How to Set Up a Charity Bike Run for a Parent With Cancer
While motorcycling is often a solitary activity, many motorcyclists enjoy riding in groups. Many bikers participate in several charity rides every year. Organizing a charity bike run can be a rewarding experience that will not only raise funds for your parent with cancer, but also bring attention to the disease and the search for a cure. The key to a successful charity bike run is planning. The more thorough your preparation, the smoother the event will run.
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Instructions
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Choose a date. Pick one with as few conflicting events as possible, and preferably on a weekend to maximize participation. Check with local motorcycle groups to make sure no other rides are scheduled on your date. The date should also be far enough away to allow you adequate planning time.
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Recruit volunteers. You'll need enough to have one or two people to staff your starting and ending points, as well as any planned stops along the way. Some of your volunteers should be experienced motorcyclists so they can serve as ride captains. If you intend to have all participants ride in one group, you'll need two experienced bikers on your volunteer team, one to ride lead and one to ride at the end of the group. If you plan on having riders go out in smaller groups, you'll need to assign a lead and end rider to each group.
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Get permission from local businesses with large parking lots to serve as the beginning and ending points of your ride. To simplify this step, design your route as a loop so that a single location can serve both functions.
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Solicit sponsorships or donations from local businesses. These can include refreshments, or cash or merchandise to use as prizes at the end of the ride.
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Map out a route. Make it long enough to be worthwhile for participants, but short enough so they can complete it in no more than an afternoon. Develop your route to minimize the number of left turns, because right turns are safer and it's easier to keep a group together if they don't have to cross traffic with left turns. Have several of your volunteers ride the route ahead of time to alert you to any potential problems or hazards. Print maps to distribute on the day of the ride.
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Set your entry fee. Be sure the fee is comparable to those charged for other charity rides in your area. You may wish to charge per motorcycle or set one price for the rider and a lower price for each passenger.
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Publicize your ride. Print fliers and hang them at local motorcycle shops and businesses, especially those that will serve as the starting and ending points of the ride. Create a social media page about the ride. Tell local bike groups about the ride and ask them to participate. Ask local media to publicize your ride on their community calendars or as public service announcements.
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Print registration forms. These should include waivers stating that each participant releases you from liability should he have an accident during the ride.
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Ride the route the day before the event. This will alert you to any changes in traffic patterns or newly started construction projects along the way.
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Arrive with your volunteers early at the starting and ending locations on the day of the ride. Get all riders registered and collect their entry fees. Hand out maps of the ride and go over safe group riding tips.
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Tips & Warnings
Emphasize safety. Go over hand signals your ride captains will use during the ride, and share these with all participants. Plan a scenic route on back roads. This will minimize traffic and help make for a safer ride.
References
- Photo Credit motorbike image by Mirek Hejnicki from Fotolia.com
