Volume 2, Issue 9 September 29, 2006 |
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In This Issue:
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THUNDERHEAD HIRING COMPLETE STREETS CAMPAIGN COACH This new fulltime executive coach will be focused entirely on assisting leaders of Thunderhead member organizations with their complete streets policy campaigns in the context of Thunderhead’s National Complete the Streets Campaign. Applicants must have proven, successful campaign experience and must thrive on fast paced strategy development, enjoy lots of travel and work well with the leaders of Thunderhead member organizations. Please find the job announcement here: http://www.thunderheadalliance.org/jobs.htm. PHILADELPHIA TRAINING – NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER! A huge thanks to our Philadelphia Thunderhead Training sponsors who are making this Training possible: Planet Bike, National Bicycle Dealers Association, National Center for Bicycling and Walking, Local Government Commission, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and Fuji. |
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MEMBER NEWS: MEMBERSHIPS AT WHAT PRICE? Imagine that every new bike sold in your area meant a new member for your organization. Sounds improbable? Several Thunderhead member organizations including the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition and Transportation Alternatives have embarked on a promising new strategy to increase their membership by partnering with local bike shops. Membership kits are wholesaled to bike shops (at a slightly discounted price); the bike shops in turn sell the memberships at "regular" prices. Everybody wins - the local advocacy group gets new members, and the bike shops make some money as well as helping to support the home team. Thunderhead spoke with Dani Simons, Deputy Director of Development and Communications at Transportation Alternatives: Thunderhead: So how does this concept work? Dani Simons: We presell a certain number of memberships to participating bike shops. We discount the memberships to the shops so that they can mark them back up to our regular membership prices - that way there is a profit incentive for them to sell memberships. The bike shops feel good about helping to support us, while actually making money. T: Do the bike shops have to worry about a bunch of paperwork? DS: No. We include a temporary membership card in with every membership kit that we sell. That way the new member can take advantage of any discounts that the shop or any other business offers before their membership kit arrives from us. We include all of the necessary paperwork for the member to fill out and send to us so that the bike shop doesn't have to worry about it. It's the responsibility of the new member to send in the paperwork. T: What are some of the challenges to this idea? DS: Well, for one, it takes a bit of time and resources to sell the idea to the bike shops, as well as to educate the staff on how the program works. You have to constantly follow up with the participating shops to ensure that everything is going smoothly. T: One of the common complaints that bike shops have is that they have very limited counter or display space. How do you address this problem? DS: There are several ways that you can address this problem. We use spoke cards that have a graphic on one side and information about our organization on the other. You can also use handle bar hangtags in a similar fashion. We've even heard of the idea of putting all of the paperwork in a water bottle to save space and prompt shop staff to sell memberships. Thunderhead welcomes news items from our member organizations based on each month’s theme. Please send your suggested item (maximum 300 words) to: david@thunderheadalliance.org. We will publish the most inspiring story and list the web links of other contributors within that month’s theme. Next month's theme is: Partnering with your local community bike program. |
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ORG TIP: TAKE CREDIT CARD DONATIONS Accepting credit cards is one of the most important ways to build your budget through the most reliable (and most generous) funding streams: your members! It makes it that much easier, and more likely, that someone will decide 'yes' in that split second that they consider joining or donating to your organization. They can choose to give monthly, automatically, if they want. It makes online giving affordable and easy. Thanks to a special deal with Chase Paymentech Solutions, Thunderhead Alliance member organizations are eligible for rates as follows:
Contact Name: Title: Thunderhead member organization (no acronyms, please): Address: City/State/Zip: Phone Number: Fax Number: E-Mail Address: CUT AND PASTE FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER: RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY BICYCLING GENE - ORIGINS UNKNOWN This month, we're providing a "mock" article that we hope both you and your readers will find amusing. Just plug in [your organization's name or information] where indicated... - - - - -
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Researchers Identify Bicycling Gene - Origins Unknown Scientists recently announced a stunning discovery which could have far-reaching implications for the future of transportation in this country and around the world. Dr. Jorgen Feissmueller, Director of the Center for Sports Research in [your city or state] announced Tuesday that researchers had identified a specific gene which triggers the urge to bicycle. "We all knew that there must be some biological component to the bicycling impulse," said Dr. Feissmueller. "The fact that it has been hard-coded into our genes is proof that bicyclists are not crazy. However, what we don't understand is how this particular gene was introduced in to the gene pool. The only thing that we can think of is that prolonged exposure to the byproducts of internal combustion may trigger specific mutations. These mutations would be passed on to the bicyclist's offspring, thus accidentally helping to perpetuate and grow the number of bicyclists out there." Dr. Feissmueller admits that more study is needed to answer this question. Colin Smark, a representative for the automotive industry had thoughts about Dr. Feissmeuller's speculations, "I am frankly astounded that Dr. Feissmeuller would suggest that our industry would include any speculative ingredients in our products. We want more people driving, not fewer. If you want my opinion, I would look towards [state or local] advocacy organizations all around the country. Everybody knows that they're peddling more than just a good time." When asked about [his or her] thoughts on this latest discovery, [insert the name of the Executive Director] of [your local organization] waxed philosophic. "While this is a fascinating discovery, I think we shouldn't spend too much time or energy trying to find out where this gene came from. It's true that some people are virtually born on a bike, but we want to remind everyone that you don't need a genetic predisposition to get out and ride." Finally, Dr. Feissmeuller adds, "We also think that there is link between sitting in traffic and road rage. Our talented researchers are sure that we'll be able to identify the gene which causes this behavior." |
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This monthly Thunderhead Alliance Weather Report is for the leaders of our member organizations and our supporters. The Thunderhead Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the only coalition of state and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations working in unison to break down the barriers to safe bicycling and walking in North American communities. Find more info at: www.thunderheadalliance.org. |