Author: Tim Mooney

September 7, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 232: Surviving Detours & Closures

Detours and closures are a part of bike touring, but how do you handle it? On this edition, five things to think about on how to handle bike route detours and closures without losing your cool. Originally podcast February 11, 2021.

Best of Pedalshift 232: Surviving Detours & Closures

The post Best of Pedalshift 232: Surviving Detours & Closures appeared first on Pedalshift.

September 6, 2023

Voter Registration Revisited

Did you know that 60% of eligible voters are never asked to register to vote? Couple this startling fact with many new voter registration rules that have been introduced since the 2020 election—in many instances, to make it harder to register or stay on the voter rolls—we thought it was time to revisit this topic. This year, National Voter Registration Day is September 19 so there’s no time like the present for nonprofits to develop a plan to engage in voter registration!

Attorneys for this episode:

Monika Graham
Natalie Ossenfort
Quyen Tu

Voter Registration Rules for 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizations (according to the Tax Code)

Yes, your nonprofit can engage in voter registration activities! When doing so, public charities must ensure they are conducted in a nonpartisan manner and in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws.

DO:

Keep voter registration work nonpartisan

Focus voter registration activities on community members with whom the organization serves or hopes to serve
Focus on historically underrepresented populations (youth, low-income, etc.)
Make their voter registration services available to everyone

DO NOT:

Attempt to influence which parties or candidates get elected to public office

Coordinate activities with candidates or parties
Prioritize outreach to populations because they are more likely to vote for certain types of candidates
Reference candidates or parties
Provide incentives and/or knowingly and willfully pay, offer to pay, or accept payment either for registering to vote or voting (payment includes anything having monetary value including pizza or prizes given out for voting).

Relevant Voter Registration Federal Election Laws for 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizations

When federal candidates are on the ballot certain FEC rules may apply, including:

Organizations should not provide incentives and/or knowingly and willfully pay, offer to pay, or accept payment either for registering to vote or voting (payment includes anything having monetary value including pizza or prizes given out for voting).
Organizations should not coordinate voter registration activities with candidates or political parties.

Know Your State Laws on Voter Registration

State laws can be very specific. For example:

Texas requires any person who collects and returns completed voter registration forms to be appointed a Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR) by each county in which they will be acting.
Minnesota allows individuals to register to vote online. Third parties (like nonprofit staff) may not electronically submit a voter registration application on a voter’s behalf, but may help the voter submit the application, with the voter’s consent and in the voter’s presence.
Many states also have restrictions on providing incentives for voter registration (like FEC regulations), so check your state’s laws for more.

In California, if you request more than 50 voter registration cards, you must submit a distribution form that (among other things) requires you to summarize your distribution plan.

Check out our Practical Guidance-Nonprofit Voter Assistance series. We currently have 19 states available, but more coming soon!

Foundations CAN Support Voter Registration

Foundations can provide grants for nonpartisan voter registration activities only! Public Foundations can fund voter registration directly or indirectly by making general support grants. While the rules for Private Foundations are more restrictive, 501(c)(3) organizations can potentially use their general support grants to support voter registration drives (if not prohibited in grant agreement). In addition, Private Foundations can make specific project grants for voter registration drives in limited circumstances.

Make a Plan for 2024 Now!

Check out Nonprofit Vote’s National Voter Registration Day website for tips and shareable posts.
Train your staff and volunteers are on the rules!

Make your own plan to vote!

Resources

August 31, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 335: PDX-SF2x – Day 5

Day 5 features critical bus connections using three transit services to whisk me through gorgeous terrain, delivering me a reasonably short ride through glorious redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants for a stay at my favorite hiker/biker campsite on the planet. The bus systems are designed to connect, but will they do that on a critical day of transit reliance to get me to my campsite amongst some of the world’s most famous trees?

The Pedalshift Project 335: PDX-SF2x - Day 5

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 335: PDX-SF2x – Day 5.

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109

PDX-SF2x – Day 5

Quick catchup on the tour plans

PDX-SF

Every day has some biking and bussing

Connections are… tight in parts

Fully loaded, but on the light side

Got my bike serviced ahead of departure. We’ll get into that.

Listen to episode 330 for more!

Statistics

Miles bussed 129

Miles biked 29

Transit systems used 3

Attempts to convince me Newark, DE is ponounced the same as the similarly spelled city in NJ 1

Percent correct that my guy Daniel – who said he lived in Newark – was 0

Beers at Eel River Brewing 1

Phones left in the bathroom and then recovered off mic at Eel River Brewing 1

Stops along Avenue of the Giants 8+

Flats 0

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer’s upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield
Lauren Allansmith
Eric Burns
Thomas Pearl
Darrin McKibben
Richard Stewart
Dave Fletcher
Jack Smith
Luke Parkinson
Ryan Patterson
Cyrus Farivar
John Gardiner
Sam Scruggs

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new solo album available NOW. Go listen to COMMON TONGUES wherever cool music is available!

The post The Pedalshift Project 335: PDX-SF2x – Day 5 appeared first on Pedalshift.

August 24, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 334: PDX-SF2x – Day 4

A solid night’s sleep and the lost phone drama fully behind me, it was time for a short but fun day riding the Seven Devils. But that pesky missing climbing gear… would I be pushing more than riding before testing the bus drama that has been a companion every day of this tour?

The Pedalshift Project 334: PDX-SF2x - Day 4

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 334: PDX-SF2x – Day 4.

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

PDX-SF2x – Day 4

Quick catchup on the tour plans

PDX-SF

Every day has some biking and bussing

Connections are… tight in parts

Fully loaded, but on the light side

Got my bike serviced ahead of departure. We’ll get into that.

Listen to episode 330 for more!

Statistics

Miles biked 23.2 miles

Devils deviled 7

Miles bussed 88 miles

inches of subway sandwiches consumed 6

Chocolate martinis 2

Flats 0

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new solo album available NOW. Go listen to COMMON TONGUES wherever cool music is available!

The post The Pedalshift Project 334: PDX-SF2x – Day 4 appeared first on Pedalshift.

August 17, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 333: PDX-SF2x – Day 3

I always say the 3rd day of a tour is when things really click, and this tour was no different. Leaving beautiful Newport for tranquil Yachats promised a great start for a classic third day of riding. But would bus drama hit me for the third day in a row, but with more of a vengeance?

The Pedalshift Project 333: PDX-SF2x - Day 3

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 333: PDX-SF2x – Day 3.

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

PDX-SF2x – Day 3

Quick catchup on the tour plans

PDX-SF

Every day has some biking and bussing

Connections are… tight in parts

Fully loaded, but on the light side

Got my bike serviced ahead of departure. We’ll get into that.

Listen to episode 330 for more!

Statistics

Bus miles 71 (24+47)

Bike miles 36 (4+26+6)

Phones lost 1

Meters futilely run after departing bus with said phone 50

Cost differential for hotel upgrade 130

Flats 0

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new solo album available NOW. Go listen to COMMON TONGUES wherever cool music is available!

The post The Pedalshift Project 333: PDX-SF2x – Day 3 appeared first on Pedalshift.

August 10, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 332: PDX-SF2x – Day 2

Day 2 begins with a moist tent from the misty influences of the Pacific Ocean just a few hundred meters away. With more cycling than bus riding, plus old hangs like Pacific City and Lincoln City, the day promises an easy scale up to more miles. But what if the critical bus doesn’t have a bike rack like it normally does… again?

The Pedalshift Project 332: PDX-SF2x - Day 2

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 332: PDX-SF2x – Day 2.

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

PDX-SF2x – Day 2

Quick catchup on the tour plans

PDX-SF

Every day has some biking and bussing

Connections are… tight in parts

Fully loaded, but on the light side

Got my bike serviced ahead of departure. We’ll get into that.

Listen to episode 330 for more!

Statistics

Bike miles 48

Bus miles 19

Consecutive number of times my bike’s been jammed inside a bus since this started 2

Beers consumed 1.5

Tents dried in the Newport air 1

Flats 0

The Pedalshift Project 332: PDX-SF2x - Day 2

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new solo album available NOW. Go listen to COMMON TONGUES wherever cool music is available!

The post The Pedalshift Project 332: PDX-SF2x – Day 2 appeared first on Pedalshift.

August 9, 2023

Evaluating Advocacy

On this episode we chat with Shannon Williams, Director of Boulder Advocacy’s Operations and Evaluation to learn more about the use of evaluation tools to make our organizations better advocates. Measuring success is much more than identifying wins and losses, it includes improving capacity and other incremental steps to achieving policy goals.

Voices on this episode

Tim Mooney

Shannon Williams

Shownotes

Understanding Evaluation
Differences between advocacy and program evaluation.
Beyond Wins & Losses
- Importance of considering interim milestones and not just the end goals.
- The “attribution conundrum.”
- Embracing complexity, focusing on contribution rather than attribution.
- Building power and capacity as evaluation metrics.
- Importance of sustainability and setting up for long-term success.
- Understanding the vision of an organization and using the Theory of Change to achieve it.

Resources

· A User’s Guide to Advocacy Evaluation Planning (Harvard Family Research Project)*

· The Advocacy Strategy Framework (Center for Evaluation Innovation)*

· Data Playbook (Schusterman Philanthropies)*

· Getting Started: A Self-Directed Guide to Outcome Map Development (ORS Impact)*

· When the Best Offense is a Good Defense: Understanding and Measuring Advocacy on the Defense (ORS Impact)*

· Advocacy Capacity Tool (ACT!) and ACT! Quick*

· Amplifying Nonprofit Voices: Bridging the Advocacy Evaluation Gap

· Advocacy That Builds Power: Transforming Policies and Systems for Health and Racial Equity (Center for Evaluation Innovation)

· Gigi Barsom, “A New Framework for Understanding Power Building,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, July 17, 2023

August 3, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 331: PDX-SF2x – Day 1

After weeks of planning, the transit aided, double speed tour from Portland to San Francisco kicks off! A far-too-quick overnight in Portland puts me on the road to a bus and a night at one of the premiere campgrounds on the Oregon coast. But would modifications to my trusted touring bike be a net plus, or a net minus? Also… are we getting early signs of a cursed tour?

The Pedalshift Project 331: PDX-SF2x - Day 1

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 331: PDX-SF2x – Day 1.

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

PDX-SF2x – Day 1

Quick catchup on the tour plans

PDX-SF

Every day has some biking and bussing

Connections are… tight in parts

Fully loaded, but on the light side

Got my bike serviced ahead of departure. We’ll get into that.

Listen to episode 330 for more!

Statistics

Buses taken 1

Miles bussed 75

Miles biked 18

PB&J wraps eaten 1

Beaches visited 2

Flats 0

The Pedalshift Project 331: PDX-SF2x - Day 1

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new solo album available NOW. Go listen to COMMON TONGUES wherever cool music is available!

The post The Pedalshift Project 331: PDX-SF2x – Day 1 appeared first on Pedalshift.

July 27, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 219: Rebel Without a Car

A chat with Mary McGowan is the Rebel Without a Car. She’s a Delaware native now in South Carolina who went from a car-free bike commuter to bike tourist and has discovered a ton of adventure along the way. Originally podcast September 24, 2020.

Best of Pedalshift 219: Rebel Without a Car

The post Best of Pedalshift 219: Rebel Without a Car appeared first on Pedalshift.

July 26, 2023

Advocacy in Action: People’s Parity Project

On this episode, we are joined by special guest, Molly Coleman, the co-founder and executive director of People’s Parity Project (PPP), a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to harnessing the organizing power of lawyers and law students to create a legal system that prioritizes the people over corporate profits. Molly shares the inspiring journey of PPP, starting as a grassroots law student organizing effort to its current nationwide presence, fighting for a better legal profession and a justice-centered legal system. We explore the challenges and learning curves faced by PPP as a coalition of law students and new attorneys, the need for reform in legal education, and the importance of public engagement to effect change. Join us as we uncover the bold projects and imaginative strategies PPP is employing to shape a future where justice prevails.

Attorneys for this episode: Quyen Tu, Tim Mooney

Guest: Molly Coleman, Co-Founder and Executive Director of People’s Parity Project

Questions

What is People’s Parity Project, and how did you get started?

Where does PPP draw its inspiration from?

As law students and new attorneys, what are the learning curves you face in this work and are there balancing advantages to the perspectives you bring?

What are your thoughts on law school reform?

What are things we need to fix the legal system?

How does the structure of being a (c)(3) organization help and hinder what you want to accomplish?

How can people get involved, including students looking to starting a a chapter at their law school or graduates starting one at their alma mater?

Resources:

People’s Parity Project