We’re not inviting you to dinner!

Aug 12

“Shut up legs!” That is the famous quote by Jens Voigt, one of SVBC’s annual dinner speakers where you all, 300+ of you, showed up at a fancy fundraising dinner to support the work of SVBC. The dinner was one of the ways SVBC used to raise money but this year, gulp, we’re taking a risk and doing things differently.

Instead of inviting you to a fancy gala, how about we go for a bike ride? Why not ride while raising money for the organization that works to improve the community, economy and environment through the everyday use of the bicycle!

And here’s a really, really, really special part about the inaugural fundraising ride. It’s being done in conjunction with one of the most beloved community events in the entire region, Viva Calle San Jose. For those of you who don’t know, Viva Calle is part of a worldwide open streets movement that opens up miles of streets to only bikes and pedestrians. Wanna enjoy neighborhoods and business districts, car-free? Viva Calle is it.

Okay, so here’s the thing. The dinner helped us accomplish a number of goals that we need to make sure a ride replicates. And we need your help to do this. The Dinner:

Raised $$$: The dinner raised $120k net through ticket sales, sponsorships, a silent and live auction and more. Any way we could shake money out of you at the dinner, you bet we tried! (And thank you!)
New People: The dinner brought new people into the SVBC peloton because you all bought tables and invited your friends to expose them to the good work of SVBC.
The Work: The dinner also allowed SVBC to celebrate all the good projects and programs you all supported each year.

We still need to accomplish all these things in order to build the power of the bike movement.

Here’s how you can help. First, details about the ride, called Silicon Valley Bikes, are here. Check it out to get as excited about it as we are.

Note, this is a FUNDRAISING ride. Specifically, you can sign up for the ride and that’s great. But for the overachievers, those of you who can and want to do more to support SVBC, sign up to raise even more money by getting your friends to “sponsor” you. Set a goal for how much money you plan to raise and then start asking your friends to donate to your fundraising page.

Before I go on, let’s highlight a few of the things that make this ride even more special.

Infrastructure: As a part of this ride, we’ll be touring Silicon Valley bike infrastructure. While you ride, you’ll have an opportunity to learn how certain intersections came to be. Wonder how that pedestrian and bike bridge got built? Curious how we can get more trails built? You’ll pedal through and past some of the significant wins of SVBC that supporters, like you, have made happen.

Fun: And, we’ll have a scavenger hunt for those who like a little funk and adventure with your ride. In fact, do you have ideas for what to scavenge? We need folks to help plan this part of the ride, the idea being to highlight interesting cultural and historical elements of Silicon Valley.

Next steps for you?

Sign up! Register for the ride here.
Fundraise: Specifically, sign up to raise even more money for SVBC by recruiting your friends to donate to SVBC. Top fundraisers will get super special treatment and recognition.
Recruit: Do you have a group of folks you ride with. Twist their arms and get them to sign up too. Our goal is 500 riders on this inaugural ride. Can you help us meet this goal?

Lastly, if you’d like to volunteer to help, you can look at all the roles we need to fill here.

We hope to see you at Viva Calle for the SVBC inaugural fundraising ride on September 19th!