In our first-of-its-kind State of the Movement report, we explored the inner workings of the walk/bike movement, from organzation budgets to staff demographics. But we didn't just focus on inputs; we asked about outputs, as well. What types of work are Alliance members doing out in their communities to make change happen? Here's what we found about the most common types of programming, including events and campaigns.
Events
Getting out into the community is a key component of bike/walk advocacy. To ascertain where organizations are dedicating their time and effort, we asked what types of events they organize (or play a significant role in organizing) that are most important to their work.
More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) ranked annual events (like a major fundraiser or signature ride/walk) as significant or very significant, while 60% of respondents cited advocacy events (like walking audits, demonstrations, or state summits) as significant or very significant. Nearly half of respondents (47%) reported safety education / cycling classes as significant or very significant.
Only a minority of respondents selected youth / school-based programs (42%), general rides/walks (36%), and Open Streets (23%) as significant or very significant.
However, 78% selected “Other” as significant or very significant, with the following as some of the most common write-ins:
- Bike valet
- Bike to Work / Bike Month
- Commuter challenges
- Workshops
- Festivals
- Forums
Which of these types of events are most effective in recruiting and engaging members? Taking a closer look, large organizations almost exclusively reported an annual event or involvement in a broader campaign like Bike to Work Day or Bike Month as their greatest sources of engagement. Medium-sized organizations relied more on summits, trainings and Open Streets events. For small and volunteer-run groups, engagement through education, summits and advocacy events was the most effective.
Campaigns
Change takes time — and advocacy is built not just on short-term events, but long-term campaigns. According to our survey, the leading initiatives undertaken by Alliance member organizations are general infrastructure campaigns with 79% respondents citing that as a current campaign.
More than half of respondents were also engaged in complete streets (58%), protected bikeways (54%) and Safe Routes to School (54%). Funding campaigns and trail systems (both 40% respectively), and Vision Zero (38%) were also significantly represented, with 22% involved in local/state elections.
Write-ins included advising on various city or master plan developments and legislative initiatives covering everything from parking policies to safety standards.
