Advocate for Biking: 5 ways to contribute to Bicycling Monterey, or other local bike advocacy work

Thank you! From comments received, it’s clear that the Bicycling Monterey website and projects benefit many people. A Santa Cruz County neighbor said: “Just as people tip a concierge who provides helpful information, it’s likewise appropriate to ‘tip’ to help keep the Bicycling Monterey site and projects rolling.”

Bicycling Monterey has not done any fundraisers. The total of contributions to date (May 2009 through  February 2014) is $1,780, or $1.02 per day.

It would be greatly appreciated to receive financial contributions from all who value the work and are able to contribute, any amount. You will be part of Bicycling Monterey reaching its 5th anniversary in May 2014.

The first 11 contributors are listed below. Please join them by contributing $5, $25, $100, or more.

To contribute to Bicycling Monterey, via PayPal: Click button in the right-hand panel.

To contribute by check, or in other ways, click here.

The site and projects are provided free of charge, as a public service. There are no paid links, no ads, etc. Without any remuneration or other compensation, Bicycling Monterey also provides direct support to Monterey County nonprofits, public agencies, municipalities, businesses, individuals, and others. Scroll down to learn more.

Four other options for giving

Although Bicycling Monterey itself remains a not-for-profit endeavor, no application has been made to become a 501(c)(3) organization. For that reason, if contributing a large amount of money, you may prefer to get a tax deduction by making a donation to a 501(c)(3).

If so, consider the following four. All do various local bike advocacy work as part of their missions.

1. Gears4Good
2. Monterey Off Road Cycling Association
3. Naval Postgraduate School Foundation (and ask that it be designated for NPS Cycling Club)
4. Velo Club Monterey

Why contribute to Bicycling Monterey?

A Transportation Excellence Award (a non-monetary award) from the Transportation Agency for Monterey County indicates the work is indeed worth supporting. Scroll down for more info, including a sampling of Bicycling Monterey projects.

(Click image to enlarge)

The Bicycling Monterey website and projects are a unique community resource used by the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, City of Monterey, City of Salinas, City of Seaside,  Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Monterey-Salinas Transit, National Steinbeck Center, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District, Community Alliance for Safety and Peace, Monterey Institute of International Studies,  California State University Monterey Bay, Hartnell College, Stevenson School, Big Sur International Marathon,  Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey Green Action, Sierra Club-Ventana Chapter,  Monterey Off Road Cycling Association, Naval Postgraduate School Foundation Cycling Club,  Sea Otter Classic, Velo Club Monterey, California Bicycle Coalition, Bike to Work – Santa Cruz, and many others, and featured by media including KUSP Central Coast Public Radio, KSBW, Monterey County Weekly, Salinas Californian, and Monterey County Herald.

Sampling of Bicycling Monterey projects

1. Established and coordinate Monterey County Probation Department Youth Center bicycle repair and safety class, launched April 2012.
2. Created and carry on with continued operation of the HER Helmet Thursdays Project, an ecology-economy sustainability project that marked its 4th anniversary Thanksgiving week.
3. Supported the launch of Monterey County’s first Open Streets, Ciclovia Salinas, and help promote Ciclovia Salinas locally and nationwide.
4. Fill in some gaps for local municipalities (e.g., in lieu of any official 2013 Bike Week in Monterey County); public education and support for infrastructure improvements and other bike-friendly efforts; outreach to establish new relationships and/or increase harmony between people who bike and those who may not. These include a wide range of bike advocacy actions.
5. Bike community-building events, bike safety events, and more.
6. Various other outreach activities regarding bicycle laws and safety, including to Spanish speakers.
7. Resource and support for tourists and residents–online, by phone, and in-person.
8. Facilitate children, teens, and adults locating Monterey County bike shops, services, clubs, events, infrastructure contacts, and other bicycling resources.
9. Provide a master calendar for bicycling Monterey County, making it easier for visitors and locals to find biking and bike-related activities.
10. Provide nearly 500 posts and pages of carefully researched content available to everyone, no paywall (click here, then scroll to“Is creating and maintaining this website that much work?”).

Bicycling Monterey’s Financial Contributors

For May 2009 through February 2014, all financial contributions (total of $1,780) were generously provided by the following eleven contributors:

In addition to Financial Contributors, there are Contributors of Project Supplies; all are listed on the Contributors page.

People have also helped in other ways–from tech support to serving as bike class teachers to spreading the news. You’ll find these folks on the Acknowledgements page.

Questions? Feel free to contact Mari anytime, or see About Contributions.

Please also considering sharing a link to this post with others. Short link is http://bit.ly/GiveBikeMRY

Thank you!