This page contains essential resources for starting new advocacy organization.
Top 10 Tips for Developing Effective Organizations (Alliance)
These recommendations come from Alliance's many years of experience developing bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations and avoiding typical problems. You will avoid these problems by following these recommendations.
Date:
Top Ten Tips (Dropox, PDF)
Just What is a Non-Profit Anyway (Center for Non-Profit Corporations)
Here is a brief overview of the different types of non-profits, and the differences between them.
Date:
Just What is a Non-Profit Anyway (Dropbox, DOC)
Starting a Nonprofit (Ron Milam)
This one page document from Ron Milam breaks down the daunting task of starting a nonprofit into 5 basic steps.
Date: 2011
Starting a Non-Profit (Dropbox, PDF)
Quick Yes-No Self Evaluation Form for Organization Effectiveness (Bicycle Colorado)
This simple 2-page form was developed by Dan Grunig, Executive Director of Bicycle Colorado. Answer yes or no to the questions to determine your organization's development as a permanent and influential advocacy group.
Date:
Self Evaluation form for Organizational Effectiveness (Dropbox, DOC)
Non-Profit Resources (League of Michigan Bicyclists)
This document was put together by the League of Michigan Bicyclists as a quick reference guide for organizational development, marketing, and fundraising resouces. It is by no means comprehensive, but provide good links as well as addresses, phone numbers, and contact information for important non-profit resources.
Date:
Non-Profit Resources (Dropbox, DOC)
Checklist for New Nonprofits (Foundation Center)
A guide for starting a new organization including legal, fiscal, staff, insurance, facility and organizational action steps.
Date: 2011
A Checklist for New Non-Profits (Dropbox, PDF)
What is Advocacy? 
What: This fact sheet offers a look at how advocacy is defined, what kinds of activities comprise advocacy work, and what kinds of advocacy projects several tax-exempt groups are currently leading.
Year: 2012
What is Advocacy (Dropbox, PDF)
How to Start a Bicycle Club or Advocacy Organization
What: This 30-page guide from the League of American Bicyclists is a detailed outline to starting a successful bicycle club or advocacy organization., including a number of sample documents like draft by-laws, a sample cue sheet for rides, and a Safe Road Riding handout.
How to Start a Bicycle Club or Advocacy Organization (Dropbox, PDF)
Guide to Bicycle Advocacy
What: This guide from the Bikes Belong Coalition (BBC) includes chapters on Making Your Community Bicycle-Friendly, TEA-21 --What It is and What It Provides, What Needs to Be Done, How to Get What You Want, Tools and Tactics for Advocacy, and Resources.
Guide to Bicycle Advocacy (Dropbox, PDF)
Start-Up Staffing for your Organization (Consider Biking, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland)
I
n this workshop, Jeff Stephens, executive director of Consider Biking in Ohio, and Kassie Rohrbach, executive director of Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, explored the pros and cons of hiring paid staff, choosing the right time to make the leap, how to get the money and structure in place to hire an Executive Director, and how to avoid the pitfalls of paid staff vs. volunteers. The workshop also offered discussion on functional models, including full vs. part time and home vs. central office.
Date:
Sample Outline of Organizational Plan (Dropbox, DOC)
Sample Workplan and Budget (Dropbox, DOC)
Incorporation and Tax‐Exempt Status for Bike Clubs and Advocacy Organizations
The League provides this guide as an introduction to the subject of incorporation and tax‐exempt status for bicycle clubs.
Date: 2011
Incorporation and Tax‐Exempt Status for Bike Clubs and Advocacy Organizations (Dropbox, PDF)
