Author: Tim Mooney

December 14, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 346: Slow Travel by Bike

On this episode of The Pedalshift Project, we explore slow travel and its relevance to your bicycle adventures. We also circle back to our previous discussion on eBikes, reflecting on some listener feedback and exploring the evolving role of eBikes on the future of bicycle travel.

The Pedalshift Project 346: Slow Travel by Bike

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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

E-Biking Adventures Follow-Up

A recap and appreciation for the previous episode’s guest, Biking Brian.
Discussion on the high listener engagement and feedback from the eBike episode.
Future implications of e-bikes in bicycle travel.
Addressing listener feedback on the capabilities of commercially available e-bikes for touring.

Slow Travel by Bike

Defining Slow Travel
Embracing the Journey – the importance, the rewards, the opportunities
Slow Travel Planning
Slow Travel Benefits

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 346: Slow Travel by Bike appeared first on Pedalshift.

December 13, 2023

Firewalls & Programmatic Independence

On this episode, we discuss best practices for working in coalition and with affiliated organizations and the importance of firewalls to 501(c)(4)s that engage in independent expenditures.

Attorneys for this show

Monika Graham, Susan Finkle-Sourlis, and Leslie Barnes

Working in Coalition – Affiliated Organizations

· Maximize advocacy and resources

· 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) activities

· Establishing legal, financial, and programmatic independence

o Separate names, logos, EIN, and activities

o Cost sharing agreements

o Separate or joint websites and social media accounts

o Timesheets

o Branding matters

Firewalls – 501(c)(4)s and political organizations, candidates and committees

· What are independent expenditures?

· Why are independent expenditures important?

· Establishing firewalls to protect against impermissible coordination

· Safe harbors for permissible communications

· FEC firewall policy

Resources

Please check out the resources listed below and our extensive resource library at bolderadvocacy.org for more information on this topic. We hope you join us on a future episode of the podcast!

The Connection

The Practical Implications of Affiliated Organizations

Nonprofits Working Together

Working Together: Affiliation and Coalition Basics

FEC guidance on independent expenditures and firewalls

December 7, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 074: Fast Forward Your Bike Adventures

On this edition, how to fast forward your bike adventures. It’s your ride… make it the best you can by bypassing parts you don’t want, catching up on a schedule or accommodating an extra day in a cool spot! Originally podcast March 23, 2017.

Best of Pedalshift 074: Fast Forward Your Bike Adventures

The post Best of Pedalshift 074: Fast Forward Your Bike Adventures appeared first on Pedalshift.

November 30, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 345: eBike Adventures with Biking Brian

On this episode of The Pedalshift Project, we welcome eBike expert Biking Brian to chat about his eBike touring and adventures. We discuss his background in bicycling and touring, his experiences with building eBikes and battery packs, and the future potential of eBike travel.

The Pedalshift Project 345: eBike Adventures with Biking Brian

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eBike Adventures with Biking Brian

Brian’s eBike touring experience
Brian’s charger and battery pack
Brian’s background and early bicycling experience
Building eBikes and battery packs
The ease of installing eBike components
Potential future eBike tour routes
The challenges of finding charging spots during the day
The availability of online videos for guidance in installing eBike components
The future of eBike touring and its potential popularity
The complexity and process of building eBikes and battery pack
Future adventures

Watch this conversation

Biking Brian on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@bikingbrian
Brian’s Indiana to Boston ride route – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43237806

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 345: eBike Adventures with Biking Brian appeared first on Pedalshift.

November 29, 2023

Advocacy Successes 2023

On this episode we’re excited to highlight nonprofit success stories from around the country. While we talk about lobbying on this podcast, legislative wins are one type of advocacy victory. We’ll look at some legislative victories as well as other types of advocacy such as relationship building, corporate advocacy, and funding wins. For some organizations, legislative victories can bring additional resources to your community. For other organizations, legislative victories can serve as harm reduction in the interim while we build a multi-racial democracy. We’ll also highlight strategies for talking about advocacy success to your donors and community.

Lawyers for this episode

Leslie Barnes

Sarah Efthymiou

Ballot Measure Victories

· Ohio Issue 1

o Double digit victory

o Intersectional coalition work of grassroots organizations

o Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom was one coalition of community-led nonprofits ranging from faith-based organizations, to racial justice and transgender rights nonprofits, from labor organizations to trade associations.

· Other states that led the way on democracy-related measures Ballot measure recap by Victor Rivera Labiosa

California Legislative Victories – “Hot Labor Summer”

· SB 616, paid sick leave

o CA Work & Family Coalition, a coalition of community nonprofits

o Part of the coalition’s strategy involved gathering variety of voices to be heard by collecting stories and bringing those voices to the policy makers.

· SB 525, minimum wage increase to $25/hour for CA’s lowest-paid health care workers

o SEIU United Healthcare Workers West

Organizing Victories – Equitable compensation

· Black Leadership Action Coalition of Kentucky (BLACK) and Advocacy Based on Lived Experience (ABLE) 2 grassroots organizations

· Adopted policies that center impacted community members in their work by compensating directly impacted volunteers for contributing their lived experiences and community organizing skills.

· See guest blog below in shownotes

Strategies for talking to funders

· Follow your funder’s lead

· Investing in Change for other metrics to measure success

· Don’t take credit candidate victories

Resources

· Ballot Initiative Strategy Center – Ballot measure hub tracking challenges to direct democracy, past and upcoming ballot measures

· Democracy in Action: Analyzing November’s Key Ballot Measure Wins

· Two-part piece on Equitable Compensation Alicia Hurle

o The Power of Equitable Compensation in Community Organizing Spaces

o Building Community Empowerment

November 25, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 344: Delaware Double Cross + Takeaways

As an aficionado of crossing states by bicycle, there’s big ones on my list like NY, CA and OR… and then there’s less impressive ones that still absolutely count. Welcome to the Delaware Double Cross!

The Pedalshift Project 344: Delaware Double Cross + Takeaways

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Delaware Double Cross

STATISTICS

Miles biked 30

Wheels on Brompton when I left Chesapeake City 6

Wheels when I got to Delaware City 5

Numbers of people who asked me how much my bike weighed 2

Melty ice creams eaten 1

Beers imbibed 1

States crossed 1 (x2)

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 344: Delaware Double Cross + Takeaways appeared first on Pedalshift.

November 16, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 343: Delaware Double Cross Preview

My fall 2023 adventure checks the box on one of my goals from the beginning of the year… I love crossing states by bike, and is it my fault that some of them are very, very skinny? Ok, fine I’ll cross it TWICE to make it count! Previewing my next ride… the Delaware Double Cross!

The Pedalshift Project 343: Delaware Double Cross Preview

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Delaware Double Cross Preview

2023 goal… cross a new state by bike
DELAWARE!
First plan… the one I didn’t choose ¯_(ツ)_/¯
- All transit and bike
- MARC to the northern terminus in Perryville
- Bus to Elkton
- Ride across to Delaware City
- Ride to Wilmington
- Amtrak to DC
Why didn’t I choose this? Safety!
Bike situation near Elkton was even dicier than the Florida sidewalk and shoulder riding I’ve done that is pretty marginal
Google Street View revealed possible options, but the more I scratched at the surface, the worse it looked

What I chose – the LaCrosse! and a simpler off-road option
- Drive to Chesapeake City MD
- Ride the Mike Castle Trail to Delware City along the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal to the Delaware River
- AND BACK!
- 30 miles of riding
- Brompton
- Very minimal gear (snacks and water)
- Weather – could be hot, could be rainy… will dress as appropriate
- Some cool towns to explore – all new to me!
- No camping or overnighting… just a day tour that checks a box. Twice in fact!
- Skinny state? #notcheating

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 343: Delaware Double Cross Preview appeared first on Pedalshift.

November 15, 2023

Foundation Funding Tips for Public Charities

On this episode, we’re going to talk about funding… More specifically, how your nonprofit can raise dollars from private and public foundations to support your advocacy work. We’re joined on this episode by Emily Harting, AFJ’s Director of Foundation Relations.

AFJ Team Members on This Episode:

Emily Harting, Natalie Ossenfort, Victor Rivera

Introducing Emily Harting

Tips for Groups Working to Identify Potential Foundation Partners:

Start with path of least resistance – review foundation websites.
Find out who funds your organization’s allies (groups whose work you admire).
Connect with board members to assess their networks and seek out their advice.
Review your organization’s history of foundation funding and consider reapproaching former funders.

Other Avenues for Foundation Research:

ProPublica (free access)
Instrumentl

Candid

Foundation Outreach Recommendations:

Make the job of the foundation program officer as easy as possible. Show them clearly and succinctly the connection between the foundation’s priorities and the work of your organization.
It’s always best to use a connection if you have one (i.e. board member or ally).
Send an email introduction explaining your organization and how you think it aligns with the funder’s priorities.
If your organization issued a report, is in the news, or is hosting an upcoming event, you can use that to prompt outreach to a potential funder.

Best Practices When Preparing for a Meeting with a Potential Foundation Partner:

Brief your staff, internal participants.
Create a “POP” Agenda.

Purpose (of meeting)
Outcome (desired results)
Process (rough outline of who speaks when and about what)

If it’s an in-person meeting, plan to have some organizational materials ready.
If possible, also have resources ready to send following the meeting to continue to build communication/relationship.

Proposal Process:

Understand foundation proposal guidelines and preferred templates (if any).
If they don’t have a template or provide guidelines, best to build a general template including:

Intro paragraph with funding request ($$ and purpose: program/GOS);
A brief overview of who your organization is and its history;
A description of your programs and recent work you’ve done;
Conclusion reinforcing your request.

Connect your work to the foundation’s mission to demonstrate shared priorities.
Write clearly.
If the foundation has a proposal submission portal, submit your application early in technical issues arise.

Be prepared to provide a budget, proof of your 501(c)(3) status, recent audited financial statements or 990s, a board list with affiliation, a staff list, etc.

What About General Operating Support (GOS)?

Funders usually start with a project grant, but some will give GOS outright.

Remember to keep the funder up-to-date on progress throughout the grant period and share work products (resources or reports, videos, testimonials etc).
Report on the grant as requested, when requested, and with the materials requested.
Your nonprofit is more likely to receive GOS after you have built a trust-based relationship with your funder.

Other Practical Tips:

Remember that both you and the funder are hoping your organization is a match: they want their funds to support great work!
Program officers are people. You’ll achieve the best results when you have a trusted relationship with each other.
Ask your program officers for advice and thoughts on your strategy and programs.
Don’t be afraid of your funder. If you run into a challenge, tell them. They might able to assist you in overcoming it.
Keep your funder in the loop. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn!
Play nice in the sandbox.
Be real and be realistic.

Resources:

Bolder Advocacy Project Grant Rule Hub
Foundation Advocacy Grants: What Grantees Need to Know
Advocacy by Public Foundations – podcast episode
Advocacy by Private Foundations – podcast episode
Grants for Nonprofits | Instrumentl

Candid | Foundation Center and GuideStar are now Candid – Also check out their physical offices where you can get assistance and resources for FREE in New York, NY; Atlanta, GA; Cleveland, OH; or Williamsburg, VA.

November 9, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 342: Solo vs. Group Riding

On this episode… why you might choose solo touring compared to group bicycle adventuring (or vice versa!)

The Pedalshift Project 342: Solo vs. Group Riding

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Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
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Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Solo Riding

Freedom and independence
Opportunities for self-discovery and personal growth during solo tours.
Much easier to plan – no schedule coordinations with other riders
Much easier to pace
Solo Touring Challenges
- Safety concerns
- Loneliness
- Gear watching when inside stores
- Expenses not split
Mitigating these challenges
- Listen to episode 340 on safety – planning and prep is key
- Listen to episode 341 on mental side and lonliness – be present and in the moment and have ways to connect when you need to
- Your gear is safer than you think, but choose where you stop mindfully
- Find ways to reduce costs – check out Pedalshift 045 (camping over hotels, cook your food, etc.)

Group Riding

Camaraderie and sense of community
Benefits of sharing experiences and responsibilities with fellow cyclists.
Memories maybe deeper?
Group Touring Challenges
- Logistics of planning and executing a group tour
- Clashing personalities
- Differing speeds
- Differing expectations
- Differing priorities
Mitigating the challenges
- Importance of communication, leadership, and teamwork within a group.
- Tips from our chat with Guthrie Straw in Pedalshift 163

Making the Decision: Solo, Group, or Both?

Solo or group touring is a personal fit for your preferences and goals.
Consider best of both worlds – combining solo and group touring on the same journey.

Conclusion

There is no one size fits all answer
The choice between solo and group touring depends on individual preferences and circumstances.
Reflect on their touring goals and consider trying both solo and group touring at different times.

November on the Pod

Fall tour preview next week – a box checker!
Tour journal!
Interview in the works on a topic I’ve been really wanting to cover!

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 342: Solo vs. Group Riding appeared first on Pedalshift.

November 2, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 228: My Bike Tour Planning Process

On this edition, I open up my bike tour planning process and technique for a tour I’ve been mulling over for years. Originally podcast December 24, 2020.

Best of Pedalshift 228: My Bike Tour Planning Process

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