New Advocacy Resource for State and Local Bike Coalitions: the PeopleForBikes Local Engagement Portal

by Jeffrey Miller on October 01, 2014

 

Attention, state and local bike advocates in the United States: it's now easier than ever before to engage PeopleForBikes' 850,000+ supporters on state and local issues. 

PeopleForBikes has always offered their large supporter list to local advocacy organizations to help bring reinforcements to pressing opportunities and threats. Now, you can easily request access to PeopleForBikes members in your geographic area through the Local Engagement Portal. 

The PeopleForBikes Local Engagement Portal is an online form that state and local bike advocacy organizations can use to activate PeopleForBikes members around specific state or local policies, plans, or advocacy campaigns. Surveys of PeopleForBikes members show that 65% do not belong to any other advocacy or bicycling organization, so this is a way for your organization to reach new potential supporters.

If you're doing online communications around a campaign that could make biking better, PeopleForBikes can help your issue get to more inboxes. The Local Engagement Portal is intended for timely action items around issues that serve the larger bicycling movement. Great candidates for the portal are petitions, legislative asks, public meetings or regulation changes. (Asks unrelated to specific actions -- like fundraising asks or membership drives -- are not eligible. PeopleForBikes asks that you submit your request at least 2 weeks before the desired action date. Be aware that PeopleForBikes may not be able to fulfill all requests.)

To submit, you'll just need to answer these questions on a web form:

  • Basic information like organization name and website
  • Your action item in 1 sentence
  • Who you are trying to influence
  • What you are trying to get your target to do
  • The process for reaching your target
  • Link to existing action alert, if any
  • Explanation of urgency and why it matters
  • Pertinent dates and deadlines
  • Controversy, if any
  • Geographic imprint
  • Description of the action
  • Any relevant images or photos

Visit the Local Engagement Portal for guidelines and the submission form.