Where does it go?  

All the money that the Club collects?  The money for dues collected?  The money for event registration fees?

When you join the Club and pay your annual membership or when you participate in the Shorefire and pay the registration fee, what does the Club do with that money?

A portion goes to operating costs such as Club Liability Insurance for Executive Committee members and supplemental medical insurance for members, a portion goes to the cost of operating a website and email addresses, a portion goes to cover the cost of operating the Club events, but the greatest portion goes to annual donations to cycling-related non-profits.

Club Insurance
To protect the members of the Club’s Executive Committee we have liability insurance.  We get this thru a program offered by the League of American Bicyclists.  We also have the supplemental medical insurance for members in good standing that may be injured during a Club-lead ride or Club event.  As part of the registration fee we also have medical insurance coverage for non-members that participate in our major events (Icicle, Doublecross, Shorefire and Savage).  This is why we have the “Member” “Non-Member” check boxes on the registration forms – we pay the insurance company a fee for each non-member participating in the our four major events (please check the appropriate box when registering).  To be clear though, non-members are not covered during Club-lead rides, coverage is only on the four major events when they pay a registration fee.  

Website Costs
As with any business or organization, an online presence is mandatory.  We pay an internet service provider to host our website and to provide email addresses to communicate with whomever may contact us.  In addition we also have the email distribution list (Listserve) for which we pay a fee.

Event Costs
For our four fundraising events (Icicle, Doublecross, Shorefire and Savage) we have costs associated with putting on the event.  What we pay for fruit, drinks, snacks and event souvenirs are a large part of the cost.  We also pay for use of some of the facilities, the fire stations and schools that we use for the starting points and rest stops.  We also pay our insurance provider a fee per person for all non-members that participate in the events.  For events such as the Annual Banquet, Annual Picnic and Volunteer Brunch our costs are limited to the facility use fees and cost of food and drink.

Annual Donations
The largest portion of the money that is collected each year goes to cycling-related non-profits to fund them.  They too have operating costs and initiatives that they are focusing on such as offering cycling helmets to those that cannot afford them or providing special bikes to cyclists with special needs.  We fund bicycling advocacy groups that are out there meeting with people and working on things that will benefit us as cyclists, such as designated bike lanes and paved trails, safer streets and commuting routes, public awareness measures to name a few.  We support non-profits that support us.  In the past three years we have donated more than $36,000 to cycling-related non-profits!  In 2014/2015 we donated $8,150, in 2015/2016 we donated $13,900, and in 2016/2017 we donated $14,200.  Although who we make donation to each year changes, what follows is a list of those non-profits that we supported the last few years…

• Bike Delaware
• Delaware Senior Olympics
• Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery
• Friends of Chester Creek Branch
• Land Conservancy-South Chester County
• League of American Bicyclists
• Love of Christ Church
• Meals for Shields
• Mike Clark Legacy Foundation
• Newark Bike Committee
• Newark Bike Project
• Preston’s March for Energy
• Rails to Trails
• Rode to Recovery
• Special Olympics Delaware
• UD Blue Hen Veterans and Friends Cycling Team
• Urban Bike Project
• Walkable Bikeable Delaware

The Club funds those non-profits that are important to its members.  If you want a non-profit to be considered for funding, you, as a member must submit a request for funding using the linked form (Word Doc or Adobe PDF).  It is best to include a letter from the non-profit outlining their request and needs.  Funding will not be made to a non-profit without a request being submitted.

Please remember that the Club’s four major events are fundraising events.  Profits from the money that is raised during the year is donated to cycling-related non-profits to fund their initiatives.  Your registration fees will make a difference in the cycling community, some that may benefit you, some that will benefit those that may not have the means to enjoying the sport that we love without assistance.  Our Club gives back to the community, please be a part of that.