Support IMBA’s Annual Fund!

Each year, IMBA takes stock in what we have achieved. As 2008 draws to a close, we see ample cause to celebrate our many accomplishments, and to evaluate new opportunities for creating great riding experiences. Despite economic turbulence and change afoot in Washington, DC, we are certain that IMBA is poised for unprecedented success in the months ahead.

We passionately believe that your donation will bring substantial results for you and your community. Will you include IMBA in your year-end giving to fuel new places to ride in 2009?

IMBA is sending our professional trailbuilders far and wide to help build quality singletrack. At the same time, we are revitalizing our club support programs to ensure that local affiliates will thrive. We know that trails build communities and that communities build trails, so we are investing in both!

Riders like you have committed to helping IMBA’s grassroots network focus on what it does so well: advocating for open space, building a larger local presence and engaging in partnerships with public land agencies that will yield new trails. Together, we’ve put new facilities on the ground in all 50 states over the last year.

Your generous donation to the Annual Fund will provide critical support for this work. I'm asking you to give to IMBA's Annual Fund today to help develop the trails of tomorrow. Your dollars will be leveraged with contributions from fellow riders, unprecedented bike industry support and numerous grants from federal and state agencies.

IMBA’s goals for 2009 are simple, yet ambitious:

Unite the mountain bike movement by strengthening our grassroots network.
Provide truly world-class riding experiences and model trail systems nationwide.
Protect natural lands and open space by bolstering volunteerism and sustainable trail design.

Your year-end gift of $35, $60, $100—or more, if possible—will help tackle these key projects:

• Build mountain biking destinations that provide exceptional riding experiences with cross-country trail networks, downhill courses, freeride terrain and jump parks. Look for new riding in places like Philadelphia, PA; Mammoth, CA; Portland, OR; Rapid City, SD; Boulder, CO; Fairfax, VA; Albermarle, NC; Ocala, FL; Houston, TX; and dozens of other locations.
• Actively pursue bicycle-friendly land conservation and funding legislation in Washington, DC with the new administration.
• Grow IMBA’s professional trails program, which is poised to place the world’s best trail designers literally in your backyard to develop extensive riding opportunities.
• Help mountain bikers overcome the obstacles to new trails by working proactively with land managers, developing local funding and educating their local government decision makers.

We’re poised to build new trails, keep existing rides open and unify our collective voice. Your financial support and active involvement have fueled tremendous progress and success in 2008:

• We presented the 2008 IMBA World Summit, providing professional training for the more than 400 impassioned mountain bike leaders from 38 states and 17 countries.
• IMBA’s trail development programs have catalyzed dozens of model trail projects, bringing more than 200 miles of singletrack and a dozen community-based bike parks to avid and aspiring riders.
• A regional partnership between IMBA and the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) has more than doubled the capacity for mountain biking’s continued growth in the southeastern U.S., and similar partnerships are in development around the country.
• We successfully lobbied on Capitol Hill for bike-friendly legislation—including appropriate riding opportunities in National Parks. We also staved off closures due to new or proposed Wilderness areas, and built support for federal trail programs.
• We have taken IMBA’s bike industry partnerships to an unprecedented level, providing additional resources to improve the quality, accessibility and quantity of riding near you.

Our work ensures you can enjoy outstanding trails close to home and on your travels. Thanks to your donations, we’re gaining ground. But let’s face it, too many mountain bikers still don’t have access to appealing trails. IMBA’s work, and the work of strengthening our national network, is more important than ever.

That's why we need your year-end support. Your donation will help us make 2009 our best year ever—a year of better riding for all. Better yet, it will keep you on your bike, riding great trails close to home. Now that’s an investment we can all bank on!