$20,000 fund raising challenge--did we make it?

Thanks to 36 generous donors who donated just over $20,000 with a challenge to the rest of MoBikeFed members and supporters to match that amount, we have been working on a year-end $20K fund raising challenge with a deadline of January 31st.

So now it is February 1st--did we make our goal? 

Missouri delegation at the National Bike Summit

If you look at the $20,000 Challenge graph of the top of this page, it looks like we missed--rather badly.  We're at just over $7000 under $11,000 with our deadline passed.  So right now we are a whopping $13,000 $9000 short.

But . . . 

Most MoBikeFed members and supporters received an announcement about the $20K challenge in the mail about two weeks ago.  We know from past experience that most of our members and supporters prefer to respond by mail rather than donating or renewing online.

With the mailing in people's mailboxes only two weeks ago, there just hasn't been time for people to return their generous contribution or membership renewal, for it to work its way through the postal system to us, and for us to deposit and record the payments. That usually takes a good 4-6 weeks.

Based on the response of our generous members and supporters to previous similar mailings, I would guess that we will be very, very close to reaching our $20K goal by the time all those cards and letters reach us. We might be just on the cusp--right under or just over our goal.

Only time will tell! When we get final totals, we'll make another announcement here.

In the mean time, if you have been meaning to return that mailer we sent you, or join/renew/donate online, now would be a really great time . . . 

Thank you!

Many, many thanks to all of you, our generous donors and supporters--both the 36 who helped create the $20K Challenge and the more than 150 (so far!) who have put us a good part of the way towards matching that ambitious goal.

Bonus: We've seen 96 new/renewing members during our Challenge period so far.  Thank you, new and renewing members!

You're helping us get off to a strong start in 2013, an helping reach our important goals for better, safer bicycling and walking in Missouri, like:

• Ensuring the bicycling and walking get their fair share of the proposed $8 billion in new transportation funding in Missouri
• Working to stop a proposed bicycle ban bill in the Missouri General Assembly
• Working to support the new Missouri Statewide Trails Plan
• Working to ensure that the MAP-21 federal funding for bicycling and walking, that we all worked so hard to get passed, is spent in the most effective possible way
• Working towards Safe Routes to School--better, safer opportunities to bike and walk to school for all Missouri school students
• Working to educate all Missouri elected officials about the importance of bicycling and walking
• Working to support our ambitious Legislative Platform
• Working to move Complete Streets policies forward across Missouri
• Ooganize the Missouri delegation to Congress at the National Bike Summit in March and organize Missouri's own Bicycle/Pedestrian Day at the Capitol in Jefferson City April 8th.