Volume 2, Issue 10 October 27, 2006 |
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In This Issue:
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TEN YEARS AND GROWING
And yet our greatest thanks must go to our member organizations because without all of you battling for each vital gain in your states and communities Thunderhead would not even exist. So a huge thanks to all of you as you take part in our programs and connect with each other to improve your initiatives and bring them back to Thunderhead to deliver to all of our member organizations throughout North America. |
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NEW PARTNERS FOR SMART GROWTH CONFERENCE The New
Partners for Smart Growth Conference is presented by one of
Thunderhead’s top supporters, the Local Government Commission (LGC), to
bring together all the varied practitioners spreading smart growth
efforts across the country. The next conference, February 8-10 in Los
Angeles, will be Thunderhead’s third as a conference sponsor. After our
first invigorating sponsorship experience in 2005 there was no question
that this conference will be a given for us each year.
At this conference we connect with partners from important sectors outside of our familiar bicycle and pedestrian movement including leaders from financial institutions, community development organizations, the health community and corporations who are taking bold stands for the principles of smart growth. And as we all know, one of the most important of these principles is the creation of communities where people can choose bicycling and walking for most of their trips. They need our expertise as much as we need to connect with them to broaden our movement’s horizons. So, if you can add just one more conference to your 2007 schedule, make sure it is LGC’s New Partners for Smart Growth Conference! Registration is now open at: http://www.newpartners.org/index.html. |
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MEMBER NEWS: PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY BIKE PROGRAMS Three years ago something incredible happened in Pittsburgh, PA: Free Ride, the local community recycled bike program, and Bike Pittsburgh, the local advocacy organization joined forces. While partnerships between organizations rallying around a common goal are extremely common, a partnership between an advocacy group and a community bike program was an almost unheard of event in 2003. This is primarily due to a potential culture clash between a more mainstream advocacy organization and edgier community group that can put off some partners and funders, and create potential mission creep. "Both organizations were cautiously optimistic that we could work together," said Scott Bricker, Executive Director of Bike Pittsburgh. "Bike Pittsburgh was really focused on a couple of core programs at the time, and we were worried that communication between organizations could become a problem. One of the ways that we helped to keep communication free and open was achieved by inviting one of Free Ride's key coordinators to be on our Board of Directors." Eric "Erok" Boerer, one of Free Ride's founders talked about some of their concerns. "We were pretty skeptical at first. Free Ride is structured as a co-op, and decision-making is done by consensus. We were worried that Bike Pittsburgh was going to crowd us with too much policy and oversight. We still run our operations separately, and it's never been a problem." The partnership works on several levels. Free Ride volunteers can earn memberships in Bike Pittsburgh with a work-trade arrangement in Free Ride's shop. This enables many people who would not normally join an advocacy organization to get involved - many Free Ride volunteers-turned-Bike-Pittsburgh-members are now some of Bike Pittsburgh's strongest supporters. For the past two years Free Ride and Bike Pittsburgh have organized a 10-12 day festival of all things bicycling in Pittsburgh, "BikeFest". BikeFest has attracted thousands of participants each year and is quickly becoming a keystone event in the Pittsburgh region. "By partnering, we are able to reach out to a very broad range of cyclists - more than we could as individual organizations," notes Bricker. "Free Ride is a real community center and therefore helps us reach out and get more people riding bikes; while we're helping to make the streets safer for the hundreds of people who get bikes at Free Ride." Boerer adds, "The buzz about Pittsburgh is growing. Next year, "Bike Bike", the annual conference of community bike programs will be held in Pittsburgh. They want to see what we're doing here. We've also been working with Thunderhead who has helped connect us with other Thunderhead organizations and community bike programs." Boerer adds, "The buzz about Pittsburgh is growing. Next year, "Bike Bike", the annual conference of community bike programs will be held in Pittsburgh. They want to see what we're doing here. We've also been working with Thunderhead who has helped connect us with other Thunderhead organizations and community bike programs." For more information on Bike Pittsburgh, visit: http://www.bike-pgh.org. For more information on Free Ride, visit: http://www.freeridepgh.org. Thunderhead is creating a replicable model for our member organizations to partner with community bike programs. 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: Recent Complete Streets Victories. |
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ORG TIP: TIME FOR YOUR ANNUAL APPEAL Does your organization have too much money or a never-ending stream of effortless cash flow? Or could you use an extra few thousand dollars to improve bicycling and walking in your community? Of course the answer is ‘yes’ so give your members the chance to help! While many of your members and potential members on your prospect list will say, “no, thanks,” happy to support you with their annual dues, some really want to support you more, and it’s a disservice not to give them the chance to donate during this “season of giving.” An annual appeal takes work, but it can pay off big time. Just a vibrant letter that pops with your org’s 2006 accomplishments and clearly states your need will do it. So what should be included? Besides the letter, include only a self-addressed (not stamped!) return envelope and reply form (some remit envelopes do both). Don’t add brochures or other materials that will distract from your letter. To increase the likelihood of recipients opening the envelop, gather a team of volunteers for a hand addressing party including personal notes on the top of the letters to the ones they know (pizza will help get them there). To learn all the ins-and-outs of year-end appeals, find the link to The Nonprofit Membership Toolkit on the members' side of our web site. Besides its comprehensive membership development guidance, it includes sample letters, remit envelopes, list development and details on bulk mailing. For just one great example of a year-end appeal letter, please email David Hoffman, Director of Member Resources david@bike-pgh.org. CUT AND PASTE FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER: ADVICE COLUMN This month, we're offering a template for an advice column that you can include in your monthly newsletter. Perhaps this will become a monthly feature in your newsletters? Feel free to change the name or questions as you see fit. You may want to create a new email address within your organization to funnel questions for this column. Be sure to put your organization's information [between the text brackets]. - - - - -
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Ask Chayne Linker Dear Chayne - I want to ride my bike in the winter months. Is there anything specific that I should do for my bike? --Fairweather Rider. Fairweather - You ask a great question. During winter months your bike will take even more of a beating on the road than other times of the year. Frequent rains and road salt in areas with snow will help to promote faster deterioration of your bike's drivetrain. After three days of riding in wet or inclement weather, be sure to wipe down your drivetrain with an oily rag and lightly lubricate your chain. Be sure to wipe any excess oil from the outside of the chain; this helps to prevent attracting more dirt, and will help to keep dirt, rust, and road salt from wearing out components quicker than normal. Dear Chayne - I do a lot of short distance commuting as well as much longer trips. I normally wear bike shoes and have clipless pedals, but I'm really getting tired of bringing an extra pair of shoes with me if I need to be well dressed when I get to my destination. Any advice? --Fashionista Fashionista - I've got the perfect solution for you! You can put pedals on your bike that work with clipless pedals on one side, and have a regular block-style pedal on the other. This way you can wear work shoes if you need to look neat and professional, or bike shoes if you're going for much longer rides. You can get these combination pedals at any bike shop. Dear Chayne - My hands go numb when I ride for a while. Any advice? --No Feelings No Feelings - Many people experience numb palms, wrists, or hands when biking. There are two things you can do: 1) Take your bike to your local shop to make sure that the riding position is correct for you - a poorly fit bike can cause aches and pains in more than just your hands, and 2) Get a pair of padded gel gloves; they help to absorb some of the vibrations and pressure transmitted through the bike handlebars. You can get a good pair of gel padded gloves from your local bike shop. Got a question? Chayne Linker can answer it for you! Send an email to: [askchayne@yourorg.org - insert your organization's contact email here, or create one if you'd like.] |
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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. |