Understanding Business Motivations

Different types of businesses have different priorities. Recognizing what drives their decision-making will help tailor your approach:

• Small Local Businesses (Bike Shops, Cafes, Retailers, etc.)

  • Motivation: Community engagement, customer loyalty, brand goodwill.
  • Strategy: Keep the ask reasonable—small donations, in-kind contributions, or hosting an event rather than large sponsorships.

• Large Corporations (Tech Companies, Real Estate Developers, Major Employers)

  • Motivation: Sustainability initiatives, employee wellness, public relations, policy influence.
  • Strategy: Frame cycling advocacy as an opportunity to align with their corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals or as a way to create a better city for their employees and customers.

• Businesses with a Direct Stake in Cycling (Bike Shops, Outdoor Retailers, Fitness & Wellness Brands)

  • Motivation: More people on bikes means more customers.
  • Strategy: Offer them opportunities to engage deeply—such as serving as a technical advisor, hosting bike maintenance workshops, or providing discounts to advocacy members.

• Businesses Concerned with Urban Development (Real Estate Developers, Hospitality, Local Chambers of Commerce)

  • Motivation: Increased foot traffic, higher property values, vibrant neighborhoods.
  • Strategy: Show how bike-friendly infrastructure attracts residents and customers, improving their bottom line.

The Best Ways Businesses Can Support Bike Advocacy

Rather than focusing on direct financial contributions, businesses are often in a better position to provide meaningful support in other ways:

• Political Influence – Business owners, especially those with high-profile brands or significant economic impact, can be valuable allies when speaking to elected officials. Having a business leader advocate for bike-friendly policies carries weight, as politicians often prioritize economic arguments over purely social or environmental ones.

• Event & Meeting Space – Businesses with extra space (cafes, co-working spaces, breweries) can host advocacy meetings, community events, or educational workshops at little or no cost.

• In-Kind Donations – Instead of monetary sponsorships, businesses can donate products or services, such as:

  • Bike shops providing free tune-ups for an event.
  • Cafes offering coffee and snacks for volunteers.
  • Printing companies providing free posters and flyers.

• Employee Engagement – Companies with sustainability or wellness programs may be willing to incorporate biking initiatives into their workplace culture, such as:

  • Encouraging bike-to-work days.
  • Offering incentives for employees who commute by bike.
  • Sponsoring a corporate team for an advocacy ride.

Final Recommendations

• Start Small & Build the Relationship – A business is more likely to agree to a small, easy ask (e.g., a social media shoutout or hosting a meetup) than a major sponsorship right away. Once they see value, they’ll be more open to deeper engagement.
• Speak Their Language – If a business owner is focused on revenue, highlight the economic benefits. If they’re environmentally conscious, emphasize sustainability. Tailor the message to what resonates with them.
• Make It Easy – The more straightforward your ask, the higher the likelihood of a “yes.” Offer a clear plan and minimize the effort required on their part.
• Leverage Existing Business Champions – If you already have a supportive business, ask them to introduce you to others. Business owners trust their peers more than cold outreach.

By understanding business motivations, making realistic asks, and addressing potential conflicts, your bike advocacy organization can build strong, long-term partnerships that support both community cycling and business success.

Schools & Universities

Building successful partnerships with schools and universities requires patience, persistence, and a deep understanding of the constraints that administrators face. Schools are often understaffed, and administrators juggle complex legal, insurance, and district-level requirements. The most effective partnerships don’t begin with big institutional commitments but rather by identifying a passionate teacher, faculty member, or administrator who is already enthusiastic about cycling.

By investing significant time and resources over a single school year to help this individual build momentum—providing volunteers, writing grants, contributing financial or in-kind donations, and hosting engaging events—you can establish a lasting program that fosters cycling culture for years to come. Once a program takes root, it can generate volunteers, student leadership, and school-wide cycling energy with minimal outside effort.

Understanding School & University Priorities

Different types of schools and universities have distinct motivations and challenges. Recognizing these priorities will help shape your approach:

• Elementary & Middle Schools

  • Priorities: Student safety, parental concerns, physical activity, academic performance.
  • Challenges: Liability issues, staffing shortages, lack of funding for bike education or infrastructure.
  • Strategy: Work with PTO/PTA groups, offer free bike education and safety events, and advocate for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funding.

• High Schools

  • Priorities: Student engagement, college & career readiness, extracurricular activities.
  • Challenges: Students may have access to cars, administrators may be focused on graduation rates rather than transportation.
  • Strategy: Work with student environmental clubs, provide bike repair stations, advocate for bike lanes near campus, and support cycling as part of PE classes or extracurricular activities.

• Universities & Colleges

  • Priorities: Sustainability, transportation solutions, student wellness, campus safety.
  • Challenges: Bureaucracy, competing interests (car parking vs. bike facilities), limited staff time.
  • Strategy: Engage with campus sustainability or transportation departments, offer bike-friendly infrastructure suggestions, and work with student groups to organize campus bike events.

Effective Ways to Support Schools

Instead of asking schools for large commitments upfront, start small and make it easy for them to say yes. The best support comes in the form of:

1. Finding & Supporting a Cycling Champion

• Identify a passionate teacher, coach, or administrator who already believes in cycling.
• Provide them with resources, volunteers, and funding to pilot a small program.
• Invest intensively in their program for one school year to ensure it thrives.

2. Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Programs

• Partner with the PTO/PTA to advocate for safer bike routes, bike education, and secure bike parking.
• Assist in applying for SRTS grants (which often require coordination with the local government or MPO and are requested through block level grants with your State Department of Transportation).
• Many safety improvements (e.g., painting crosswalks, adding signage) can be made at low or no cost through local advocacy.

3. Bike Bus Programs

• Organize Bike Bus routes, where students ride together to school with parent or community volunteers.
• Help coordinate routes, recruit volunteers, and provide safety training.
• Engage schools by showing how Bike Buses increase attendance, reduce morning traffic congestion, and promote healthy habits.

4. Partnering with Student Groups

• Elementary & Middle Schools – Work with environmental clubs, PE teachers, and after-school programs.
• High Schools – Engage student government, sustainability clubs, and athletic teams.
• Colleges & Universities – Partner with cycling clubs, student sustainability groups, and public health organizations.

5. Supporting University Transportation Departments

• Offer assistance in advocating for campus bike lanes, improved bike parking, and bike-share programs.
• Help promote cycling as a sustainable transportation alternative through education campaigns.
• Assist with grant writing and funding proposals for bicycle infrastructure improvements.

Navigating Challenges with School

Schools and universities have different constraints and priorities, and not every program will be an easy sell. Here’s how to address common obstacles:

Liability Concerns

• Challenge: Schools worry about legal responsibility for bike-related injuries.
• Opportunity: Work with school administrators to develop clear safety protocols, provide liability waivers, and emphasize the benefits of structured bike education programs.

Staffing & Time Constraints

• Challenge: Teachers & administrators are overworked and lack bandwidth.
• Opportunity: Offer to provide volunteers, write grant applications, or help organize and run events to reduce their workload.

District / University Bureaucracy

• Challenge: Schools have slow decision-making processes with many approval layers.
• Opportunity: Start with low-effort, informal programs that don’t require district approval (e.g., a volunteer-led bike bus or student club).

Perceived Lack of Interest

• Challenge: Administrators may assume students aren’t interested in biking.
• Opportunity: Organize high-energy, visible cycling events like a Bike to School Day to generate excitement and show student demand.

Parking & Car Culture

• Challenge: Schools may be resistant to reducing car parking for bike infrastructure.
• Opportunity: Present data showing how bike-friendly campuses reduce congestion, improve safety, and attract students.

Final Recommendations

• Start Small, Invest Big – Don’t ask schools for a major commitment upfront. Instead, identify one passionate champion and invest intensively in their success for a year.
• Make It Easy for Schools to Say Yes – Offer ready-to-go programs that require minimal effort from school staff.
• Find the Right Entry Point – PTO/PTA groups, PE teachers, sustainability coordinators, and student clubs are often the best places to start.
• Leverage Student Excitement – Students are the best advocates for their own needs. Encourage them to lead initiatives and amplify their voices.
• Build Momentum Over Time – Once one school successfully integrates cycling into its culture, others will follow.

By taking a long-term, strategic approach to partnerships with schools and universities, your advocacy group can create sustainable, high-impact programs that inspire the next generation of cyclists.

Community Organizations

Community organizations are powerful allies in bike advocacy, but their priorities vary widely. To build effective partnerships, it's important to understand their motivations, respect their constraints, and offer clear ways to collaborate that align with their mission.

Unlike businesses or schools, community organizations often focus on local advocacy, public health, social justice, or sustainability rather than profit or structured education. They are often volunteer-led or have small, overstretched teams, meaning they may lack the bandwidth to take on new projects without clear and easy ways to contribute.

Successful partnerships start by identifying a key champion within the organization—a leader or member who is personally passionate about cycling or mobility issues. By providing resources, volunteers, and hands-on support, your advocacy group can help integrate cycling initiatives into their ongoing efforts.

Understanding Community Organization Priorities

Effective Engagement Strategies

Rather than asking organizations to shift their focus toward cycling, integrate biking into their existing priorities:

1. Neighborhood Associations: Hyper-Local Advocacy Partners

• Attend meetings and listen to community concerns. Often, these groups are key players in decisions about local transportation.
• Help them advocate for bike-friendly streets, safer crossings, and traffic calming measures that benefit all road users.
• Offer to conduct bike/walk audits to document issues and push for improvements.

2. Environmental Groups: Shared Sustainability Goals

• Collaborate on climate-friendly transportation initiatives, such as bike-to-work challenges or car-free days.
• Provide data on emissions reductions from biking to support their advocacy efforts.
• Organize joint events like park cleanups that incorporate group rides.

3. Health Organizations: Biking as a Public Health Tool

• Work with hospitals, community health programs, and public health departments to promote biking for fitness, mental health, and disease prevention.
• Provide resources for doctors and nurses to prescribe biking as part of a healthy lifestyle.
• Partner on bike-and-walk wellness programs or initiatives to reduce chronic disease.

4. Senior Centers & Aging Organizations

• Educate seniors on how e-bikes can extend mobility and independence.
• Offer safe riding workshops tailored for older adults.
• Advocate for age-friendly cycling infrastructure, such as wider paths and protected bike lanes.

Final Recommendations

• Start with Relationship Building – Attend meetings, listen, and offer support before making asks.
• Frame Cycling as a Solution to Their Problems – Whether it’s public health, safety, sustainability, or equity, show how cycling helps advance their cause.
• Make It Easy for Them to Participate – Provide ready-to-go initiatives that require little effort on their part.
• Leverage Existing Community Events – Rather than creating standalone events, integrate biking into what they’re already doing.
• Invest in Long-Term Partnerships – The most valuable relationships take time to develop but can create lasting cycling culture in the community.

By aligning with community priorities, providing hands-on support, and fostering long-term collaboration, your advocacy group can turn community organizations into powerful allies for a more bike-friendly future.

Local Government

Building strong relationships with local government is essential for advancing bike advocacy efforts, but it requires a strategic approach. Government officials and staff work within complex bureaucratic systems, are often overworked, and must balance multiple priorities. Success in working with them requires understanding their constraints, aligning your goals with their mandates, and offering clear, actionable solutions rather than just demands.

Unlike businesses or community organizations, government partnerships are about policy, funding, and implementation. The key is to build trust and credibility over time by becoming a knowledgeable, solution-oriented partner. Many successful advocacy initiatives don’t start with elected officials but rather with city staff and commission members who are responsible for transportation planning and public works.

Understanding Government Priorities & Challenges

Effective Engagement

Government staff and officials appreciate well-organized, solution-oriented partners who make their jobs easier. The most impactful ways to work with them include:

1. Become a Trusted Resource for City Staff

• City planners and engineers are often overworked and understaffed. Rather than just demanding change, offer to help by providing data, public feedback, and policy examples from other cities.
• Participate in public meetings and advisory boards: be present, informed, and solutions-focused.
• Offer to draft policy recommendations that city staff can adapt rather than starting from scratch.

2. Align with Existing City Goals & Plans

• Find ways to connect cycling improvements with the city’s existing strategic plans, whether related to climate action, economic development, Vision Zero, or traffic safety.
• If bike-friendly policies are already in the city’s transportation master plan, advocate for prioritizing implementation rather than starting a new initiative from scratch.

3. Help Officials Win Public Support

• Elected officials care about constituent opinions. Mobilize residents to attend meetings, send emails, and speak at public comment sessions.
• Frame cycling improvements in terms of broad community benefits (safer streets, economic growth, public health, sustainability) rather than just a niche cycling issue.

4. Advocate for Policy & Infrastructure Changes

• Push for Complete Streets policies that require bike and pedestrian considerations in all road projects.
• Work with zoning and planning officials to require bike parking, multi-use paths, and safer intersections in new developments.
• Identify small, quick wins (like adding bike lanes during repaving projects) that city staff can implement with minimal effort.

5. Assist with Grant Applications & Funding

• Many bike projects require external funding from federal or state grants (e.g., Safe Streets for All, Safe Routes to School, Transportation Alternatives Program).
• Offer to research and help write grant applications: smaller localities often lack the staffing capacity for this.
• Show how investing in bike infrastructure can save money long-term by reducing congestion and road maintenance costs.

6. Engage Commissions & Advisory Boards

• Many cities have Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committees, Sustainability Commissions, or Transportation Boards that advise policymakers. Get involved!
• These groups review infrastructure projects and can influence city priorities before they reach elected officials.

Final Recommendations

• Build Relationships Before Making Asks – Attend public meetings, get to know staff, and understand their challenges before pushing for specific projects.
• Speak Their Language – Government staff and officials respond best to data, policy examples, and community support rather than emotional appeals alone.
• Be a Partner, Not Just an Advocate – Offer solutions, funding assistance, and community engagement support to help government staff do their jobs more effectively.
• Celebrate Wins & Give Credit – Publicly recognize officials and staff when they implement positive changes. This builds goodwill and encourages continued progress.
• Play the Long Game – Government moves slowly, but persistence pays off. Keep showing up, pushing for change, and expanding community support.

By becoming a respected, solutions-oriented partner, bike advocates can turn local government into a powerful force for safer, more bike-friendly communities.

Building Relationships

Building a partnership isn't just about sending a mass email. It's about building genuine relationships. Here's how to do it:

1. Identify Shared Goals: What does the potential partner care about? How does cycling align with their mission? Do your research!
2. Reach Out (and Be Personal!): Don't just send a generic email. Find a specific contact person and tailor your message to their organization. Explain how a partnership would be mutually beneficial. A phone call or in-person meeting is even better.
3. Start Small: You don't need a massive, complex partnership right away. Begin with a small, achievable project – a joint event, a co-signed letter to the city council, or a shared social media campaign.
4. Communicate Clearly and Regularly: Keep your partners informed about your progress and any relevant developments.
5. Recognize and Appreciate Their Contributions: Publicly acknowledge your partners' support. A simple "thank you" goes a long way.
6. Be Flexible and Open to New Ideas: Partnerships are a two-way street. Be willing to compromise and adapt your plans to accommodate your partners' needs.
7. Formalize, if needed: Once you've had some small wins, consider creating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize the partnership, if appropriate.

Examples of Successful Partnerships:

• A local bike advocacy group partners with a coffee shop to offer a "Bike to Brew" discount on Saturday mornings.
• A school district collaborates with a cycling club to create a bike safety curriculum for elementary students.
• A neighborhood association teams up with a real estate developer to advocate for protected bike lanes on a major street.

Key Takeaway

Building strategic partnerships takes time and effort, but the rewards are well worth it. By working together, we can create a truly bike-friendly community, one pedal stroke (and one partnership) at a time. So, get out there, start building those bridges, and let's make some real change happen!

What are your experiences with partnerships? Share your tips and success stories in the comments below, editing this page directly, or emailing hi@3feetplease.org!