Did you know Overland Mountain Bike Association is a federally-registered 501c3 non-profit charitable organization? OMBA is happy to accept donations from association members, the general public, local businesses and large corporations. How does this work?
Members pay annual dues to be a part of this organization. As an IMBA chapter, a portion of your yearly dues are paid to OMBA, and the rest goes to IMBA. For your individual membership, you may receive IMBA swag, an OMBA water bottle and bandana, food during meetings and events, opportunities to join monthly member rides, First Aid/CPR classes, Trail training classes, the ability to volunteer for our local trails, and the knowledge that you are supporting both OMBA and IMBA, organizations that work to build and maintain trails everywhere!
Your company may have a matching gifts program that will match donations to not-for-profit organizations (sometimes even memberships). Check with your company to find out. In addition, some companies have a charitable giving or grant program that might support our association. Some programs will donate based on an employee’s volunteer hours; and some will even give in-kind donations. If you know of a program at your work place, contact any Board member.
Overland Mountain Bike Association members are known to volunteer significant amounts of time to our local land agencies and to youth mountain bike organizations. In 2022, OMBA club members gave approximately 10,000 hours of volunteer time. This includes patrol rides, trail days, outreach events, patrol and trail trainings, committee meetings, event planning meetings, land agency discussions, etc. The current “value” for volunteer hours is $35/hour. So, Overland Mountain Bike Association members donated approximately $350,000 in volunteer time in 2022. Very impressive!!!
How can you help? If you like what Overland is doing, then please consider joining or renewing your membership in 2023. If you are able, please consider an additional donation to help us continue funding all of these programs as well. It will be VERY MUCH appreciated! And if you do donate, please inquire with your employer about their Employee Matching Gifts Program. This is typically a very simple process that is often overlooked. Many employers will match employee charitable contributions at a 1:1 amount, with some even going as high as 4:1. Also consider asking about a volunteer grants program or any other Corporate Giving program they operate. These funds will add up and help us complete more trail and community projects going forward, making our region a much better place to ride our mountain bikes!