Ride with a purpose
Now’s your time to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Pittsburghers. Funds raised through UPMC Health Plan PedalPGH support BikePGH’s advocacy, education and community work, making the city safe and accessible for biking, walking, and rolling.
>> Choose our new Fundraiser Registration option – Sign up to increase your personal impact when you participate in PedalPGH! Go the extra mile by asking your community to support your ride. Fundraisers receive all the usual perks of a Premium Registration plus VIP access on event day. Enjoy upgraded lunch, exclusive giveaways, and celebrate your achievement with fellow fundraisers in the VIP tent area! Plus, there are additional perks to unlock with every donation above $250 you receive.
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>> Choose a registration option that includes BikePGH membership – Premium Registration and Membership Registration options both come with a new or renewing annual BikePGH membership. Sign up to be part of a community committed to safer streets for all of our neighbors! Members are the foundation of BikePGH. Your membership strengthens our collective call for safer streets + comes with freebies and perks to enjoy year-round.
Step 1: Register and Personalize your PledgeReg fundraising page
Your PledgeReg page is the starting point on your ride to the fundraising finish line. This is where you can get your friends and family hyped up to support you through the miles by sharing your passion for biking, along with photos to help tell your story. PledgeReg has a variety of tools to help you get to the Finish Line Celebration. You will find tools to ask for donations, share real-time updates with friends and family, and thank your donors with a click of the mouse. It’s really a one-stop shop! Here are a few ideas to make your page stand out: Add a photo and share your experience with biking to welcome donors to your page. Maybe you want to tell your friends and family about a favorite bike ride you took through the city or a memory of why you started biking? Perhaps you ride in honor or in memory of someone close to you? Make your story personal and relatable to your donors. Donate to your page to show your commitment to the cause and get the wheels turning for others. Send a fundraising email to friends, family, and colleagues to let them know you’ve signed up to participate in PedalPGH as a Fundraiser.
Step 2: Fuel your Fundraising on Social Media
Did you know that approximately 17% of peer fundraising comes from Facebook fundraising efforts? While most of these are likely from friends and family that you interact with regularly, you never know who might be inspired by your story to give. It could be an old neighbor that you haven’t talked to in a while, a co-worker from a previous job, or even your high school gym teacher! Social media fundraising starter pack: To boost your visibility tag @BikePGH in your posts using the hashtags #BikePGH and #PedalPGH. We’ll be keeping an eye out for your posts and re-sharing to the official BikePGH accounts! Add photos or videos to your posts to amplify your message, catch the eye of potential donors, and make the algorithms happy. Create dedicated thank you posts to shout out your super supporters and show them your appreciation.
Step 3: Make the Ask
You got to the starting line, you’re all fueled up, now it’s time to ask your supporters to join you along the way! The most successful fundraisers tailor their asks to specific platforms and groups of donors. Get creative in your approach to reach the most people to help you across the finish line. The Ask: 101 Brainstorm of a list of potential supports. Think about friends, family, co-workers, people you play intramural sports with, your hair stylist, maybe even your dentist! A sample letter has been pre-loaded into your PledgeReg fundraising page, but you can also send personalized emails (be sure to include the link to your page) or snail-mail letters (include a QR code to your page) to share your story and make the ask. Have a birthday or anniversary coming up? Ask for donations instead of gifts. Ask family and friends to donate a certain amount for every mile you ride while preparing for PedalPGH.
Step 4: Show your Appreciation!
No matter how big or small, every donation helps get you to your fundraising finish line. It’s important to thank your supporters and show your appreciation for their donation. Ways to celebrate your donors for their support: Mail a personalized thank you card with an update on how you’re preparing for PedalPGH or what you’re looking forward to most on the ride. Post about your fundraising achievements on social media and thank those that supported you by tagging them. Thank You posts will also help boost your fundraiser by encouraging others to support you as well. Compile photos from your rides or PedalPGH and send a postcard to supporters after the event with a final recap. Invite your supporters to ride with you before or after PedalPGH so they can explore Pittsburgh on two wheels with you as their guide!
We have a history of getting things done through grassroots organizing. BikePGH works with neighborhood bike/ped committees and energizes people to use their voice to make our streets safer and more accessible for all. Through our ongoing relationship with the City of Pittsburgh, we work to institutionalize our vision into the laws, policies, and inner-workings of decision-makers. There’s always something in the works, from serving on the Allegheny County Executive Transition Team, advocating for a plan towards zero traffic deaths, to building community coalitions like our Safe Trips in the Strip campaign.
You can see the tangible impact on our streets everywhere you go, from bike racks to new infrastructure. In partnership with DOMI, we installed over 400+ bike racks across the city in the past two years alone. Recent infrastructure highlights include the new Allegheny Circle two-way conversion project in the Northside, the city’s first advisory bike lanes, S Aiken bike lanes, Phase 1 of the Stanton Ave Complete Streets project, Morningside traffic calming, Phase 1 construction of the Ellsworth Ave Neighborway, contraflow bike lane and intersection improvements in Squirrel Hill, and the Melwood contraflow bike lane.
BikePGH provides educational resources and programming for youth and adults across Pittsburgh. We host free Know Your Bike Classes, Confident City Cycling Classes, Operation Illumination bike light giveaways, bike rides for hundreds of students, and more. We’ve also created the ultimate guide to getting around on two wheels with the Pittsburgh Bike Map!
