bike to uganda

everything you need to know to bike across the ocean and build a primary school

®

table of contents Included in the following pages, we hope you will find everything you need to Bike to Uganda at your school, including: answers to frequently asked questions, examples from other schools across the country, a step-by-step guide, fundraising resources, links to a wide variety of marketing materials available online, an intro to the (and ultimately your) Bike to Uganda website and much, much, more. If, at any point, you have any questions, would like more information, or would just prefer to talk one-on-one, we’re never more than a phone call or email away! Good luck!

» Bike to Uganda--What is it?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 • Who is Building Tomorrow?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 • Why are we even doing this?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 • Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

» A Step-by-Step Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 • The Big Picture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 • Bike to Uganda Committees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 • Fundraising + Sponsorship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 • Guidelines • Registration Fees

• Event Sponsorship • Individual Fundraising

• Events + Logistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 • Bikes • Logistics



• Location(s) • www.biketouganda.org

• Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 • Bikers • Volunteers • Community + Schools

• Entertainment • Competitions

• Publicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 • Wrap-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

» Timeline (sample) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 » Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 » Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 • Individual Fundraising Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 • Tips + Guidelines • Donor Info Sheet

• Letter (to customize) • Bricks (to sell)



• General resources (linked) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 • Waivers • Mileage Chart



• Business Sponsorship Proposal • Media Guide

• Marketing materials (linked). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 • • • • •

Postcards Flyers Banner BT Poster Classroom Costs



• Talking Points • Fundraising Brochure • T-shirt Designs • Sticker Designs





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what is it? Building Tomorrow’s Bike to Uganda is a fundraiser. And it’s Building Tomorrow’s biggest fundraiser to date. In fact, since it’s inception, thousands of people across the country have biked more than 70,000 miles and raised over $75,000.

bike t

uganda

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to all students up for a challenge— Bike to Uganda is a unique, student conceived and executed event, pitting man vs. distance. No matter the campus, the ultimate goal for the event is the same...to bike the distance from one’s campus to Kampala, Uganda, raising money along the way to fund the construction of Building Tomorrow primary-level academies throughout Uganda. In it’s simplest form, Bike to Uganda is a stationary bike-a-thon and functions like any other charity sporting event. Participants pay a small registration fee to bike and then work to reach their own personal fundraising goals via brick sales, letter writing, and general outreach to their family and friends. While exact mileage goals vary, on average, schools attempt to bike around 7,500 miles either: 1. mile for mile over the course of a week, or 2. in a single day, counting (for example) 1 mile biked as 10 miles to Uganda 100 percent of the money that is raised through Bike to Uganda events across the country goes directly towards project costs associated with the construction of BT academies in Uganda.

the organization

Building Tomorrow (BT) is an international social-profit organization that works with students in the USA to raise awareness and funds

to build primary-level academies for underserved children in subSaharan Africa. BT’s model is this: BT chapters and supporters provide challenge grants to communities equal to land and construction materials for a new academy while local community members and family and friends of future BT students volunteer 20,000 hours of their time to construct each academy. BT currently works in Uganda, identifying areas with, quite simply, the greatest number of children with the least access to a primary school. In these areas, BT purchases a plot of land and, with the help of the local community, constructs a new primary academy. Committees of residents and local leaders are established to oversee the construction process from start to finish. Upon completion of the academy, the building is leased to the local government to manage day-to-day operations under an agreement with BT. Each BT academy is equipped with seven classrooms (P1 through P7—or the US equivalent of kindergarten through 6th grade), an office, a library, meeting space, toilets and a soccer field and has classroom space for 325 students.

the motivation

According to the World Bank, more than 41 million children in sub-Saharan Africa wake up each morning without a school to attend. Many countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa have initiated Universal Primary Education programs, guaranteeing a free education to every child; yet lack the financial means to construct enough schools to meet the demand. In many cases, this results in students walking miles to get to a “school” in a neighboring community, scribbling their lessons in the dirt for lack of proper learning materials or even gathering under a tree to learn. As long as there are children in our world with a desire to learn and no place to do so; we will continue Building Tomorrow.

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examples University of Virginia - 5 days, 12 hours a day, 2 locations

For the past four years, the University of Virginia has Biked to Uganda. Theirs was the first-ever Bike to Uganda and has continued to grow year after year. UVa’s first event was held in the spring of 2006 and, the work they did the first year helped to ensure their success later on. UVa’s Bike to Uganda annually spans five days, a Monday through Friday in early April and lasts from 8am to 8pm each day. Hundreds of bikers pre-register online at www.biketouganda.org. A Capella groups, dance teams, drumming ensembles and dozens of other entertainment groups have performed throughout the event over the past four years. Spinning instructors have coached hour-long “extreme cycling hours”, popular professors, deans and faculty members have come out to bike, rising-star athletes (soon to be pros!) have participated, and even Thomas Jefferson has made an appearance! In general, their event is one that is hard to miss. Especially because it takes place on the most-famous part of campus- the Lawn. In recent years, all ten stationary bikes have been loaned to the chapter by the school’s Varsity Women’s Rowing Team, allowing them to cross one large task off their list. And the result of it all? UVa has raised nearly $50,000 from Bike to Ugandas alone.

Virginia Tech - 5 days, 12 hours a day, 1 location

Virginia Tech has Biked to Uganda two years in a row. Each year, Bike to Uganda has been organized and executed by students involved in an organization separate from BT - Poverty Awareness Coalition for Equality (PACE). The first Bike to Uganda was held over the course of five days (8am to 8pm Monday through Friday) and was organized as a competition against their arch-rival: the University of Virginia. Both schools biked the same week and as soon as anyone caught wind that it was a race to the finish...people were waiting in line to jump on a bike! Even when that required them to hang out in crazy winds and rain all day. All of VT’s bikes were road bikes - on loan from friends and club members and each converted into a stationary bike by means of a trainer. VT’s event took place in an outdoor location right smack in the middle of campus...a place that most every student and faculty member has to pass by at some point or another during the day! A very popular radio station from the nearby “big city” came to broadcast right next to the event. Students competed against each other to for a huge selection of raffle prizes.They tracked their progress on a huge map and at the end of the week, people were already asking about next year’s ride!

University of Wisconsin-River Falls - 1 day, 9 hours, indoor

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) has Biked to Uganda two years in a row, too! Theirs is a university-sponsored event...planned and executed by the student life department (the majority of which are students!). UWRF is in a unique position in that BT is one of the only groups/causes on-campus with an international focus...not to mention Bike to Uganda is one of only a select few university-wide fundraisers! Each year, BTU has been held on the same day as “Unity in the Community” - a campus-wide carnival of sorts that is held annually and attracts a large percentage of the school’s population. This alone has been a a huge advantage and has made publicity much, much easier! Getting to the specifics...UWRF’s event is a single-day event. Bikers could register for 20 minute time slots for $10 and each mile biked equated to 12 miles to Uganda. According to the reports we received, this didn’t complicate matters whatsoever and people were just as enthused to ride! Overall, the event has become one of the most successful fundraisers on campus!

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the big picture

(examples)

5-day Bike to Uganda • • • • • • • • •

miles to bike (1 biked = 1 to Kampala, Uganda): ~7,500 (courtesy of Google Earth) days: Monday through Friday biketouganda.org time: 8am to 8pm bikes: 10 stationary bikes or road bikes + trainers time slots: 30 minutes registration fee: $5 per time slot or $20 for a week-pass reserved times: 1 hour each afternoon for extreme cycling with spinning instructor t-shirts: order 100 (& have sign-up for extras if you sell-out), $10 for bikers, $15 for non-bikers volunteers: 2 hour shifts, 2 at all times, 3 extra for set up & take-down each day (90 volunteer shifts in total)

1-day Bike to Uganda • • • • • • • •

miles to bike (1 biked = 10 to Kampala, Uganda): ~750 (courtesy of Google Earth) days: one day time: 8am to 5pm time slots: 20 minutes registration fee: $10 per time slot reserved times: 1 hour for extreme cycling with spinning instructor t-shirts: order 50 (& have sign-up for extras if you sell-out), $10 for bikers, $15 for non-bikers volunteers: 3 hour shifts, 2 at all times minimum, 3 extra for set up & take-down (12 volunteer shifts in total)

general details (work for both) • • • • • •

location: well-trafficked outdoor area on campus in case of rain: indoor location or pop-up tents online registration: www.biketouganda.org (everything is automatic after details are sent to HQ) competitions: who can raise the most $, craziest biking costume, etc. entertainment: a capella groups, drum ensembles, dance troupes, university mascot, etc. visuals: bike to uganda banner, map to Uganda, mileage counter, quick facts for volunteers, bt postcards + summaries, extra fundraising packets, flyers & signage, etc. • average biking speed: 12mph (in case of problems with cyclometers) • fundraising: grants, business sponsorship (most likely in-kind), individual fundraising (online personal fundraising pages, letter writing, brick sales, etc.) 5 • the goal: raise money to build primary schools in Uganda

committees Set up committees of BT members in order to split up responsibilities and keep the group focused. Each committee should have their own Chair that meets with their committee on a regular basis, perhaps just 15 minutes before or after the weekly BT meeting. Your chapter’s president should oversee all committee Chairs and meet with them regularly. Remember to regularly update members at BT meetings on the progress made by each committee. It is important that everyone is in the know. Some jobs may overlap and communication ensures that every job is getting done. Besides, you never know what members outside your committee can contribute so don’t hesitate to keep them in the loop. Keep in mind that these are only suggestions. One thing we would recommend is to have the committees align well with “executive positions” at your chapter. Some chapters have chosen positions such as: Director, VP for Publicity, VP for Events, & VP for Fund-raising. Consequently, the executive members could easily serve as committee chairs for various committees (or co-chairs), which cut down on communication issues and logistics. It is important to note that successful planning and execution of Bike to Uganda will depend largely on the ability of these committees (and your members at large) to work together, share ideas and keep everyone informed! Think of the committees and committee chairs as those in charge of organizing many of the items listed below...but by no means the only ones in charge of making them happen. At the end of the day, if something isn’t complete, it will be the committee chairs and members that are held accountable but know that they can’t do it alone. 1. Fundraising & Sponsorship This committee will be in charge of overseeing anything to do with money: donations and individual sponsorships from bikers, registration fees, event sponsorships, in-kind donations, grants, event costs, etc. 2. Event + Logistics This committee will be in charge of the gritty event details: securing a location, obtaining stationary bikes (or bikes and trainers), researching and abiding by all of your school’s rules and regulations, cyclometers, safety issues, and online registration. 3. Outreach This committee will be in charge of: overseeing/organizing the recruitment of bikers, organizing volunteers, outreach to the university and surrounding community, partnering with organizations, organizing entertainment and competitions, recruiting “celebrity” bikers, etc. 4. Publicity This committee’s job, by description, is relatively simple: advertise, advertise, advertise. BUT, the execution will take time, resources and lots of help. The goal of this committee is to make Building Tomorrow’s Bike to Uganda an event that everyone on-campus knows about and wants to participate in. Media outreach also falls under the responsibilites for this committee.

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fundraising + sponsorship Guidelines •

Donations can be made via credit card on your Bike to Uganda site, cash, or check (in person or mailed directly to BT) • Checks should be made out to “Building Tomorrow” & BTU-(your chapter) should be written on the memo line • All cash should be collected on campus, deposited, and one check written out to BT with “aggregate BTU donations” on the memo line.

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All donations collected through your BTU should be mailed to BT Headquarters no later than 10 days after your event • Keep in mind that it is unprofessional for an organization to delay depositing a check (Imagine if you wrote a $100 check and it wasn’t cashed until months later...not good, right? Our point exactly.)

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You should be keeping detailed records of your donor information (name, amount, date, type - cash or check, email)

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BT will send out receipts to donors as soon as we receive all of your chapter’s donations from you • These receipts can be used for tax purposes • If a donor wants a receipt for a cash donation, you must take down their contact information and donation details and send them to us along with your complete check of aggregate cash donations

Registration Fees

Based on our experiences over the past four years, we believe you are better off charging a minimal registration fee. If you think about it, most people are used to this and, likely, will expect it. Any other charity bike-a-thon, walk-a-thon, marathon, 5K, etc. that we have come across requires all participants to pay some form of entry fee. And it makes sense. So here’s what you should do... for a week-long event • $5 to bike for 30 minutes -or• $20 for an all-week bike pass (can bike as often as they’d like) for a one-day event • $10 per time slot If you plan on having t-shirts, we’d suggest selling them for $15 for non-bikers and $10 for bikers (if you get the t-shirts donated or receive a grant that can cover the costs, you could also include a t-shirt for those who (for example) purchase an all-week pass. We’d also encourage you to advertise this by associating the registration fees with items that go into building a school, for example, “30 minutes on a bike = 45 clay bricks” or “buy a bag of cement and get an all-week bike pass”. This is to remind participants of the purpose of the event and let them realize that each dollar they donate actually helps build a school. Check out the attached classroom overview for a list of prices.

Event Sponsorship Businesses Gaining sponsorship from businesses could potentially bring in not just money but resources as well. Think about partnering with a local fitness center or bike shop, and you might find yourself with access to bikes, cyclometers, trainers, and publicity! And don’t forget. Bike to Uganda can be a huge advertising venue for local businesses...it’s typically hard to miss, a bit

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fundraising + sponsorship

(cont.)

out of the ordinary, attracts a lot of attention and is around for a long time on campus! Offer potential donors the chance to put stickers and advertisements on the bikes and trainers that you use during the event. In-kind donations Below is a list of items you will likely want to have donated: • Water and/or gatorade mix (cheapest option!) • Snacks for bikers (try local restaurants, grocery stores, supermarkets) - One chapter was able to get day-old bagels donated every day (otherwise the bagel shop was going to throw them out!) • Gift certificates or items to use as prizes • And...if at all possible, a bike! ***Reaching out to bike shops just makes sense - this is their perfect target audience, right? One of our chapters had a brand new bike donated by a local bike shop and they used it as an incentive...the individual who fundraised the most won! And the winner had raised $1,000. College/University Grants Many schools offer a wide variety of small grants that can help subsidize the cost of your event. For example, perhaps there is an organization willing to fund t-shirts? Or the printing & laminating of a large banner? Or even printing costs for all of the flyers you will be posting around campus? • Budgeting 101 (Do this. Really. You’ll be thankful you did!) Before you do anything, make a complete list of any and all items that you may need to purchase for Bike to Uganda (ranging from stamps and paper to t-shirts and a replacement tire or two for any road bikes you might be using). List out how many you will need, what the unit cost is and how you hope to fund it. For example, is there a grant that you applied for that will cover advertising costs but not t-shirts? Keep track of and regularly update what has been purchased, what is being funded, what you will be reimbursed for, who did the purchasing, etc. It will really help your Treasurer or VP of Finance, too! Be sure you are communicating with the rest of your committee chairs on a regular basis - making sure they are aware that if they need or want to buy something, you need to budget for it!

Individual Fundraising

We’d encourage you to ask everyone who signs up to try and raise at least $100. That’s just $10 from 10 people, or $1 from 100 classmates in a lecture hall class... Here’s a summary of exactly how individuals can fundraise (this will be clearly spelled out on all Bike to Uganda sites, too): • create a personal fundraising page online through I am Building Tomorrow (iam.buildingtomorrow.org) • sell paper bricks for $5 (attached), 1 paper brick = 50 bricks in Uganda • letter writing/general sponsorship requests (individual fundraising packet + letter attached) Of course, bikers can get creative and raise money in any number of ways...exactly how they do it really is up to them but we ask that you stress the importance of keeping records - especially for those who want receipts and donation acknowledgements. Also, your best bet is to offer up a challenge to all bikers - the highest individual fundraiser wins a prize.

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fundraising + sponsorship

(cont.)

Other Fundraising Ideas •

Purchase one bike seat cushion and require a minimum $20 donation to be able to use it per time -slot. If more people are interested… the cushion goes to the highest bidder.

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Allow people to sponsor a desk, set of pencils, soccer goals, etc. Giving someone something tangible to support makes a difference.

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Sell “bricks” for the school and, for each brick purchased (you set the price), begin building a “school” (all you need is a pile of old bricks, a few two by fours, and two pre-cut pieces of wood for the roof). Keep track of your fund-raising by adding to the “school”.

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Cosponsor the event with other organizations with similar missions who would still be willing to give 100% percent of the proceeds to BT.

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Try hosting a competition between the classes. This will take more planning but has the potential to raise a lot of money! Other successful fundraisers have included class change drives…where change adds to the total and bills subtract! A little healthy competition can go a long way!

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If you do get a “celebrity” biker, consider “auctioning” off the bikes next to him or her in the days leading up to their ride!

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event + logistics Set a Date

Make sure to check multiple calendars to see if your event would overlap with exams, holidays, sporting events, other fundraisers, etc. Most Bike to Ugandas happen in April which also happens to be when most students find out which schools they were accepted to and start visiting campuses... picking dates that coincide with massive amounts of prospective students arriving on campus could be a great perk! (think about their parents!) Don’t forget your rain date! Again, this might mean having a tent reserved (check with your event planning office if you have one, departments, or even churches for tents to borrow) or reserving a large indoor space.

Location(s)

You will want to find a high trafficked area to allow for maximum publicity. Many chapters have found that participation increased dramatically throughout the week as more people saw what BT members were doing, and realized how they could make a difference too. Try to reserve the space at least a semester in advance. Be very clear with what you are doing when you speak with your school’s reservations folks. You may require special permission to (for example): have ten stationary bikes on grassy areas all day, reserve the same space multiple days in a row, fundraise in a particular area, have tents or entertainment, etc. Once you find a good location make sure you know all the rules about it. In some cases you might need to reserve advertising space at the location separately. It would also be a good idea to notify faculty and staff in surrounding buildings. This will help ensure you don’t ruffle any feathers and will increase your chances of being able to use the same space in the future. Don’t forget, rain happens! Be sure to find an indoor location or obtain a large party tent to serve as a back-up location. Also be sure to have your back-up plan approved by the proper authorities.

• Rules + Regulations

Prior to the event, research the rules for noise, bikes, fund-raising, and safety. And don’t forget to reserve tables and chairs.

• Safety

Investigate any safety concerns or rules at your college. For example, your school may require you to have an EMT on call.

Bikes

Multiple bikes are important. Most chapters have found they need 10 to accomplish their goal of riding 7,000+ miles in a week! Try to temporarily borrow stationary and road bikes. Ask gyms, cycling clubs, local bike shops and your friends. Take into consideration that if you use 10 bikes the event may put more than 750 miles on each bike. Some schools have used a combination of stationary bikes and road bikes with trainers their first year. Stationary bikes seem to be preferred by bikers but cyclometers are easier to use with road bikes. To make a road bike stationary they need to have trainers. Contact bike shops or cycling groups for donations. Another great source for bikes is athletic teams. In the spring of 2008, the rowing team at UVA lent 10 stationary bikes to Building Tomorrow for the event at no cost, and have continued to do so every year since.

• Cyclometers

Cyclometers count miles biked by the number of rotations of a bike tire and you will need one on each bike used to count miles biked. Try to get them donated because they can be expensive (about $20 each from a bike shop or sporting goods store ). Ideally if you have stationary bikes, try to find ones that have cyclometers built in because there is no good way of attaching them (It is possible to put a cyclometer on a stationary bike but you will need to account for the difference in tire size as they are not usually made for stationary bikes). 10

event + logistics

(cont.)

We recommend haveing one or two people who are very familiar with the cyclometers and bikes to be in charge of the rigging and upkeep of the cyclometers. Delegate. It will make your life easier.

• Storage

Can you leave your bikes in a secure place at the location of the event overnight? Most likely you will need to find a place to store the bikes every night. Find storage far in advance. Ideally you want a place that is very close to the event as transportation can be difficult. The location of your event may have large closets or space that you can rent for free or for a minimal fee. Try a gym, old classroom, or storage space. Even classrooms that are being used could still be an option as most classes aren’t in session between 8pm and 8am! Just be sure to make it clear that you will clean up after yourselves...bikes can get messy. Invest in cleaning supplies.

• Transportation

Take into consideration how the bikes and other supplies will be transported when they are gathered and when storing them every night. Road bikes and trainers are easiest to transport but may require a lot of people to complete the move in a short period of time. Stationary bikes can be very heavy so if you have stationary bikes, try to get ones with wheels. Access to trucks, SUVs, or even a trailer maybe helpful. Work with the Outreach Committee to plan for transportation and to help train volunteers.

Ideas from chapters: consider keeping one bike open for passers-by. You might find that participation increases throughout the week due to publicity generated from people walking up and jumping on!

Logistics • Refreshments

Get coolers and cups for drinks for all of the bikers. This is significantly cheaper than bottles of water and grocery stores are very willing to donate small packs of powdered Gatorade or other powered drinks.

• Time slots

Bikers should bike for a specified slot of time. Estimating an average biking speed of 12 mpg, we’ve found that most schools need to bike for 12 hours a day for 5 days on 10 bikes to have a real chance at biking the distance (mile for mile). Choose an amount of time you’d like people to be able to bike: i.e. can they register for 30 minute time slots? 1 hour? If you’re planning a one-day smaller event, contact us and we’ll help you crunch the numbers and come up with a plan!

• Miles

Come up with a system and agree on how you will count miles. For example, will you reset the cyclometers each day? Or will you keep a running tally? Will you reset cyclometers after each biker, having people check-in and check-out when they’re done? Consistency is crucial here, especially if a sponsor has pledged to donate a certain amount of money based on the number of miles biked. Make sure that all volunteers are aware of the plan. Also, number your bikes. This, too, will make your life easier - especially when keeping track of miles!

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event + logistics

(cont.)

www.biketouganda.org

biketouganda.org is a comprehensive online Bike to Uganda registration site. All in all, it is a fantastic resource and is available for your chapter to use at anytime!

you can customize: • • • • • • •

the dates of your event # of bikes fundraising goal biking times entertainment schedule reserved times (e.g. block off sections for extreme cycling hours) general event info, fundraising info & quick notes/important facts people should know

the site allows participants (registered bikers) to: • • • • •

register to bike for as many time slots as they’d like log-in to update/change their ride times at any time donate and/or pay their registration fee online create personal Bike to Uganda fundraising pages & invite family and friends to support them email family and friends inviting them to bike with them and/or sponsor their ride

the site also automatically: • emails participants registration confirmations • emails biking reminders to participants

through the site, you can also keep track of: • your total fundraising (coming in from general donations directed towards your chapter & personal BTU fundraising pages) • who has registered and whether or not they have fundraised, been sponsored or paid their registration fee (and how much of each) • who has created a personal fundraising page The best way to understand how the site works and what it has to offer is by checking out the example site online: www.biketouganda.org/test Feel free to click around, sign-up, delete your ride times, begin the process of making a donation, send invitations to yourself, create fundraising pages and do anything else you see! And - if you have questions, something doesn’t make sense or have suggestions for ways the site could be improved...we’re all ears! Once you’ve finalized your event details (when & where), contact BT Headquarters and we’ll get you set up with your own, customizable online registration site! Consider putting up information sheets with where to register in central locations like the athletics office, recreation centers, student centers, and gyms.

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outreach Bikers

This is your most important task and should be shared with everyone on your committee AND in your chapter at large. Bike to Uganda will not be possible without the help of everyone on this task. But...you are in charge of overseeing this “task” and ensuring everyone is pulling their weight. Work with the publicity committee to contact cycling clubs, cycling teams, athletic teams, local YMCAs or gyms, and anyone else you can think of to come out and participate in a group.

Competitions

A healthy competition can be a great incentive. Ideas: biggest fundraiser, individual who bikes the most miles, most creative bike-wear, group or organization with the greatest number of bikers, etc. Be creative; prizes could be anything. You could think about asking professors to give extra credit to students that participate. (But even if professors can’t give out extra credit, ask them to advertise in their classes!)

Entertainment

Make your Bike to Uganda a party! Keeping your bikers entertained is a great way to keep them coming back! Be creative. What’s popular on your campus? Some ideas include:

• Music

Try contacting a local radio station. One BT chapter played a well-liked radio station for their bikers every day, and in exchange the radio station advertised for the event daily (and throughout the entire semester). They were even able to call into the radio station during the day for live updates on their progress! They were also able to convince an individual from the radio station to bike for an hour each day and call in telling more people to join!

• Performances

Is there a popular dance team or a capella group on your campus? Contact various dance and musical groups to provide free entertainment. These groups can provide a nice change of pace and draw in a crowd. It is important to contact these groups very far in advance because they book up quickly. Make sure to keep schedules to ensure you don’t double-book entertainment acts.

• Events

Keep your bikers engaged in what they are doing. Try hosting a few “Extreme Cycling Hours” with a cycling instructor or a volunteer that is willing to give up an hour a day to yell encouraging words at cycling, sweaty, students. :)

• Celebrity Appearances

Try to get some “celebrity bikers” like well-known athletes, professors, deans, and maybe even the president of your college to come out and join the festivities. This will be an incentive for others, as well as great publicity! However, many people will need advanced notice so be sure to contact them early so they can pencil you in!

End your week with a bang! Think of something on Friday that will end the event in a way that people will remember. Even better? Plan your Bike to Uganda around a big event or celebration that already takes place on campus...a few examples: Tulane partnered with the ever-popular Crawfest, Indiana University planned things around Little 5 week, UWRF Biked to Uganda on campus’“Unity in the Community” Day...

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outreach

(cont.)

Volunteers

This event requires a lot of manpower. It is possible that your BT chapter may not be large enough to handle the amount of work required during the week of the event. If that’s the case, try to recruit some volunteers from other organizations or groups to do the heavy lifting. Target student groups that have volunteer requirements like sports teams, service groups or organizations with similar missions.

Volunteers could be helpful for: • • • • • • • • •

set up and take down every day signing in preregistered bikers signing up unregistered bikers providing drinks to bikers selling shirts bike maintenance & adjustments working cyclometers ironing out whatever other kinks arise providing information to passers-by

Set up and take down are probably one of the most important jobs for volunteers. Ensure you have a means of transporting the bikes and other items to and from the site and enough manpower to do so in a reasonable time. We suggest working on this with the Logistics Committee. UVA found that it took about an hour every morning and evening and that bagels and breakfast foods were great incentives! We’ve found that BT members are the primary work force behind the event because they are the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the project. But don’t shy away from making outside contacts; look to other student organizations, clubs, volunteer groups, athletic teams, and friends for extra support. It might be helpful to schedule each group of volunteers in specific time slots. For example, schedule the soccer team to volunteer Monday from 7am to 10am. Try and have all volunteers lined up two weeks in advance and have a volunteer training meeting the week prior to the event to share details of the event with all. Also, its probably a good idea to put together a few short “FAQs” about Bike to Uganda and Building Tomorrow to have on-hand for your volunteers (See “talking points” template on Chapter-Hub). You will want to remind people of their time slots, make sure everyone knows what to do and say, and have the Logistics Committee train volunteers on how the bikes work and how they will be transported. You will probably want at least two volunteers present at all times.

Community + Schools

One of the great things about Bike to Uganda is that anyone can participate! More specifically - it’s a great way to get your community involved in BT! You have lots of options... First things first - invite local cycling clubs and reach out to local gyms and athletic centers. Second - consider reaching out to schools, too. Perhaps you could even set up a “High School Night” and invite students from local high schools to come out and bike for an hour or two one evening. Invite professors from variouis departments or folks from your school’s Admissions Office and advertise it to school administrators and students as a new variet of “college tour”! Another idea that our chapter at UNC-Chapel Hill had was to invite local elementary schools out one afternoon and, leading up to their ride, have members from your chapter visit the school and engage the students in any of BT’s service-learning lesson plans or classroom activities! (www.sitforgood.org) Don’t forget to encourage them to do their share of fundraising, too...maybe a dress-down day, brick sales or a change drive at their school to raise money to cover their registration fees?

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publicity Publicity is one of the most important parts of the event. Any event can be a success if people know about it. Overall - a good publicity committee is hyped. They are “people people”, they are well-networked and more than willing to be “in-your-face” (in a good way!) and, they like to talk... about BT...all the time. Work with the Fundraising + Sponsorship Chair for publicity at local businesses and with the Outreach Chair for publicity at radio stations or other entertainment related groups. Seek out other student groups and organizations to participate in groups. If there is a strong Greek network on your campus, utilize it. Make the most of the space you have. Put advertisements anywhere you can. Some places to consider are classrooms, cafeterias, dorms, buses/ transportation, gyms/fitness centers, and student activities center. Don’t forget to advertise outside of your University; try coffee shops, athletic clubs, bike shops, etc. When thinking about the best way to publicize on your campus, keep the following ideas in mind:

• Network, Network, Network

Have a friend who works at a radio station? Know someone who writes for the paper? Know of another organization who has put on large events before? Don’t be afraid to ask for advice! Don’t underestimate the power of experience! We’ve found that most people are more than willing to provide tips that they have learned throughout the years or to provide a few contacts.

• Newspapers and Magazine

See if you can get ad space donated, or better yet, try to get an article written about your event in the school paper or magazine! Write a press release to send out to local or school newspapers and University and alumni magazines. Contact your paper or magazine early because they might have deadlines you are unaware of.

• TV and radio station

Both radio and TV reach large numbers of people with little effort. Write a press release and send it out to local and campus-run TV and radio stations. If you have the resources, put together a short video clip to play on your campus TV channel or write a blurb that can be read over the radio.

• Handbills

Handbills are small mini-flyers that you can pass out to students. Stand in front of academic buildings and dorms and hand them to people walking by. These handbills are also a great size for mailboxes. Talk to your residence hall association about putting flyers in dorm and faculty mailboxes. But make sure you deliver them far in advance since students usually check their mail irregularly.

• Bulletin Boards and Kiosks

Your school’s academic buildings and student union probably have bulletin boards available for students to post flyers and advertisements. Make sure to ask permission and then cover any available space with brightly colored flyers and posters. Use eye catching slogans or pictures that will grab the attention of passing students! Check out examples on the Campus Resources page on the BT website.

• FLYERS

Everywhere. All the time. Schedule regular flyer runs! It’s important that you are always advertising for BT...even if you aren’t putting up flyers for Bike to Uganda specifically. If someone has already seen or heard of BT, they are more likely to pay attention the second time around! Another great idea? Use rubber bands to hang flyers on the handlebars of bikes on campus!

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publicity

(cont.)

• Twitter

Set up an account for your chapter...invite people to follow you and post real-time mileage and fundraising updates throughout your event!

• Banners and big signs

Hang them up far in advance and in a well-trafficked areas of campus where people will see them. Check out the banner template on the Chapter-Hub (it includes a map to Uganda) - a great idea is to keep track of your progress on the map/banner throughout the event!

• Website and Facebook ads

Use the BT website to advertise or make a Facebook event/group and have members invite all of their friends. Closer to the day of the event send out a reminder to everyone that was invited.

• Listervs and mass e-mails

Try to get access to any relevant university e-mail lists. Some campuses have Listservs for departments and student groups that make is easy for students to e-mail everyone in their Listservs. If you ask nicely, usually faculty advisors will forward e-mails to the rest of the Listserv. Also you can have members send out a mass e-mail to everyone in their address book. Mass e-mails work best as a reminder so try and send one out right before the event.

• BT apparel

A powerful slogan on a t-shirt or sticker turns every member or participant into a walking billboard. UVA sold shirts prior and during the event. They only pre-ordered a few to keep from over-ordering and losing money. UVA also made stickers that said “I Biked to Uganda” and “I Donated to Bike to Uganda”. Peer pressure can be a great tool so advertise until everyone is walking around with a sticker! See BT’s Campus Resources site for a sample of UVA’s T-shirt design. And don’t forget to contact the BT national office for approval.

• Personal invitation and word of mouth

Invite anyone and everyone you know to participate. Encourage members of your chapter to spread the word as well. People might be more likely to get involved when they know they are supporting their friends and a worthy cause.

• Get faculty involved

Ask your professors to announce the event in their classes or go to a faculty meeting and get professors involved. Think about challenging your professors to raise money or hold a competition between departments.

Keep in mind that publicity can, and likely will be expensive. Try and work with your student government association or other organizations at your school to get in-kind donations or grants. Some chapters have received a lot of money from various large University organizations to cover the costs of publicity. However, some grants or donations are specific and will only cover certain things. For example, T-shirts are rarely covered by in-kind donations at many schools.

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publicity

(cont.)

A compilation of advertising ideas from other chapters: • Post your event on all university calendars • Chalking

new student orientation guides

• Table tents (dining halls, libraries, meeting rooms...)

• Talk to your university tour guides and remind them about upcoming events/ask them to tell people about BT

• Tabling

• Stall seat journals! post flyers on the back of bathroom stalls

• Have your chapter wear BT shirts on the same day

• Make a stencil of the BT logo & buy spray chalk...then chalk the logo everywhere

• Sandwich boards • Write notes on chalk/markerboards in classrooms

• make a stencil of a footprint & chalk footprints to your next event

• Post a sign or flyer about BT on your door & in your hallway

• build a physical wall of bricks during your events

• Leave handouts wherever you can (coffee shops, libraries, student activities centers, etc.)

• Include BT in school-wide announcements

• Put flyers in your windows

• Get your university newspaper, magazine, alumni news, etc. to write a story about BT!

• Post signs on your roof

• Leave BT bookmarks in the library

• Talk to other groups hosting events & see if you can advertise at them...or just hand out flyers or have a sign-up sheet

• Post BT events on all university-wide calendars

• Email list-serves! Your classes/groups to start with but any others you can get ahold of, too. • Talk to your classes - ask your professors if you can have a couple of minutes before class starts to speak, show a BT video or just make an announcement about your next meeting/event • Talk to RAs for 1st years (post flyers in 1st year halls!) • TV ads (have tv screens in your libraries or student centers?) • Ask friends, classmates, professors, and anyone you can think of to email their networks, too

• Utilize BT YouTube videos • Talk to EVERY group on campus who will listen about BT! And share the responsibility - give new members a copy of the video and ask them to just play it and answer questions (give them the FAQ and/or talking points sheets, too!) • Plan an event for parents weekend or just reserve space for tabling and share info about BT! • Get BT events on lists such as “101 things to do before you graduate) • BT temporary tattoos & buttons!

• Leave fliers or post-its on dining trays and on message boards in dining halls • Reserve space @ activities fairs! • Leave flyers on bikes (hang them on the handlebars), under windshield wipers, etc. • Change the screensaver on university computers to be a link to BT’s web site, BT’s logo or details about your next meeting/event (ask permission first!) • Talk to the admissions office and try to get info about BT listed in

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wrap-up While we know it is much more exciting gearing up for an event rather than wrapping up, there are several jobs that can’t be overlooked when your Bike To Uganda is over. And EVERYONE should participate in the event wrap-up. You’ll want to have people lined up to do jobs like the following:

• Send checks and donor information to BT - within 10 days of the end of your event!

• Clean and perform maintenance on bikes (replace parts if necessary) • Return bikes, trainers, tables, etc. • Have each committee chair write thank you notes to donors that pertain to their committee like all big fundraisers, bike or part donors, and large groups. • Distribute t-shirts ordered throughout the week. • Debrief! Get feedback from your chapter on what went well/what didn’t while it is still fresh in their mind. • Write thank you notes to donors and sponsors Right after Bike to Uganda is a great time to have an interest meeting for Building Tomorrow. Hundreds of people have just participated in your event and they want to learn more about how they can get more involved. Last but not least, celebrate your accomplishments! You’ve worked hard so reward yourself and all your fellow members. Have a party for your faithful BT members to celebrate your event’s success!

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timeline

(sample-spring event)

fall semester

− Set a date! − GET BIKES − Fund-raising • Contact corporate sponsors + Finalize what the sponsors get with their $ (bike sponsorship, logo on banner, t-shirts…)
 • Apply for In-kind donations + class councils, alumni association, etc. − Publicity • Professional banner/sign & laminated map • Reserve advertising/publicity space − Contact celebrity bikers • President of University, Deans, Professors, & local celeberities − Contact radio station − Contact cycling instructors − Reserve location(s) & Rain site (tent)

start of spring semester (and onward)

− Publicity! Begin a few times a month and increase frequency with time − Fund-raising • Local businesses • Local organizations, churches & clubs − Contact athletic departments and groups to support/bike − Contact grocery stores & Bike shops − Buy T-shirts − Purchase cyclometers − Finalize entertainment schedule − Reserve: tables, chairs, banner stands, trash cans etc. − Send event details to BT HQ

5 weeks before − − − −

Start mass publicity! Biker registration online Individual fundraising forms go online Contact other students/student groups to volunteer

3 weeks before

− Follow-up with entertainment groups − Continue publicity! − Contact news agencies

1 week before

− Pick-up bikes & attach cyclometers − Volunteer Training − Publicize, Publicize, Publicize

1 week after (We strongly encourage you to not cease all things BT immediately after the event...utilize all of the publicity you generate!) − − − −

Compile donations + donor info & mail to BT HQ Send thank-yous to everyone involved Debrief with your chapter - what went well, what didn’t? Organize BT Info session (great time to recruit with all the publicity you’ve generated

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checklist done? task

(sample)

who is responsible? notes

date space reservation request submitted location confirmed rain date & site confirmed (tents) bikes confirmed bikes received trainers confirmed trainers received cyclometers received (trainers) event details sent to BT HQ online registration up & running business sponsorship proposals sent grant applications submitted letters mailed for letter writing campaign entertainment groups contacted cycling instructors contacted volunteer schedule complete volunteers committeed volunteer info meeting water coolers received tables & chairs reserved tables & chairs received trash cans received signs & banners printed sign & banner stands received t-shirts ordered professors contacted “celebrity bikers” contacted contact media contact schools contact community groups write donor thank-yous debrief

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biketouganda.org

biketouganda.org l

goa

School_ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Dates _____________________________________________________________________________________

$

track your fundraising progress - brick by brick

chapter details

participant information Name _____________________________________________________________________________________ Email _ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Bike Times _________________________________________________________________________________

fundraising tips • Set a personal fundraising goal • The best way to raise money is to ask! Ask family, friends, colleagues, classmates, employers, businesses...anyone you can think of! The worst that can happen is they say no, right? • Ask your donors if their employers have matching gift programs. • Make checks payable to “Building Tomorrow” & write “BTU-(your school)” on the memo line • Your donations can be mailed directly to BT Headquarter’s (407 Fulton St. Indianapolis, IN 46202) or turned in to your school’s BT Chapter Rep at any time • Convert all cash and coin donations into a cashier’s check before you turn it in • Keep a record of all of your donors--Building Tomorrow will use this information to send out thank-yous and donation receipts to everyone (which can also be used for tax purposes)

totals (fill this in only when you are ready to turn in your money)

How to raise $250 in one week Day 1 - Donate $25 towards your own goal Day 2 - Ask three family members to donate $25 Day 3 - Ask two family friends to donate $25 Day 4 - Ask five friends to donate $5 Day 5 - Ask everyone in your class (est. 25) to donate $1 Day 6 - Ask a professor to donate $25 Day 7 - Ask your supervisor or boss to donate $25

$25 $75 $50 $25 $25 $25 $25

$250



cash

$___________



checks

$ _ _________



matching funds

$ _ _________

online (iam.buildingtomorrow.org)

$ _ _________



$ _ _________

total

webale nnyo!

biketouganda.org #

Donor Name

Email/Contact Info

Cash/Check/Online?

Date

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

mission statement

Building Tomorrow is an international social-profit organization encouraging philanthropy among young people by raisinging awareness and funds to build and support educational infrastructure projects for underserved children in sub-Saharan Africa. Check us out and learn more at www.buildingtomorrow.org

biketouganda.org Dear Friends & Family, I would like to inform you about a really exciting event that I am participating in - Building Tomorrow’s Bike to Uganda. Building Tomorrow (BT) is an international social-profit organization that works with students all over the country to raise funds & awareness to build primary schools in Uganda. Two years ago, Esther Nakungu (pictured) and her mother Hariyet attended a meeting called by the village elders of Gita, Uganda and BT. The community was issued a simple challenge: if Gita and the surrounding villages could commit to providing 20,000 hours in donated labor, BT would help to construct a new academy with room for up to 325 students. Hariyet, an unemployed, single mother of six who only attended school through the fourth grade, was one of the first to sign up. Since construction began on the BT Academy of Gita on October 14, 2008, Hariyet was at the site every week helping to dig the foundation and clear the land so that Esther and her five siblings would have the opportunity to receive the education that she never did. Today, Gita is open for classes and Esther has a school to call her own. And that’s just one story. BT currently has five open academies in Uganda with classroom space for over 1,500 students...and another five academies are under construction at the writing of this letter. Bike to Uganda, a stationary “bike-a-thon”, is BT’s most successful fund-raiser to date. In the past three years alone, participants have biked 50,000+ miles and raised more than $75,000 to build primary schools and give hundreds of kids like Esther their first opportunity to learn inside of a classroom. Ever. Throughout week of March 30th totheApril 3rd,ofthe Virginia community attempted to collectively Event Detailsthe - example: Throughout week March 30thTech to April 3rd, the (myself Virginiaincluded!) Tech community (myself included!) ride will stationary attempt tobikes until collectively stationary bikes7,468 untilmiles we reach we reached ride Kampala, Uganda, away.Uganda, 7,468 miles away. year’sevent eventwas is a race bikebike the the fastest andand raiseraise thethe most money. WeAlthough are looking to leaving This year’s a raceagainst againstourourrival rivalU.Va. U.Va.totosee seewho whocan could fastest most money. weforward didn’t win the racethem this in the dust! year, we are excited to say that we were able to bike 6,066 miles and are looking forward to giving U.Va. a run for their money next year!

I will be biking this year and, to help me reach my fund-raising goal of $ , I hope you will sponsor me by donating $ choosing). Our ultimate goal is to raise $45,000 to build a school and we need your help to make it happen!

(or any amount of your

If you would like to support our ride to Uganda, you can donate online by visiting www.buildingtomorrow.org/btu/chapter chapter and clicking the “donate” button on the left, or mail a check to Building Tomorrow’s Headquarters (407 Fulton Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202). Please make all checks payable to Building Tomorrow and write “BTU-(chapter)’ (chapter) on the memo line. On behalf of Hariyet, Esther and the more than 1,000 students learning inside a BT classroom today, thank you so very much!

All the best, (your name)

buy a brick, build a school

A great way to do your own fundraising for Building Tomorrow’s Bike to Uganda is by selling paper bricks to your family & friends. • 1 $5 paper brick = (buys) 50 bricks in Uganda Bricks can be cut out & personalized for every donor! Pretty simple, right? If every Bike to Uganda participant sold just one sheet of bricks on top of paying their registration fee, we would be well on your way towards reaching your fundraising goal. Webale nnyo!

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resources

(linked)

*indicates customizable resource

general resources • • • •

waivers business sponsorship proposal* mileage chart media guide*

marketing materials • flyers • general* • version 1 • version 2 • version 3 • version 4 • version 5 • version 6 • banner (30” x 5’) • postcards* • poster (for 3’ x 5’ tri-fold) • cut & paste • the final product • fundraising brochure • talking points* • t-shirt • example • vector files - ask us! • sticker designs • example • vector files - ask us! • classroom costs For additional resources, visit our online Chapter Hub @ www.buildingtomorrow.org/chapter-hub

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