Posts

Giving Tuesday 2017

Help make Giving Tuesday 2017 Great!

/in /by
Giving Tuesday 2017 (November 28th) is both a local and a global day of giving. It is also the official kick-off for Bike SLO County’s End of Year Fundraising campaign as we reach out to the bike community and ask you to support our efforts to inspire, educate, advocate and work to build a safe, healthy and connected community through bicycling.

Giving Tuesday 2017

This year we’re asking for your help in 2 ways:

  1. Make a donation, either a one time donation or a monthly recurring donation. Monthly: bikeslocounty.org/donate. One time donation:http://bikeslocounty.org/donate-3/one-time-donations/ Old School: Mail check to Bike SLO County, 860 Pacific St #105, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
  2. Host a one day Giving Tuesday online fundraiser on your Facebook page. It’s easy and a great opportunity because The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match up to $1,000 from every one of our supporters who raises money on Facebook.

All you have to do is set up your fundraiser on Facebook and ask your friends to support it. Every dollar donated by you and your friends will be matched (up to $1,000 per fundraiser, for a total of $50,000 overall for Bike SLO County).

If you’re willing to help, just go to https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers/ and click on “Raise Money” to get started. It’s super easy and will just take two minutes. See our sample message below in orange, which you can feel free to copy or change entirely. (And if you like detailed step-by-step instructions, you’ll also find those below). Be sure to select “Bike SLO County” as your charity.

Instructions for setting up your fundraiser (this only takes 2 minutes):

To set up your fundraiser, you can follow Facebook’s simple instructions here, or our more detailed ones, below. (Or, if you’re tech savvy, just go to facebook.com/fundraisers and it’s pretty straightforward.) See our bolded message in orange below, if you’d like to use that.

Step 1: Go to https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers (You’ll need to be logged in to your personal Facebook page), and click “Raise Money,” then “Get Started”

Step 2: “Who are you raising money for?” Select “Nonprofit”

Step 3: Type in “Bike SLO County.” Facebook then asks how much money you want to raise. Enter $1000 (or more, if you prefer). Choose the date you want your fundraiser to end. If you want to just raise money on #GivingTuesday, the set the date to Tuesday, Nov 28, but there’s no harm in having the fundraiser last a few days.

Step 4: Fill in the title and description of your fundraiser. Here is sample text (feel free to just copy this text, or to personalize it by letting people know why this cause is so important to you):

Title: Support Bike SLO County on #GivingTuesday

Description: Join me on #GivingTuesday in supporting a charity whose work I care deeply about, Bike SLO County. On Tuesday, Nov 28th, #GivingTuesday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match up to $50,000 per charity, so your donation will be doubled!

Bike SLO County’s mission is to inspire, educate, advocate and work to build a safe, healthy and connected community through bicycling.

Bike SLO County makes the Central Coast a better place for people who ride bikes—and for everyone. Friends, I hope you can help them make this match today!

Step 5: For your cover photo, you can use one of Facebook’s suggested graphics (the one with the happy people in a green park seems to best fit Bike SLO County), or use a photo of you on your bike, or feel free to use the photos linked below. Click “edit” in the lower right hand corner of the FB graphic, then click “Upload new photo,” and choose a photo from your computer. To use our attached photo, you must download it first, and then find it in your downloads folder once you click “Upload new photo.”

Photo 1: Kid on Bike
https://www.flickr.com/photos/slobikelane/24811667058/in/dateposted-public/
Photo 2: Group shot at Bikes & Beauty
https://www.flickr.com/photos/slobikelane/24811695298/in/dateposted-public/

Step 6: Click “Create” and your fundraiser will be published!

Finally, please let your friends know about your Giving Tuesday 2017 fundraiser! It’s best to let them know late Monday night or very early on Tuesday morning, since the match is only good on #GivingTuesday. To invite your friends, go to
https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers/ and click on the title of your fundraiser over in the left hand column under “Shortcuts” (you can also edit your fundraiser here). Click on “Invite” and choose any or all of your friends with whom you wish to share your fundraiser.

If you have already donated, THANK YOU!
Giving Tuesday 2017
Thanks from everyone at Bike SLO County!

Help Make SLO County Better for Bikes

/in /by

Twice a year Bike SLO County raises funds from our supporters to make sure that we can do what needs to be done to make SLO County better for bikes.

Our current 2017 Annual Fundraising Campaign goal is to raise $30,000 and we are way behind. Please watch our video and then dig deep with a whatever can give. Your donations make all the difference between the present and the bike and pedestrian friendly future we’re working hard to achieve. Donation links are below the video. Thank you!

Donations of any amount a greatly appreciated as we strive to reach our goal to raise $30,000 by Friday, June 16th.

Click here to make a one time donation.

Prefer to make a recurring monthly donation? Click here to make a monthly donation.

Rather send a check? Bike SLO County, 860 Pacific St, Suite 105, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Already support Bike SLO County? Thank You!

We’re Hiring! Executive Director

/in /by

Join the Bike SLO County Team!

We're Hiring

For more than 15 years, Bike SLO County (formerly the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition) has been advocating for bicycling throughout San Luis Obispo County. Our advocacy efforts have been instrumental in creating safer roads and paths and connecting our cities and communities. In addition, Bike SLO County provides bicycle education programming that spans all ages — from elementary to adults, operates a Bike Kitchen, and provides Bike Valet for county farmers’ markets and county events. Bike SLO County is supported by full-time staff, a dedicated board, and community volunteers. For more information, please visit: http://bikeslocounty.org/.

Mission: Bike SLO County inspires, educates, advocates and works to build a safe, healthy and connected community through bicycling.

Vision: Bicycling is safe, viable and popular for everyday transportation and recreation throughout San Luis Obispo County.

 Purpose: To connect San Luis Obispo County through bicycling, sustaining the health of our community and supporting the Central Coast environment.

Executive Director Responsibilities

The Executive Director (ED), with the Board of Directors, is responsible for implementing the strategic plan of the organization. The ED works with staff, board members, community partners, volunteers, government agencies, and an active membership to keep our plan current and responsive to community needs and opportunities. The ED is responsible for managing a $1/4 million budget and for successful fundraising through cultivating individual donor and business partner relationships. The ED manages, develops, and empowers a staff of ~4 people to conduct effective bicycle advocacy, educational programs and activities such as the Bike Kitchen and Bike Valet. The ED connects and engages with our diverse members, and work to expand our membership base to better reflect all San Luis Obispo County bike riders, including underserved groups and communities. The ED is the primary public face of the organization, speaking to media, government agencies, and at public functions. Weekend and evening work will be required at times to attend board meetings, fundraising events, member programs, etc.

Ideal Experience and Capabilities

  • At least three to five years’ experience managing people, including a demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and lead talented and committed staff.
  • Success leading advocacy work in areas such as sustainability, transportation, urban planning, land use, social justice, public health or a related field. Experience with bicycle advocacy is a plus.
  • A strong history of effective fundraising, including individual, business, government and foundations.
  • A deep commitment to Bike SLO County’s mission of improving quality of life through safe cycling.
  • Experience working in a membership organization.
  • Expertise facilitating participatory decision-making in an advocacy organization whose members hold diverse views.
  • Skilled at building coalitions.
  • Demonstrated ability to prioritize organizational efforts given input from a broad range of stakeholders and multiple competing interests.
  • Ability to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences and to maintain composure in challenging situations.
  • Strong experience representing organizations with the media and with the public at large.
  • Strong financial, organizational, management and program design and implementation skills, preferably with a nonprofit organization.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • A bachelor’s degree or commensurate experience.
  • Additional requirements include California Driver’s License and ability to lift 40 pounds. 

Compensation

Salary based upon experience.

How to Apply

Email a cover letter and resume to edsearch@bikeslocounty.org. Your cover letter should specifically address the experience and capabilities identified above. Please include “Executive Director – YOUR NAME” in the subject line, and please mention how you found out about the position. Inquiries may made by contacting the Executive Board at: executive@bikeslocounty.org.

Preferred Deadline for Applications: September 1, 2016. Applications received after September 1 will be reviewed, but priority will be given to applications received prior to that time.

Equal Opportunity Employment Bike SLO County is an equal opportunity employer.

Bike Kitchen? Car Kitchen!

/in /by

Ready for the Car Kitchen?

Our donors are amazing! Bike SLO County thrives because of the generosity of so many dedicated members of the bike community.

And the car community.

At this point you may be you scratching your head saying “Wait…car drivers support bikes?”

Almost everyone we know who rides a bike also drives an automobile. Some drive a car every day, some drive multiple times a day, others not so often. While Bike SLO County doesn’t own a car, we sometimes need one and when we do we use a local car-share service.

Historically our Bike Kitchen has been a maintenance/education space to teach people how to fix their bicycles. We have all the parts, tools and knowledge anyone might need to fix a bicycle. The Bike Kitchen has provided guided instruction to over 6,000 people since opening our doors in 2010.

But what about cars? As far as we know, there isn’t currently a maintenance/education space to teach people how to fix their cars anywhere in SLO County. While there are lots of commercial mechanics, up until now not a single non-profit organization has worked to provide the parts, tools and knowledge you would need to fix your own car. That’s why we’re so very happy to announce that today is April Fools Day! Yes! We’re sorry! But we had you going for a minute!

While we like the idea of a Bike Kitchen for cars, we aren’t going to be the ones to get that started. Our focus will remain on Advocacy and Education, endlessly working for safer streets for everyone, whether you are a person driving a bicycle, a person driving a car, a person walking or, depending on the day, all of the above. Bike SLO County will continue to educate people of all ages, in schools around the county, in our Street Skills classes and yes, in the Bike Kitchen.

We’ll say it again. Our donors are amazing! Bike SLO County thrives because of the generosity of so many dedicated members of the bike community, the pedestrian community and yes, the car community. Safe streets are no joke. Donate today and help grow the movement for safer streets for everyone. It’s easy to donate – just click the donate link below:

       → → → http://bikeslocounty.org/donate ← ← ←

Thank you!

(P.S. For every donation we receive, we promise not play any more April Fools Day pranks until sometime next year.)

Giving Tuesday 2015

/in /by

Lend a hand for Bikes on Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday, often stylized as #GivingTuesday for purposes of hashtag activism, refers to the Tuesday after U.S. Thanksgiving, December 1st in 2015. It is a movement to create a National Day of Giving and Philanthropy at the beginning of the holiday and Christmas season.


To mark this #givingtuesday, anyone who wants to celebrate the powerful positive role that giving plays in our world is being givingtuesday_sliderasked to donate & share their own ‘unselfie’ on their favorite social media sites & by email. What’s an #unselfie? To take an unselfie, write on a piece of paper the name of the charitable cause you’re supporting on Giving Tuesday. It could be as simple as “#Bike SLO County” or as involved as “I support better bikeways in SLO County” or whichever reason you feel moved to give.

Add the tags #unsefie, #givingtuesday and #bikeslocounty, then hold the piece of paper in front of your self (or even in front of your face) and snap an unselfie. We’ll even have some preprinted sheets available in our office (map), or you can download PDF or JPEG color or black & white versions online: Color PDF version: Color JPEG version : Black & White PDF version : Black and White JPEG version

End of Year Campaign

Giving Tuesday kicks off Bike SLO County’s annual End of Year fundraising campaign. SLO County had a fantastic 2015, with lots of countywide bike projects completed (bike lanes in Paso Robles on Riverside, Union and Creston roads, a fantastic bike and pedestrian bridge & trail in Morro Bay, new bike lanes and green striping at Arroyo Grande High School, the very first blacktop bike safety course in California at Oceano Elementary, buffered bike lanes in Los Osos on LOVR, new green lanes on Broad, California & Madonna streets in SLO) and major projects funded for the coming years. We’re hoping you’ll help make 2016 even better. Our goal is to raise $25,000 for safer bikeways around SLO County by midnight, December 31st. Please consider a donation on Giving Tuesday, or anytime before the end of the year at bikeslocounty.org/donate