The holiday gift-giving season kicked off with hordes of folks shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has emerged as a day for social impact giving. This #GivingTuesday, you can make your impact locally or across the world with a donation to a bicycle-related cause. Here are some of our favorite picks to help you make a bicycling difference – today and every day.
World Bicycle Relief
World Bicycle Relief (WBR) mobilizes people through The Power of Bicycles. They build and distribute specially-designed, locally assembled, rugged bicycles along with a sustainable system to keep them maintained and effective. With the experience and expertise gained over the last 10 years designing and delivering more than 400,000 Buffalo Bicycles, WBR has developed an efficient, innovative and scalable model to successfully address the great need for reliable, affordable transportation in rural areas of developing countries.
Learn More / Donate Now: worldbicyclerelief.org
Did You Know?
Global bike tour company Roar Adventures (a BikeRoar sister company), donates 10% of profits to charity – 5% to World Bicycle Relief and 5% to other local charities in the countries where they travel.
PeopleforBikes
PeopleForBikes is an advocacy group launched in 1999. They aim to bring people together to create a powerful, united voice for bicycling and its benefits. They work to get people on bikes and make bike riding better, from trails to roads and commutes. Your support helps their work towards better bicycling infrastructure, funding for bike initiatives, and improving bicycling for everyone.
Learn More / Donate Now: peopleforbikes.org
National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA)
Some schools struggle to support traditional sports programs, let alone add bike-based ones. NICA understands the fun and developmental opportunities available to students in the sport of cycling, so they develop interscholastic high school mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States. Founded in 2009, NICA provides leadership, services and governance for regional leagues to produce quality mountain bike events, and supports every student-athlete in the development of strong body, strong mind and strong character through their efforts on the bike. Your support could help make mountain biking programs at schools as big as football or baseball.
Learn More / Donate Now: nationalmtb.org
Trips for Kids
We think a childhood isn't complete without a bike. Trips for Kids gives kids from all walks of life the opportunity to know the joy of riding a bike. Established in 1988, they now have 75 local chapters located across the U.S. and Canada, and in Israel and Sierra Leone. Their Trail Rides program takes underserved kids on scenic trail ride adventures to explore the natural world on two wheels. The Earn-A-Bike program provides youths with hands-on lessons in bike mechanics and bike safety, while gaining credits towards their own bike, parts, and accessories.
Learn More / Donate Now: tripsforkids.org
International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)
IMBA is about supporting mountain biking, with efforts towards education, advocacy, and trail design and building. They are known for their annual event, Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day (TKMBD), that introduces the joy of mountain biking to the next generation. IMBA has programs in the U.S. and across the globe.
Learn More / Donate Now: imba.com
League of American Bicyclists
The League is a bicycling advocacy and education organization in the U.S. They work as a voice for cyclists to create safer roads and bicycle-friendly policies, and they support state and local bicycling education programs for riders of all ages to improve skills and build confidence. The League's Bicycle Friendly America program helps communities and organizations accommodate and encourage bicycle use.
Learn More / Donate Now: bikeleague.org
Bicycle NSW
Bicycle NSW (New South Wales, Australia) exists to make cycling easier, safer and (even) more enjoyable. Whether you ride a bike for fitness, recreation or commuting. Bicycle NSW has you covered as the peak advocacy body in NSW for recreational bike riders and offer worldwide insurance to protect you when on the bike.
Learn More / Donate Now: bicyclensw.org.au
Charity Miles
You don't donate directly to Charity Miles, instead, Charity Miles lets you turn your bike rides into fundraisers for good. Just choose a charity and get moving. The app tracks your movement (bike, walk, run, hike, dance), and for every mile you log, you help to earn money for your chosen charity. You can choose from over 40 charities that are making a big impact on health, children, animals, the environment, education, veterans and more.
Learn More: charitymiles.org
Bikes for Kids
There are lots of "bikes for kids" programs across the world that give bikes and gear to kids who might not otherwise be able to afford them. Most of these organizations focus on Christmastime, but some do giveaways year-round or based around other holidays. You can give a monetary donation or get involved as one of Santa's helpers by donating your time to assemble bikes at one of their bike-building events. We recommend you support a local bikes for kids program and that you find one by asking your local bike shop or bike club, both of whom are often involved or co-sponsoring a bike giveaway event of their own.
A few we like: Jack The Bike Man, Free Bikes for Kids
RELATED: How to choose a kid's bike
Local Bike Shop
Your local bike shop is part of the community. Sure, they sell bikes and gear and that's their business, but they also put on how-to clinics, group rides, organize trail clean ups and building events, and get involved in local bicycling advocacy. They are often the front-line supporters of the organizations we listed above. So, while you won't actually send a donation to your local bike shop, you could support them by giving a visit and making a purchase.
We know there are many more bicycle-related organizations out there doing good work and deserving of support. Which organizations do you get behind and why? Let us know in the comments below.
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