Vehicle (PPS)

Program Basics

• Program Name: Donation Pickup Vehicle
• Program Description: Purchase a large biodiesel vehicle capable of doing pickups from donors for a fee, and also serving Free Geek for hauling of refuse, delivering e-waste, and providing transport of material for events and outreach.

• What best describes this program?

• 1. Administrative (expected to support other programs that generate income and/or meet program needs)
• Why does Free Geek need this program?

Currently, Free Geek is not able to do donation pickups that would enhance our relations with businesses and provide more/better equipment to programs that require them. Additionally, we often rent vehicles for this purpose, and other purposes such as hauling waste and moving materials for events. It may be more cost effective overall to own our own vehicle. It would also provide a moving billboard advertizing Free Geek.

Job Position Basics

• Would there be a dedicated staff position associated with this program? YES / NO Probably YES, as it would require a licensed driver, with knowledge of how to load materials, coordinate scheduling, and other duties that would require at least 20 hours per week.
• Position Title: Donation Pickup Coordinator?
• Job Description: Coordinate Pickup of Donations and other use of Free Geek's pickup vehicle. Drive, Load, and Unload vehicle safely. Handle invoicing and related paperwork. Outreach to donors. Custormer relations.

Costs and potential costs

• What are the expected financial staffing costs of the program? (Include all costs to the organization such as salary, payroll taxes, and benefits.)

The initial cost would be for 20 hours, with growth expected to reach full time within the year. Amount?

• What other costs are associated with the program? (Include costs of materials needed, etc.)

The vehicle itself would be a major expense, depending on the size, age, and condition.

A conversion from diesel to biodiesel may add a few hundred dollars to the cost.

Signage on Vehicle would incur a variable cost relating to its design and complexity.

Would require vehicle insurance.

Cost of fuel would depend on mileage and miles driven, but expected to increase not only because of additional miles as the program grows, but also expected increases in fuel prices.

Maintenance of the vehicle will also be required, and a schedule of routine maintenance would be determined by the vehicle.

All of the above costs are variables related to the vehicle. Further research is needed to provide cost estimates, which will be added here later.

• If there will be a dedicated staff position, how much time would be needed for training?
  • How much time would existing staff need to put in? _____________ hours: Unknown. If we hire a Driver with loading/unloading experience, we would only need to train him to do the coordinating and paperwork. Plus instruction on the Free Geek Grok and Tools.
  • How much time would existing volunteers need to put in? _____________ hours: Another variable. Would volunteers be asked to ride along to assist the driver with loading/unloading? The Loading/Unloading at Free Geek would not require much more time.
• Once the program is up and running how many staff how many hours per week would it take?
  • In paid staff time? _____________ hours/week : 20 hours per week at start, plus some staff assistance time in setting up program, then some rapid growth should be expected. Possibly a full time position, with hours not used by pickup program spent in other areas, and shifting to pickup program as it grows?
  • In volunteer time? _____________ hours/week : Variable, depends on whether we enlist volunteers to ride along, and how much volume is delivered to Free Geek through this program. Impact should be minimal.

• Outline the intangible costs for the position and program:

Currently, all of the costs for this program are variables and will not be tangible until developed more fully.

• Are there any possible negative impacts on Free Geek's mission, and if so what?

Cost is the major concern. The costs related to the vehicle, plus the additional cost of Staffing the position will have to be weighed against the benifits and the ability of FG to absorb any cost not offset by fees and the current cost of renting.

• How will this program affect other programs and staff positions currently in effect?

Would provide additional materials for other programs which should be of above average donations. Would provide a moving billboard advertizing Free Geek to the public, thereby enhancing other programs and donations. Would save staff time now spent on renting vehicles and their time using it. If we hire full time, the driver would add additional staff hours that could be used internally as the position grows.

• How will this program affect other programs and staff positions being considered?

Would compete with other future staff positions in the que, so its priority would be have to be determined by council. Requires a Large up front cost that requires more work to provide some numbers for evaluation, before we consider whether or not it is affordable and cost effective.

Benefits

• Would the program generate income? YES / NO : This is to be determined. Ideally it would, but may not. We would hope that it would at least break even through charging fees for pickups and savings over renting vehicles and delivering e-waste. At worst it's cost would be low enough, and its benifit high enough to be acceptable, but the variables still need to be refined into a cost estimate.
  • If yes, how much income would be expected once the program is up and running? $ @ / month
  • If yes, how long would it take for the program to get to that point? @
• How does the program support the mission of Free Geek?

Part of our mission is to keep e-waste from going to landfills or to vendors who ship overseas. Many businesses would like to donate to us, but are adverse to using their staff time and renting vehicles to bring their donations to us. The sucess of other e-waste companies for profit would indicate that there is a sucessful model for pickups that we should investigate and possibly imitate. We often find ourselves lacking equipment that meets our specifications for our build programs because most donations from the public are below those specs. Pickups from businesses may increase the availability of better equipment for those programs. Further we spend little on advertizing Free Geek, so having a truck with advertizing on it would help spread the word, and the cost of painting the signage would be a one time expense. We could also do more outreach if we did not have to rent a vehicle or depend on volunteers to move materials for events.

Measuring Success

• How can the success of the program be measured?

Above all, the intial cost of this program should not endanger Free Geek financially.

The growth of the program should eventually at least break even on its cost, so its benifits are just a plus. Fees and Savings vs costs will tell the tale. Much will depend on the fee schedule, and the public acceptance of those fees.

Should provide a noticable increase in usable equipment to other programs

Should provide additional awareness of Free Geek through signage and outreach for pickups/events, which should be evident in the additional inquiries.

• For most income generating positions, the costs initially outweigh the benefits. If this is an income generating program, how long until it is expected to break even?

Just a guess, one year.

• Outline a plan for implementing the program:

This Planning Sheet is in a very early stage and needs much work on details, especially on cost variables not yet determined.

The first step is to determine the total cost of the program at startup. This includes vehicle and staffing costs.

The second part is to determine an acceptable fee schedule that will offset the costs and still be ok to customers.

The third step is to determine whether Free Geek can afford the program without risking the budget, and whether the required hiring has the necessary priority in council.

None of these steps can proceed before the many questions below, and more, are answered.

Input from other groups is essential in the planning of this program. While we can easily accertain what type of vehicle is required, a lot of other questions need answers. These questions need discussions and decisions by all to determine the final structure of the program. Here are some, but hardly all of them.

What is the best approach to purchasing a vehicle? a. Seek donations or deals as a non-profit? b. Purchase new or used? If used, what age, condition is acceptable? c. Price a limit, depending on FG budget? d. Investigate related costs to provide a reasonable estimate of cost.

Hire Staff Position Driver/Coordinator? a. How many hours and what is the cost. b. Part time/full time? how do we allocate the hours and anticipate growth of the job?

Volunteer participation? a. should volunteers be enlisted to ride along and assist? b. are there liability concerns? c. how many hours required now/future?

Other questions: (please add any you can think of) a. What is macrenewals experience with pickups and associated costs, and how does it relate to us? b. What would our fee schedule look like? What do others charge? How does it compare to our costs (need figures). c. What is our annual expenditure on vehicle rentals? d. How much would we gain by delivering our e-waste? e. Can we estimate the cost benifit of the advertizing provided by the vehicle signage?

(sorry for the lack of formatting, I will fix it later - rick) PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EDIT AND ADD TO THIS PROGRAM PLANNING SHEET.