Funding and Resources
I. seeking funds – strategies and sources
Funding can seem to be one of the most intimidating aspects of starting a new program. Fortunately, bicycle education programs are easy to sustain financially – they have low overhead costs, a high level of appeal, and offer a number of different benefits for their participants. In middle class areas, charging families for the program may be a very realistih2. CHAPTER 2 Getting to destinations
I. seeking funds – strategies and sources
Funding can seem to be one of the most intimidating aspects of starting a new program. Fortunately, bicycle education programs are easy to sustain financially – they have low overhead costs, a high level of appeal, and offer a number of different benefits for their participants. In middle class areas, charging families for the program may be a very realistic option, but in areas whose families have little extra spending money it is wise to consider outside funders. When seeking funding, research the small and plan for steady growth,When doing so, it is helpful groups, as much as possible, that you are with your funds coming from ato think of the benefits you asking for money from and communicate mix of sources. No funder likes to are providing (and to whom), with them beforehand by asking questions be relied on for everything, it isand what groups, businesses, and stating what you are intending to sign of an unsustainable applicantor agencies in your area would apply for organization. Regardless, do not have an interest in seeing those populations realize those benefits. Talking with allies in your field (other after school programs and youth service agencies) can give you a sense of where other groups are looking. For groups that are first starting out, tapping into existing funding sources through the creation of partnerships is easier that generating completely new sources. Typical sources of funds are private donors, corporate donors, foundation grants, and public funds (city, county, state, and federal). Often, public funds have more strings attached, are more trouble to get, and require more follow-up, but involve larger amounts of money and are more stable and predictable. In addition, the agenda of public funders is more transparent.Private funds are often more linked to personal connections; in addition, the priorities of the funders can be harder to discern and often change year to year. Often they are interested in funding groups whose activities will improve the funders’ visibility and image in the community. Each funder has a geographic emphasis – a community they identify with – and a scale, an amount that they tend to give. Create a budget for what you are doing, and apply to a funder who is interested in your community and gives on the appropriate scale. Start expect to achieve great financial
success quickly, as it takes time to establish yourself and gain trust. Few investors want to go out on a limb, or spend without considering the results. Funders are investors, they want to minimize risk and they almost always want to see measurable results. Groups that have a well researched long-term plan for what they are going to achieve and what resources they need (a strategic plan) give an impression of vision and strength. In general, funders are looking for effectiveness (achieving intended results) and efficiency (using an appropriate amount of resources). Finally, groups that do convincing evaluations that prove and quantify the benefits of their programs (especially through scientific research), as well as creating reports and publicity Creating this network of connections is crucial materials that powerfully articulate and display for any organization’s sustainability. Remember those benefits, stand the best chance of receiving that your intent is to do something that is truly continued funding. valuable, that the whole community will ultimately Prepare written materials describing your project benefit from. If you approach your efforts with this with the help of someone who Don’t be afraid to specify exactly in mind, those who contribute to is experienced in marketing; what you need from the beginning. this effort will know that they prepare proposals with the help Remember that your intent is to do are gaining these benefits, as of someone who is experienced something that is truly valuable, that the well as the sense of fulfillment in proposal writing and/or whole community will ultimately benefit that comes from their generosity.reviewing. When seeking from. If you approach your efforts with As mentioned before, one funding, research the groups advantage of youth bicycle this in mind, those who contribute to thisas much as possible that you effort will know that they are gaining these education programs is that they are asking for money from offer multiple benefits, many of benefits, as well as the sense of fulfillment (each have different patterns, that comes from their generosity. which are easily quantifiable. which can be identified by finding out who their grantees are), and communicate with them beforehand by asking questions and stating what you are intending to apply for. Consideration of requests is based to some extent on presentation (through media, written materials on your program, written application, site visits, and personal interviews), but of primary importance are:
- whether what you are proposing to do is what the funders want done;
- whether your organizational capacity and track record indicate that you can do what you say you are going to.
Money isn’t everything; cash might be 10-60% of the total resources your program needs. Often, the biggest contributions to your program’s success, especially in the beginning, are non-monetary and consist of volunteers and material donations.
Make a list of needed material goods, and type up a good letter on letterhead with a 501-C3 sponsor (making the value of any donations to your group tax-deductible) and send it to the public relations person (or manager if a small operation) of any local business that might be able to supply you with these needed materials. Follow up each of these letters with phone calls, or preferably, personal visits/meetings. Remember, you are building relationships with organizations in your community that can provide for key needs on an ongoing basis. Post ads/flyers for volunteers and material donations in any place or forum that attracts people who might be interested in your program. Don’t be afraid to specify exactly what you need from the beginning – it could save a lot of trouble.
This means that they can be seen as valuable by funders who have a wide range of different agendas.
II. funding and growth: Profile of Cycles of Change
Following are some of the types of funds Cycles of Change has received since it began in 1998:
Public Funds – after school youth services, transportation improvement, traffic safety education, reuse/recycling education, public health.
Private Foundations – Environmental/outdoor education, community empowerment/social change, public health, sustainability/resource use.
Resources
Bike shops are great resources for getting equipment donations, outreaching for volunteers, and just staying in touch with the local bike community. Building good relationships with local bike shops takes time and follow through, but the rewards are well worth it. Bike shops can act as donation centers for their customers who want to donate their old bikes to youth bike programs, thereby providing a great community service. Programs with a 501C3 fiscal sponsor can offer businesses a tax deduction on the value of all donated materials, which acts as a great incentive for shops to do your program this favor. Usually, shops will store a small number of bikes and then call your contact person to pick them up as soon as possible. The best way to set this up is to first approach the manager/owner with your proposal. If they approve, make an arrangement with them about how the logistics will work and have them communicate it to their staff so everyone is on the same page. Give the shop a sign and/or flyers to help them in publicizing this service. On this note, shops usually have bulletin boards that can be used to put up flyers for events, volunteer opportunities, and other announcements related to your program.
Note: Cycles has built strong relationships with many bike shops in the East Bay who regularly donate customers’ old bikes and parts to our program. These relationships have taken time to nurture, and are essential links bridging private bicycle businesses with not-for-profit community programs. Cycles asks that new programs wishing to work with these bike shops first speak with the main Cycles group for the most effective maintenance of the relationships. That said, the local bike shops that currently support Cycles are:
II. Bike Advocacy Groups
The Bay Area is blessed to have a handful of great bicycle advocacy groups that have supported Cycles for many years. The committed people (often volunteers) who keep these groups going have done amazing work at promoting bicycle use and lobbying for streets and infrastructures that accommodate the needs of bicyclists (like bicycle accommodations on BART trains and bike racks on AC transit buses).
Cycles has worked with these groups to help further their work as they lend support to the things we do. Here is a short list of some Bay Area advocacy groups that Cycles of Change has worked with:
- East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC): Well-established and highly successful membership-based advocacy group for East Bay cyclists. EBBC
- San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC): With a large volunteer base and a membership of thousands, they have been very influential in city planning and also promoting bicycling in the wider community. SFBC
- Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition (BFBC):
Focusing their advocacy work in the city of Berkeley, the BFBC were the main creators of Berkeley’s system of Bicycle Boulevards. BFBC
- Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC):* Have been leaders in developing the national Safe Routes to School program, a powerful model for promoting youth bicycle education.
Marin County Bicycle Coalition
- Bay Area Community bike programs*
The world of community bike programs continues to grow every day. In the Bay Area, established organizations have built a legacy that can be valuable to new programs in both tangible and intangible ways. Much of their success has come about through broad community support and the sharing of resources (in addition to very dedicated and creative people!). Since new programs come into being often, this list may not be complete.
Trips for Kids (San Rafael)—One of the longest and most well-known youth bicycle education programs in the United States. Operates mountain biking rides and mechanics programs that are based in San Rafael but serve low-income youth from all over the Bay Area. In addition, their organization facilitates and supports the development of TFK programs all across the country.
trips for kids
City of Oakland Earn-Your-Bike Program—A bicycle safety program for youth operated by Oakland’s Parks and Recreation division. This program travels to different recreation centers throughout Oakland, giving low-income youth the opportunity to earn their own bike and helmet by attending a bicycle safety course and contributing 40 hours of community service.
oakland net
YMCA-Albany bike program—. This program has been operating for 15 years as part of YMCA’s summer camp for youth, and has three levels of programs – beginning, intermediate, and advanced. YMCA-Albany bike program
Cycles of Change
An East Bay youth bicycle education program that leads on-road safe riding courses, Bay Area bicycle adventures, bicycle mechanics workshops, and environmental education programs.
Cycles of Change
Berkeley Boosters—A program at M.L.K. Jr. Middle School in Berkeley operated after-school by the Berkeley Police Activities League. Cycles has collaborated with them in the past to help run bicycle riding field trips. www.berkeleyboosters.org
Tinker’s Workshop—A hands-on bicycle repair program and community bike shop located at Aquatic Park in West Berkeley.
www.tinkersworkshop.org
Union City Teen Center—a drop in bike shop for youth on Mission Blvd. in Union City www.unioncity.org/leisure
Bike Kitchen -a drop-in community bike shop in the Mission in San Francisco that offers tools and parts for only a membership fee.
www.bikekitchen.org
Pedal Revolution -a full service bike shop in San Francisco’s Mission district that offers jobs and training to at-risk youth.
www.pedalrevolution.com
Bike Hut -The Bike Hut offers rentals, repair, and youth training on Pier 40 in San Francisco’s South Beach. Opened in 1996 as an outpost of the Bicycle Community Project, it is a resource for local cyclists and a center for skills training for kids from low-income communities. www.thebikehut.com
Alameda Point Collaborative—A bicycle restoration and sustainable transportation job-training center developed in 2006 as a partnership between Cycles of Change and the Alameda Point Collaborative. www.apc.org
BABES -Bay Area Bicycle Educators is a recently-formed network that provides a forum for the sharing of resources and practices. Contact Cycles of Change for more information.
YBEN -A national alliance of youth bicycle education programs that holds a yearly conference. www.yben.org
III. Bicycle riding clubs
These riding clubs have a long history and a very large and devoted membership. Some feature different levels of rides for cyclists of varying experience. These organizations are a great way to outreach to people in your community who have a passion and commitment to cycling. Attending heavy materials (i.e., bikes) if it can be done meetings and making a short presentation, writing without much extra work.
Articles for the newsletters about your program, volunteering at races and local events, or just going on rides and meeting people are ways of connecting to these groups. In the East Bay, several of the main riding groups are as follows:
Grizzly Peak Cyclists -www.grizzlypeakcyclists.org Oakland Yellowjackets -www.oaklandyellowjackets.org Fremont Freewheelers -www.fremontfreewheelers.org
IV. equipment
It’s not easy to keep up with all the equipment that bicycle programs need, and just one small part that you don’t have can stop you in your tracks, so, try to stay on top of what you need before it becomes a problem. There are many ways to locate sources for bicycles, parts, and other equipment. If you have a budget, you might be able to set up a direct account with a wholesale bicycle sales company, or partner with a local bike shop, which can order what you need through their wholesalers. If your program budget is non-existent or not enough to support buying new materials, you have to be resourceful—stripping unusable/undesirable bikes for their parts, sending out donation request letters to manufacturers/distributors, creating and/or nurturing bike shop donation relationships, contacting other community bike programs and seeing if they have a surplus of what you need, and asking for what you need through online networks are good places to start.
V. Bicycles
Local police departments -contact the recovered materials division and ask if there are any bicycles that could be donated to a non-profit youth bicycle education program.
Local shops -contact in the manner described above in “ bike shops”
Universities -often they will store recovered/ abandoned bicycles
Waste Management -thousands of bikes are thrown out every year in California alone, although setting up an arrangement could take some effort, any waste management agency is eager to divert
Individuals -any home is likely to have one or more bicycles in some state of disrepair that the homeowner may be interested in “getting rid of” (donating) if approached with a good cause – a local program for low-income youth. Some outreach into community networks (through schools or churches) can result in lots of donations, although since they come in one at a time, the follow-through needed is greater.
Distributors/manufacturers -write a carefully crafted letter on letterhead, addressed to the public relations person; include slick publicity materials; make follow-up calls.
Community Bike Programs -sometimes more established bike programs in your area will be willing to contribute their resources towards your efforts, or at least make a trade.
Other -be creative, housing authorities, park districts, or other large institutions and agencies that own land may be storing bicycles away somewhere, waiting for the resourceful community bike program to take them off their hands.
VI. Helmets
Helmets ‘R Us—A non-profit group that sells a wide selection of bicycle helmets and bike locks at the lowest prices that we’ve been able to find. Contact: www.helmetsrus.net
Local Police Departments will sometimes run helmet give-away programs for youth. The funds for the helmets often come from county or state public health initiatives.
VII. Tools/parts
Wilson Bicycle Sales—Located in Hayward, Wilson is a small to medium sized wholesaler of bicycle supplies. Your organization (either your program or a sympathetic affiliate) will have to obtain a business license and approach them as a non-profit bicycle business to get an account. Contact: (510) 471-7300 or www.wilsonbike.com
Nashbar -a distributor of bicycle-related parts and tools
www.nashbar.com
Parts manufacturers -write a well-crafted letter or call their public relations person
VIII. Camping gear/clothing
REI -local stores may allow discounted or free equipment rentals to non-profit groups www.rei.com
Sierra Club Inner City Outings—A program through which youth programs can go on wilderness adventures with trained volunteer guides, and have access to all the organization’s equipment.
www.sierraclub.org/ico
Adventure Cycling Association
This national group offers programs, publications, and training while acting as a resource-sharing network for those interested in touring and long-distance cycling. www.adv-cycling.org
Backroads—A luxury international bicycle touring company. Sometimes donates used equipment as they upgrade their own equipment. www.backroads.com
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