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The Volvo Tool Club, LLP; a nonprofit user's group.
At the moment there is an informal "tool club" that revolves around the members on the Brickboard. Historically, there have been very few problems with the loan of tools but, as with all things, there are exceptions to the rule. Bad dealings have left some people without their tools and no resolution. Indeed, with no path for resolution.
What I propose is a chartered club, registered with whomever one registers such things. Here is an outline.
The club would not actually warehouse tools at all. Members would hold tools in their possession until a volunteer working the requests sends him an email to forward the tool to another member.
The club would be an internet based user's group. Server space would be required to maintain five databases: members, volunteers, tools, documents, and club records. At the moment I see no need for any other bookkeeping. That is not to say there is no need; I have never started a club of any kind. I do not know what legal obligations are involved or what tax laws may be involved. Since this would be a totally nonprofit group, I am sure there are requirements I've never dreamed of.
To keep costs down, tools can be ordered via email only. No faxes. No phone calls. This potentially limits tool availability to those willing to deal with the internet but almost everyone can and does open a browser every day. If someone who has no internet access wanted to borrow a tool, they could solicit someone who does have access to be their proxy in the process. In all situations, the person actually joining the club would carry full responsibility to keep, maintain, and forward tools to the next user. (See below.)
Volunteers would donate time to build and maintain a tracking spreadsheet of tools available, tools in use, what members have which tools in possession, etc. Additionally, the club would require volunteers with specific skills; tax law, database maintenance, Volvo tools, web interfaces, web presentation, insurance requirements, and what else?
My best guess is that the day-to-day operation can be handled by volunteers donating a minimum of four hour blocks of time. If we limit club business to M-F, eight hours a day, ten people could carry the load.
A club formed on this model can be accomplished with no cost web based tools available through Google. This may or may not be the best solution. The core volunteers (see the next paragraph) would determine the actual software and hardware requirements.
Because volunteers would need to be familiar with the processes, the web based tools, the Volvo specialized tools, documentation, and probably a few other things I haven't thought about, there would be a need for training and a core volunteer group willing to build and maintain the databases, tend to club business, train volunteers, deal with the money, and monitor the entire business of loaning tools.
Persons wishing to join the club can either; (A) Donate tools worth a minimum of $100, or (B) donate no less than $200 through PayPal to the club. Either donation constitutes a deposit for tools. Members are then priveledged to order tools for the cost of shipping only. Membership is lifetime contingent upon "follow through".
(To be determined: membership monetary dues may be necessary to pay for server space, documentation, tool replacement, and whatever overhead may be associated with the club.)
Follow through means that a member who receives a tool:
A. Makes that tool available for another member no more than six weeks from the date the tool came into the possession of the member. To make a tool available, the member sends an email to a central email address monitored by volunteers. The email must contain the tool number and the word "available" somewhere in the body of the email.
If a member still needs the tool, he simply makes it available and requests it again in the same email.
For example:
Tool number 343434 is still in my possession and is available. However, I still need the tool and request the use of the tool for another two weeks.
A member may keep a tool for up to 12 weeks. At the end of that time, it must be made available for another member to use. The person holding the tool may continue to use the tool until he receives an email instructing him to forward the tool to another member.
B. Sends a tool marked as available to the next requestor no more than five working days from the date the request is received by the person holding the tool. There is no exception to this rule.
Failure to comply with either A or B above would be grounds for dismissing the member with no compensation beyond the tool(s) he holds. (This is a murky area for me. I don't know how you enforce the rules without real consequences for not following the rules. At the same time, I don't want to alienate potential club members who read an agreement which would necessarily hold punative clauses for failure to comply.)
Joining the club obligates a person to monitor his email in order to comply with the time constraints and to pay shipping for the tool(s) requested. (To be determined: should members be required to donate blocks of time to the club or should the club function strictly on a volunteer basis?)
Benefits to the member would be:
1. The use of specialized tools for the cost of shipping. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the person requesting the tools. Packaging and drop-off, of course, is the responsibility of the person(s) holding the tools.
2. A user's group forum where technical discussions and bs sessions could be used to the member's benefit.
3. A technical documentation database with Green Books, How-To articles, member's web page links and other links, articles, spreadsheets, etc. deemed useful to club members.
Obligations of the members are as outlined above. Also, there should be some form of "insurance" available to the members at low cost to replace broken or lost tools. This has to be worked out in a cost analysis with someone familiar with the breakage rate, wear, loss and casualty statistics; way past my ability.
That is the "short" version. I am willing to donate money, time, and effort to this cause.
OR
Should we pitch the entire idea to the VCOA to sponsor and sanction such a club, let them deal with the "business" of loaning tools, and simply volunteer tools and time and money to the effort? They might be interested because it would a valuable membership incentive.
I solicite advice and comment. Any volunteers? Anyone want to donate tools, expertise, server space?
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Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 52 year old fat man ;-) -- KD5QBL
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