People for Bikes
The tagline on the People for Bikes website says it all:
Uniting millions to make riding better for everyone.
Our non-profit feature of the week was chosen, once again, for making the perfect score list on Charity Navigator. People for Bikes, sometimes listed as one word in social media (PeopleForBikes), collaborates with millions of bike riders, businesses, community leaders, and individuals in office to create a united voice for bicycling and its benefits.
“Our work focuses on making every kind of bike ride better – whether that ride takes you on trails, down to the grocery store, or all the way across town. Why? Because when people ride bikes, great things happen for our bodies and our minds, and our local and global communities,” the foundation states on their About Us page.
The organization identifies its golds in a fourfold mission. First, they aim to connect bicycle riders across the globe. Next, they spread the word by alerting riders to cycling issues in specific locations and letting people know how to take action. Third, they work with city, state, and country to encourage cost-effective investments in bicycling that benefit everyone. Last, they advocate building relationships, growing bicycling knowledge within communities, and formulating the keys to success by bringing reinforcements, money, inspiration, and positive publicity.
The non-profit was launched in 1999. The group was composed of bike suppliers and retailers as well as those who ran the charitable foundation wing. People For Bikes says, “Our foundation is where we house our major programs and engage individual members, affiliate organizations, and corporate sponsors.”
The work People for Bikes has accomplished and is continuing to accomplish is extensive. On their page titled “Our Work,” their projects span a long and impressive list. From political work being accomplished on Capitol Hill in Washington to collaborations like the Better Bike Share Partnership which seeks to build equitable and replicable bike share systems, People for Bikes is making waves.
Another notable project that People for Bikes has supported is called the Big Jump Project. This project is helping 10 cities reimagine their bicycling infrastructure. It also aims to help propel communities into a better future for biking. “Over the course of the next three years,” states People for Bikes, “The combination of quickly connected biking networks and the use of smart outreach encouraging people to ride more will illustrate the ways in which U.S. cities and towns can tap into bicycles to improve then health and vitality of their communities.”
People for Bikes is a unique non-profit in that there are dozens of ways to connect. The organization encourages people to “Get Local” and see what’s going on in your neighborhood. For example, if we click on “California” to find out about our state, we can quickly and clearly see stats, local shops, grants, protected bike lanes, events, local groups, and so on. Just by doing this, we at Hummingbird House found several associations nearby that we weren’t aware of and are likely to check out.
To donate to this wonderful cause, you can visit their donation page and select an amount to give. If you just want to connect without donating, you can do so on their “Join” page by submitting your information. On this page, People for Bikes asserts: