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Advocacy Advance – a partnership of the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking and Walking – is now accepting applications for its Action 2020 Workshops.

The goal of Advocacy Advance is to double federal funding for biking and walking through increased spending at the state, MPO and local level where many funding decisions are ultimately made. The partnership plans to meet this goal by producing best practice reports, providing technical assistance, awarding grants and facilitating Action 2020 Workshops.

These workshops bring together advocates, agency staff, and elected officials and are designed to ensure that participants have the knowledge, skills and resources to access untapped or under-utilized federal funding sources at the state, regional and local level to build bicycling and walking infrastructure and programs. Applications to host a workshop are due Friday, February 24.

Read more about Action 2020 Workshops and how to apply on the Advocacy Advance blog.

Photo: Action 2020 Workshop in Tucson, Arizona

It’s barely been two months since I returned from Climate Ride California. But, before I even boxed up my bike, I started looking forward to the next.

Just in time to inspire some holiday cheer, registration for the 2012 Climate Ride is now open.

The Climate Ride is a win-win:

• You get the ride of a lifetime: A green conference on wheels, you’ll meet like-minded bicycle advocates, cruise through some of the most gorgeous countryside in the nation and kick back at night to listen to top experts in the field of sustainable transportation and renewable energy.
• Nonprofits get crucial funding: Each rider directs his or her fundraising to one or more of the Climate Ride beneficiaries. The California event alone put more than $300,000 in the pockets of organizations working on active transportation and climate protection — like the Alliance.

The New York City to DC ride is May 19-23, but now is the perfect time to register. Sign up today, so you can tell your friends and family that the best gift they can give you this holiday season is a donation toward your Climate Ride fundraising goal.

Your participation can make the Alliance’s new year merry and bright, too. Just select us as a beneficiary of your ride. See you in DC this May!

As Open Streets initiatives continue to grow in both frequency and size across the continent, the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the Street Plans Collaborative launched OpenStreetsProject.org today to document the growth of these initiatives and provide resources to foster continued development. An accompanying best practices guide will be completed in the next few weeks and will be available for purchase as a hard copy or as a free download on the website.

Open Streets initiatives temporarily close streets to automobiles, allowing residents to walk, bike, skate, dance and utilize the roadways in countless creative and active ways. From Seattle to Miami, and Los Angeles to Ottawa, open streets initiatives have become a way for cities to build community, promote active transportation and reconnect neighborhoods divided by traffic.

“I’ve personally seen numerous Open Streets events in cities around the U.S. and, without fail, each of them has been tremendously inspirational,” Jeff Miller, Alliance President/CEO says. “Open Streets are not just an excellent way for cities to promote biking and walking; they inspire citizens to see their streets as public spaces.”

Open streets have exploded in popularity across North America in the past six years. In 2005 there were fewer than 10 documented initiatives across North America. Now there are more than 65, drawing hundreds of thousands of participants each year. OpenStreetsProject.org allows organizers to share information on their initiative and explore other initiatives across the continent. The site also provides helpful resources for organizers looking to start a new initiative or grow an existing initiative in their community.

“The Open Streets Project aims to support this exciting movement by providing advocates and organizers with a comprehensive overview of organizational and implementation strategies,” says Mike Lydon, Founding Principal of The Street Plans Collaborative. “The Project includes a significant, open source website intended to not only keep information current for all existing and future initiatives, but to also provide a free web presence for those communities who should focus their limited resources on implementation rather than building websites. In this way, we believe the Project will be a catalyst for the continued growth of the open streets movement.”

If your city or organization has information to share about an Open Streets initiative in your community, please contact Mike Samuelson, Alliance Member Services and Open Streets Coordinator, at (202) 449-9692 x7 or mike@PeoplePoweredMovement.org.

Winning Campaigns Trainings give you more than tips and tactics to plan a successful campaign. The Alliance’s three-day boot camp for advocates leaves participants energized, excited and prepared to take on new campaigns that reshape their communities.

Since 2009, the Alliance has worked with nearly 300 advocates from across the continent at our signature workshops. By working through the Winning Campaigns Training curriculum, those participants tweaked or launched hundreds of different campaigns to boost biking and walking in their communities.

Over the past few months, as we’ve held the first half of our 2011 series, we tried to give you a taste of this energy by sharing the rave reviews of participants. But, while we can give you a hundred testimonials, you have to experience the training yourself to understand its impact on how you plan and execute your campaigns.

In 2012, we’re giving you four opportunities to jumpstart your next winning campaign with the guidance of our expert facilitators and the assistance of your bike-ped peers. As you begin to plan out your 2012 budget, don’t forget to include space to attend this transformative training.

• January 13-15 in Tucson, AZ; Hosted by Living Streets Alliance
• April 27-29 in Boston, MA; Hosted by Livable Streets Alliance
• June 8-10 in Houston, TX; Hosted by Citizens’ Transportation Coalition
• October 19-21 in Kansas City, MO; Hosted by BikeWalkKC

Registration for each training is already open. Reserve your spot today.

And don’t forget about our final two training in 2011. The Alliance will be in Los Angeles, October 14-16, and in Columbia, SC, November 4-6.

You already know your members are more precious than gold. They are the reason your organization exists. They are the engine that propels you forward. They provide the financial stability, creative energy and political clout that make your organization an effective force for biking and walking in your community. That’s why you simply can’t afford to miss the Alliance’s Membership Development Training, July 20-22 in Chicago.

This specialized and affordable training will draw on the expertise of membership guru Ellis Robinson, who has more than 30 years’ experience serving more than 500 local, state, and national advocacy groups working to improve and increase access for bicyclists and pedestrians. She’ll be joined by Kate McCarthy from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Lee Crandell of the Active Transportation Alliance and other bike-ped leaders from around the country who will add their expertise.

What specifically will you get out of the Membership Development Training? Straight from Ellis Robinson, here are the top five reasons you can’t miss this workshop:

• You’ll have a chance to ask about your membership program—what’s working, what’s not—and get responses designed and tailored to your situation.
• You’ll learn how to keep more of the members you have, by improving your renewal programs.
• You’ll have a chance to review the many means of recruiting new members and develop a new member program that best fits your organization—allowing you to take that next big leap forward.
• You’ll get help honing your message and materials to be most compelling for attracting new members and keeping the ones you have.
• You’ll meet and learn from dozens of peers working with the same challenges you are—and make friends and connections for the future!

So what are you waiting for? Advocates from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Transportation Alternatives, Active Transportation Alliance, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and others have already signed up. Don’t miss out! Register today!

If you joined us at the first training, this isn’t simply a repeat of 2009. The curriculum is different, drawing on plenty of new ideas and innovations to brush up and build on your current knowledge. (Click here for a draft agenda.) This training is for organizations of all sizes, at all stages: Whether you’re looking to lay the foundation for your first membership plan, enhance your current plan or learn tactics to better engage the members you already have, this workshop will address your specific needs.

Join us July 20-22 in Chicago, IL, for a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn best practices and network with your peers on this vital topic. Sign up by June 18 to take advantage of early registration rates and discounted hotel reservations.

Click here to register today!

Did you know there are more than 900 resources in the Alliance’s online library? And that we’re adding new items almost every day?

We hope the Resource Library is your first stop when you’re looking for tips and templates to grow your organization, advance your campaigns or find the latest research on bike/ped topics. But we’re in the midst of making it even better, by editing, adding and updating many of the items and categories. To keep you posted, each week on the blog we’ll round up some of the recent additions.

Here’s this Friday’s hit list:

• Need stats on bicycling mode share, demographics, infrastructure or just about any other metric? You’ll likely find the data you’re looking for in the latest paper from John Pucher (Rutgers University) and Ralph Buehler (Virginia Tech): “Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Large North American Cities”

• A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the “Women Can Change the World Through Cycling” webinar presented by APBP, which marked the release of new materials from the Women’s Cycling Survey. Click here to read the survey results, watch the webinar and check out the new analysis of three open-ended questions from the survey, including “What would cause you to start or increase your cycling?”

• If you weren’t able to attend the Alliance’s “Fundraising Fundamentals” Mutual Aid Call this month (and even if you did attend), check out a wealth of resources and templates shared by our expert panelist Andy Robinson, including a fundraising menu for your board and an income diversification form.

• We know many of you are preparing your applications for Advocacy Advance Grants. For inspiration, see what some of our past grant recipients have been able to develop and share with other member organizations, including a variety of resources from the League of Illinois Bicyclists on their incredibly successful Bicycle Planning Workshops.

• New proof Americans also want more livable communities: A survey from the National Association of Realtors revealed that 56 percent of respondents preferred smart growth neighborhoods over neighborhoods that require more driving between home, work and recreation.

• May is just a few weeks away; check out this sample Bike Month proclamation/resolution created by the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation and tailor it for your mayor or city council.

• Are you ready to work with the media for your Bike to Work events? Make sure you’ve got a helpful one-page press primer, like this one from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in Portland.

Stay tuned for another installment next Friday!

A powerful campaign to increase biking and walking takes time, research and plenty of knowledge about grassroots organizing. Unfortunately, there aren’t any shortcuts in transforming your community. But there is one way to get your campaign on the fast track to victory.

The Alliance created the Winning Campaigns Training to give both novice and veteran bicycle and pedestrian advocates the skills, strategies and advice they need to launch and turbocharge campaigns to improve biking and walking. What better way to celebrate National Bike Month than attending the Alliance training in Baltimore, MD, May 13-15, 2011?

Led by longtime advocates and national experts, our Winning Campaigns Training will teach you to:

• Identify and map the key decisionmakers
• Craft a persuasive message to rally members and policy makers
• Use media outlets to communicate to a broad audience
• Become an effective fundraiser
• And much more!

The workshop is hosted by your neighbors at Bike Maryland and facilitated by Alliance staff and consultants, who will help you create a detailed Campaign Blueprint to chart your path to victory, step by step. But the Winning Campaigns Training is more than a class. It’s a fun, interactive, inspiring experience that fosters collaboration and connection among your region’s advocates.

Register for this affordable training by next Wednesday, April 13, to get the early-bird rate of just $75 for Alliance members or $125 for the general public. That’s 25 percent off the regular rate, so sign up today. If you live on the East Coast, don’t miss this unique offering in your area; join us for the Winning Campaigns Training in Baltimore! 

Check out a combination effort of four Alliance organizations in Pennsylvania, coming together to forge progress for biking and walking across their state. Find more information at http://www.livablestreets.com/projects/pabikewalk/project-home

Online registration for events is a recurring topic on the Alliance listserv that again popped up this March.  Alliance has summarized the results of the listserv discussion and posted a document summarizing the discussion and online registration options in the new Bike & Ped Advocacy Resource Library.  Search “online registration” to find this new resource.

Numerous Alliance member organizations in Cleveland, Ohio including Cleveland Bikes, Walk and Roll Cleveland and Bike Lakewood are coming together to produce the first ever “Cleveland Bicycle Week.”  The goal of the event is to promote cycling during National Bike Month by hosting fun and educational activities.  Thursday May 15th they will host a one-day conference for government officials, health and wellness agencies, the media and other interested parties.  Friday will be the Cleveland Bicycle Expo at Cleveland City Hall.