Community Relations Efforts y Tuesday October 8, 2013 7:00-8:15pm - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Community Relations Efforts y

Tuesday October 8, 2013 7:00-8:15pm CDT

Shawnee Trail Cycling Club

• 501(c)3 non-profit focused on the education and

promotion of cycling

• 4 years old & one of five largest memberships in DFW

DFW Metro Stats

• 9 000 square miles
• 9,000 square miles

larger than Rhode Island and Connecticut combined

• Region has one of the highest concentration of cyclists

F f l b i t f th 20 j

• Focus area for our club consists of more than 20 major

municipalities

You can’t work without a goal. Shawnee Trail Cycling Club

h h d

• Be the ones that communities and organizations

call on when help is needed

• Don’t be that organization that is only seen rushing

g y g to “save the day” for cyclists when there’s an issue

Develop established relationships Focus on communities where you have a Focus on communities where you have a

presence

• Look at your membership and determine where you can

make a difference. make a difference.

• Not just your base, not just where your rides start
• Where do your rides go – who could you be affecting? –

can you promote cycling in those communities?

l h

Try not to overlap where a strong presence exists

• Its not a competition to show how good you are, but is

about building relationships.

• You will get in the way of getting things done and will
• You will get in the way of getting things done and will

likely harm the reputation of the cycling community as a whole

Its about Giving

• “Getting” is just icing on the cake and will come
• Make this about the community – not you
• Look at things from the communities perspective
• Look at things from the communities perspective

(pressures, priorities). Work with them to meet their goals and become part of those.

M l i P d h

Multi-Pronged approach

• Parks, Council, Mayor, Fire, Streets, Schools
• Local law enforcement can’t emphasize this

Local law enforcement, can t emphasize this enough

If you have members that are residents of the

community get them involved and put them up front community, get them involved and put them up front.

• Communities are much more willing to listen to their

constituents

Involve your state organization assuming one exists Involve your state organization, assuming one exists

• These state-level organizations, if positioned properly, add

credibility to your presence and give you a point of escalation, if necessary , y

Always include reference to LAB

• Demonstrates efforts and strategy are consistent local to

national

Draw in your sponsors

• They may have contacts or insight related to issues and/or

potential programs

Stick to your objective

• Be the ones that communities and organizations call when
• Be the ones that communities and organizations call when

help is needed

Meet regularly, not just when there’s a problem

• There’s so much benefit to a meeting without problems

h d i b ildi l l i hi where you can spend time building personal relationships

Hold events, start rides and give the communities

you’ve listed some personal attention

• Bike rodeos novice rides trail building bike rack
• Bike rodeos, novice rides, trail building, bike rack

donations, meetings with citizens

Draw the communities into your events

• Eg. Individual recognition of the communities by the club

g g y through Bike Month proclamations and activities)

Use Social Media for recognition and to get the

message out!

Joel Hoback

• el Hoback

President President, Shawnee Trail Cycling Club Chair Chair, Frisco Bicycle Advisory Committee Email: jhhoback@yahoo.com