Organization Toolkit

Use Bike Everywhere Month, & Washington Bike's Challenges to encourage bicycling at your organization

Now is a great time to promote bicycling at your workplace, and the best time for beginners to get started biking. Leverage the 2022 Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge to increase bicycling to and from your workplace and generate momentum for onsite improvements.

Suggested to-do list 

This sample timeline will help you plan for a fantastic challenge and inspire riders. 

March & April

• Set a goal for your workplace (number of teams, new riders, trips), and offer incentives for people who recruit new people to ride.
• Plan workplace Bike Everywhere Challenge activities: 
  
  • A bike commuting roundtable lunch where regular riders share tips and routes with the bike-curious.
  • Organize an early May kick-off party or breakfast and an end-of-the-month awards ceremony. 
• Update internal website with bike commuting information and resources.
• Encourage your employees to attend a bike commuting class in April or May.
  • Even better: request a Cascade instructor host a bike class at your workplace for new bike commuters!
• Promote the May 1-31 Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge to your employees using the sample recruitment email below. Registration for the Challenge opens April 1.
  • Offer incentives (like a gift card) to team captains for starting a team and recruiting people to ride.
  • Reinforce desired behavior by recognizing and rewarding new commuters! 
• Recruit your CEO or a high-profile leader to participate in bicycling activities. Organize a fun 'Ride with your CEO' bike ride.
• Invite mechanics from a local bike shop or Mobile Bike Rescue to come to your worksite and get your employees' bikes in shape.
  • Even better: offer to subsidize bike tune-ups for your employees!

May

• Go anywhere by bike! The 2019 Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge starts on May 1 - and goes all month long!
• Feature bike commuters in your blog or newsletter, especially a team captain or new rider who are especially inspiring.
• Promote existing bike events and free group rides as listed on the Cascade calendar.

June

• Celebrate your organization or team's efforts by organizing a fun awards ceremony or bike commuter breakfast.
• Share results and success stories with senior leadership and in your internal communications.

Ongoing

• Poll participants for suggestions to increase bike commuting at your business.
• Make strategic enhancements for bike commuting.

Inspire your employees

New bike commuters respond to support, encouragement and incentives. Below is a list of suggestions to guide your challenge planning. 

• Host a riding class for new commuters.
• Submit a compelling video about bicycling at your workplace.
• Propose theme days (lycra, business suits, tutus, super heroes, tweeds, etc).
• Organize free food for bicyclists (breakfast, lunch, or happy hour).
• Use your ride-matching skills to pair new bike commuters with experienced riders.
• Raffle off fabulous prizes.
• Get your CEO to participate - organize a CEO ride to your workplace!
• Stage a bicycle fashion show (demonstrate that bicycling is a diverse activity with lots of different purposes).
• Share inspiring stories via company newsletter, intranet, or blog.

Email templates

Feel free to use these templates to promote the 2022 Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge via email, online, or newsletters. Registration for the Challenge is free and opens in April. 

To recruit captains

Dear ________,

Bike Month is coming up and __________ (organization) will be participating in the 2022 Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge. I'd like to encourage you to join the all-star cast of team captains.

As a team captain, you can significantly increase bicycle commuting at _________ (worksite). And we'll be backing you up with some fun events and incentives, including:

• Events
• Incentives
• Classes
• Other

The challenge offers up great support for captains, including including events thrown by Washington Bikes or their friends at Cascade Bicycle Club, a comprehensive toolkit, and prizes just for captains.

To start a team, you simply sign up online, recruit three or more coworkers to join your team, and encourage them to ride as much as possible throughout the month. The challenge starts May 1st; please start your team today!

________(your name, title, department, contact information)

 

To encourage executive support

Dear __________ (title)

I would like to encourage ___________________(business) to participate in the 2022 Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge. Bicycle commuting makes great business sense. Bike commuters are healthier and more productive employees. Bicycle parking is a fraction of the cost and space of car parking. Bike commuting is especially valuable to me as an employee because _____________________.

The 2022 Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge is a simple turn-key program that has significantly increased bicycle commuting among both new and experienced riders. Last year, 10 percent of participants were brand new commuters. That's an impressive result.

What's more, it's very simple for businesses to participate. Team captains like me recruit and encourage riders. The riders track their own trips online. Cascade Bicycle Club provides a comprehensive business toolkit with email templates, newsletter blurbs, graphics, and inspiration.

At the very least, I'd like to ask you to promote the 2022 Washington Bikes Bike Everywhere Challenge to all staff. Please check out the Washington Bikes website for information and resources.

Captain ________(your name)

________(team name)

________(business name)

________ Department