Best practices from bike advocacy group websites!
I’ve been checking out the websites of over 100 bike advocacy groups from across the US, here are some highlights!
A website can be a powerful tool for a bike advocacy group. It can engage the general public, media, supporters, and decision makers. Done well it can be a conveyor belt bringing in volunteers, donations, riders, and leaders. Whether you are a state-wide advocacy group, a regional one, or have a hyper local focus– your website can help people connect with your group and your goals through a huge range of ways because your work inherently deeply connects with people in a huge range of ways.
Six of the main functions of an excellent bike advocacy organization website are:
Getting bike supporters to take political action
Getting people engaged with bike community
Defining an inclusive culture to broaden the pro-bike coalition, and help keep people engaged
Providing education and transparency on advocacy progress (i.e. bike lanes construction updates, updates from legislative sessions, etc)
Communicating bike benefits to general public, decision makers, and media
Being a one stop info shop on all things biking– which is useful in its own right and because it helps get more people engaged in a range of ways
I recently reviewed the websites of over 100 local and state bike advocacy organizations from across 23 states, and while I still have the majority of states to check through, I wanted to highlight examples of great website elements that I’ve seen so far which more groups would benefit from adopting.
So, with that, check out these great examples!
Getting bike supporters to take political action. The vast majority of the websites have at least some if not all the basics of options for people to get engaged. Whether that’s providing funding (through membership, donations, buying gear, or sponsorships) or to take action (petition, volunteer form, sign up for email alerts). The examples below are great ways groups go above and beyond:
“I Bike, I Vote” from Bikemore– Candidate endorsements and information on voting logistics
“Know your Government” from BikeAthens– A good guide on who is responsible for what in the area and basics of helping bike supporters understand the general system
“Colorado Advocacy Groups” from Bicycle Colorado– Great example of a state-wide group directing people to more local groups. Bike supporters can and should engage with decision-makers at all levels of government and its powerful when organizations which are focused on one level of government make it easier for supporters to get plugged in to more efforts
“Reporting a Road Hazard” from Bike Bakersfield– Straightforward tool that even “non-political” people can use to take action
“Memorial Funds” from MassBike– Heartbreaking and powerful reminder of why bike advocacy is so important and makes it easier for people to support their community members in need.
Getting people engaged with bike community
“Ride Calendar” from League of Michigan Bicyclists– A lot of bike advocacy groups have information about formal and informal group rides people can join in, but I wanted to highlight this calendar structure, because anyone can add a ride to it. That helps democratize the process, makes it easier for people to find rides to join, and does not put that much admin work on the League’s staff!
Defining an inclusive culture to broaden the pro-bike coalition, and help keep people engaged
Providing education and transparency on advocacy progress (i.e. bike lanes construction updates, updates from legislative sessions, etc)
“Meet Our Campaigns” from Bike East Bay– Ok, as an Oaklander, I might be a bit biased here but I think Bike East Bay does a great job laying out what they are working on, and making it really easy for visitors to see progress updates so people can zero in on what interests them most.
Communicating bike benefits to general public, decision makers and media
“Benefits of Bicycling in Colorado” from Bicycle Colorado– does a really good job explaining the economic and environmental benefits bikers provide to the state, highlighting how many Coloradans bike, who bikes and how they use it. Great stats to always remind decision makers about!
Being a one stop info shop on all things biking
Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Resources Page has a nearly exhaustive list of types of resources someone in the region might be interested in. They list: Anne Arundel County Bicycle Advisory Commission, Bicycle Clubs, Bike Master Plans, Bike Shops, Bikes on Transit, Government Bicycling Resources, Bicycle Maps, Other Advocacy Groups, Places to Ride, and Bike Rentals.
And while this doesn’t neatly fit into any of those six categories above, I really like how the Flagstaff Biking Organization highlights that bike commuters, road bikers and mountain bikers are distinct and have different needs & priorities!
Got any favorites you’d like to highlight? Leave it in the comments!
Interested in strengthening your organizations advocacy work or starting your own campaign? Let’s chat– email me at Carter@carterlavin to schedule a conversation.
Free upcoming online events!
*TODAY* 6/20 @ 5:30pm PT— Join your fellow transportation advocates at the June Open Discussion Zoom Happy Hour! This month’s topic: "Navigating dynamics between transit agencies and transit activists." Come share your thoughts and learn from allies. Register here.
7/19 @ 5:30pm PT— Transit & Bike Activism Training: how to win bigger by bridging the local and state-wide organizing gap. Learn more and register here.
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Recent interviews to check out!
"How To Train an Army of Sustainable Transportation Advocates”- The Brake: A Streetsblog Podcast
“Training Active Mobility Activists”- Active Towns Podcast
Interesting job alert: Director of Communications for Bike New York
Thanks for reading, thanks for forwarding this along, and most importantly– thanks for working to make the world better!
Sincerely,
Carter Lavin