International Mountain Bicycling Association
Following up from last week’s post all about the bicycle non-profit called People for Bikes, we’re going to share another bike-related organization with you today called the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). Yet again, this charity weighed in with perfect scores across the board on Charity Navigator to earn a place on the Hummingbird House list.
The International Mountain Bicycling Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational association. According to their About page, their mission is:
To create, enhance, and protect great places to ride mountain bikes.
Their vision is to engage a million riders to stand up to cultivate and protect mountain biking trails. To achieve this, IMBA hopes to create a powerful voice for trails, public lands, and management policies that welcome bikes. They advocate for mountain bike access and acceptance in addition to building sustainable trails and bike facilities to make mountain biking more accessible. Furthermore, they teach environmentally responsible trail building and etiquette practices. By doing all of this, IMBA is working to inspire people to experience the great outdoors on the saddles of mountain bikes. Currently, the organization includes over 40,000 bike lovers. Members live across the globe and are helping to make mountain biking better at their local areas.
IMBA was founded in 1988 by a group of California mountain bike clubs concerned about the closure of trails to cyclists. This group had a belief that education programs geared towards mountain bikers should be developed and promoted in order to preserve access to trails. To read more about the journey of IMBA, check out their History page for a detailed timeline of the organization’s first 20 years.
IMBA currently keep their headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. The non-profit has over 50 full-time staff members including region directors spanning the United States. Their staff is continuing to grow as the non-profit experiences more success and attention. To view a full list of IMBA’s departments and staff, see their Staff Directory.
An important aspect of IMBA’s work worthy of sharing is their Chapter Program. According to their website, “The chapter program is IMBA’s initiative to create a unified voice for mountain bikers. Simply put, the mountain bike movement is stronger when local and national organizations work in tandem to create great trail experiences. IMBA has the professional full-time staff, the database capabilities and the institutional knowledge to make an impact, while local clubs have the relationships and (most importantly) the trails. Together, we can increase access and bring more people to the ride!”
To understand more about IMBA’s Chapter Program, watch the video below:
By taking a look at IMBA’s event calendar, you can see that the organization works hard to put together outreach programs that furthers the sustainment of mountain biking trails. A notable event that the non-profit runs is called Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. This event, occurring this year on October 7th, strives to encourage communities across the country and around the world to join together and ride mountain bikes with kids. The theme of the year is based on IMBA’s four tenants: speak, build, respect, and ride. Last year, 0ver 15,000 kids and families participated in local events inspired by Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. To read more about this event or to see photos from years past, check out IMBA’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Clearly, IMBA is doing loads of good on the mountain biking frontier. They are inspiring communities worldwide to become more active and make trails safer and more accessible. If this non-profit is tugging on your heartstrings, there are multiple ways to get involved and support IMBA. You can Become a Member, Donate to IMBA, or Shop at the IMBA E-Store. To find out more, read specific articles on the IMBA blog and discover more on their Resources page.