new skills, and make a huge difference in your community - all while having some fun doing it!
Our Biggest Volunteer Need
We are looking for volunteer mechanics to help at our shop
Volunteer Mechanics help us refurbish bikes for referrals we receive from community partners and no experience is necessary to sign up - we are happy to teach all of the needed skills!
Boise Bicycle Project donates nearly 2,000 bicycles a year through community partners including school counselors, nonprofits, and social workers. When a direct service provider has a client who has an opportunity to access a needed service, education, or employment but lack transportation to get there our volunteer mechanics help by repairing used bicycles for those individuals.
Come learn new skills while helping with our biggest need and enhancing transportation for our community members who need it the most!
types of volunteer positions
Beginning mechanic opportunities
We’re happy to teach mechanic skills to new volunteers! We host a small volunteer night every Tuesday from 6 - 8 PM in our shop.
During these nights, you’ll work to learn new skills like servicing a headset, bottom bracket, brakes, or shifting. Please sign up ahead of time to reserve a stand!
VOLUNTEER NIGHTS
Our most social volunteer opportunities are our weekly Volunteer Nights
This is a great shift for volunteers looking for a regular community meet-up to assist with the shop’s most pressing needs. This could look like setting up for a bike giveaway, preparing for a special event, or offering free repairs to kids in the community.
Our volunteers take on different projects every week, but since the shop is closed our staff can be more attentive. This is another great opportunity for new volunteers to get oriented in our programs and to practice new skills.
in-shop volunteer opportunities
People can volunteer in our shop during business hours in three ways.
Volunteer mechanics help refurbish bikes to give away with our programs. BBP donates ~1,500 bikes a year to adults & kids lacking transportation to school, work, etc.
Donation support volunteers assist in our warehouse as bikes are donated - helping to identify which bikes can be safely refurbished and recycling bike components from the ones that can’t be fixed. This is a good opportunity for those looking to build bike mechanic skills.
Program support volunteers assist with odd jobs and administrative tasks.
MOBILE FIX-IT REPAIRS
Volunteers and staff visit different schools, apartment complexes, or community centers every week to provide free bike repairs for kids. Most of these repairs are very simple and easy to learn on the spot- along the lines of adjusting brakes, shifting, or repairing a popped tube.
There’s almost nothing as immediately gratifying as teaching a kid how to fix their broken bike and seeing their excitement when they get to ride again!
Community Events
We offer a diverse range of volunteer opportunities, particularly at events we organize or participate in publicly. Whether it's tabling at breweries and beer festivals or supporting advocacy campaigns around town, we engage in a variety of events annually.
Volunteers can contribute in various ways, such as repairing bikes, distributing information about our programs, assisting with equipment transportation, setup, and more!
Puncturevine Picking Parties
Puncturevine is a noxious weeds with yellow flowers that turn into sharp, pointy burrs - infamous stickers that puncture bike tires and hurt our pets’ paws. And as if that’s not motivation enough… FREE BEER from Lost Grove Brewing will cool you off after all your hard work, and we’ll have cool prizes and community bragging rights for our top sticker-pullers!
Each month, we’ll team up from 5 - 7 PM to pull these prickly pests and clear the West Bench, working together toward a goathead-free Boise!
The City of Boise and Ada County Noxious Weed Control are determining the picking locations on a rolling basis, and so once you sign up for a picking shift, you will be emailed all the info you need to meet up. In the meantime, check out this awesome guide from the City of Boise to learn how to identify, remove, and report goatheads infestations using the best available science.
Let’s clean up the neighborhood, protect our bikes, and get ready to roll smoothly at Open Streets Boise. See you out there!