Ride with a purpose
Now’s the time for you to make a difference for thousands of Pittsburghers while having FUN doing so! PedalPGH supports the advocacy, education, and community work of BikePGH – Pittsburgh’s bike and pedestrian non-profit that works tirelessly to make the city’s streets safe for all that use them.
>> Choose the Fundraiser Registration option – By signing up as a fundraiser, you increase the impact you make for cyclists and pedestrians in Pittsburgh. Go the extra mile, by asking your friends, family, and community to donate on your behalf. Fundraisers receive the perks of a Premium Registration PLUS additional VIP benefits, like a “skip the line” lunch pass, exclusive giveaways, and more perks on event day!
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>> Choose a BikePGH Membership option – Members are the foundation of BikePGH. Premium Registration and Membership Registration options both come with a new or renewing one-year BikePGH membership-in-a-bottle. Join over 3,500 folks who are committed to creating safe spaces for Pittsburghers to bike, walk, and roll. Memberships include exclusive access to money-saving perks at local bike-shops and bike-friendly businesses, member’s only pricing to BikePGH events, and more!
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!
Through grassroots organizing and grasstops influence, we have a history of getting things done. BikePGH has created a network of neighborhood bike/ped advocates who help energize residents to make our streets safer and more accessible for all. Additionally, through our ongoing relationship with the City of Pittsburgh, we work to institutionalize this vision into the policies and practices of decision-makers. There’s always something in the works, from serving on the City’s Complete Streets Advisory Group to pushing the City and County to adopt a plan towards zero traffic deaths, to pushing for more money in the city budget, to community coalitions such as Safe Trips in the Strip.
You can see the tangible impact on our streets everywhere you go, from new bike racks to new bike lanes. We not only worked with the City to install over a thousand bike racks across town, we changed the law to require bike racks in new buildings. Recent infrastructure highlights include the new Penn Circle two-way conversion project in East Liberty, the protected bike lanes on Forbes Ave, and countless traffic calming, Neighborway and bike lane projects. Since our inception in 2002, Pittsburgh’s streets have changed dramatically, but we’re not done until there’s safe biking and walking for all!
BikePGH provides educational resources and programming for youth and adults across Pittsburgh. We host free Learn to Ride Classes, Confident City Cycling Classes, Operation Illumination bike light + helmet giveaways, bike rides for hundreds of students, and so much more. Our Education department is constantly creating and updating other crucial resources to keep PGH safely walking and rolling. We are proud to publish the ultimate guide to getting around on two wheels with the official Pittsburgh Bike Map. Look out for the V10 update, which hits the streets this May!
