Start Your Own Tool-Sharing Program
(Page 3 of 4)
April/May 2004
By Dave Wortman
Tool-sharing programs also must confront funding constraints. At EcoVillage at Ithaca, suggested member dues of $60 a year help to maintain and procure equipment and supplies. Several programs collect tool maintenance fees, or charge fees for the late return of tools, while others rely on grants, including federally funded Community Development Block Grants, fundraising or donations.
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Tracking the fate of tools on loan is essential, too. Kari Lang runs the nonprofit West Broadway Neighborhood Association's tool-sharing program in Providence. She says record-keeping is an important component of the program. "In the past, on busy days, we were lax in following the checkout system for familiar faces," she says. "But even with a community of familiar faces, tools would end up sitting in someone's basement." Some larger lending programs have turned to computer databases to help track tools on loan. Atlanta's Brodbeck says, "Organizing shovels is far from sexy."
Some tool-sharing programs carry liability insurance, but Dave Jacobs of Michigan's Home Repair Services has yet to encounter liability issues. "The people borrowing our tools are not the kind that would sue us," he says, adding that insurance costs could be a real problem for smaller groups without a track record of safety. Other programs, like Atlanta's Community ToolBank, require users to sign liability waivers for power tools.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
Whether it's simply to help neighbors down the block or to mobilize a community, virtually anyone can start a tool-sharing program. On its most basic level, sharing can be as simple as meeting, developing a list of tools and swapping contact information. "Keep it simple—don't try to be a tool rental shop," says Seattle's Fans. In addition to creating maintenance headaches, larger power tools also can carry greater operating dangers, particularly for the less-skilled homeowner.
A dedicated and skilled do-it-yourselfer can go a long way toward getting a tool-sharing program off the ground. "It really helps to have someone who is skilled in repair," Jacobs notes. "Otherwise, the tools waiting to be repaired may just pile up."
There also are creative ways to fund tool-sharing programs. Wild Sage Cohousing plans to use unspent contingency money from the construction budget to buy tools for the wood shop; although, so far, most of the tools have been donated by people moving into the community.
Organizer Bowen notes that either a membership fee or a pay-as-you-go system will fund ongoing maintenance. Ithaca's Nolan says that after an initial construction investment, generous donations of power and hand tools from residents helped stock the shop.
Beyond the most tangible challenges and benefits, the best aspect of tool-sharing programs may well be the empowering impact they have on individual lives. Brodbeck, Faris and others say they have seen the satisfied looks on people's faces when they've realized their ability to build, create and contribute to their communities.
