Where Do Your Membership Dollars Go?
When someone puts their money behind our organization, it’s important to be transparent with where their dollars are going. As a nonprofit organization who relies on your financial support for our longevity, we’re here to share some insight into how your financial support breaks down. There are two ways for individuals to financially support our trails here in the Pisgah Ranger District. One option is to join our SORBA chapter as an official member of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), and another is to donate directly to Pisgah Area SORBA. Both options are available to everyone, and they’re not mutually exclusive! All are encouraged to both join our membership and donate directly to our cause. When you join Pisgah Area SORBA as a paying member, with fees beginning as low as $39/year, your membership dues are divided among three organizations: SORBA Main, IMBA, and Pisgah Area SORBA. You can see the breakdown of your dollar distribution in the pie chart below. The 40% of your dues which come directly to Pisah Area SORBA are used to improve our local trails with projects such as environmentally necessary re-alignments, performing consistent maintenance, purchasing tools for volunteers, paying our administrative costs, creating educational opportunities for trail users, and more. The 40% of dues which are given to SORBA are used to support overall administrative costs, insurance premiums for all SORBA chapters including Pisgah Area SORBA, and regional advocacy efforts. The remaining 20% of fees go directly to IMBA, who provide the membership management platform, perks such as access to ExpertVoice.com and SPOT insurance, as well as national-level advocacy for mountain biking.
Distribution of Membership Dues
When members realize we do not directly receive all of our membership dues, they often ask why we remain a SORBA chapter. While our portion of membership dues only cover a small portion of our operating budget, being a chapter of SORBA provides our organization with insurance coverage when working on property such as Richmond Hill, resources for chapter development, and the ability to represent mountain bikers in high level advocacy conversations with state and regional officials. IMBA represents mountain biking at the national and international level and works directly with federal and state officials to ensure mountain bikers continue to have access to trails while also working to expand access for mountain bikers. Some folks aren’t as interested in the regional and national advocacy and are more motivated to keep their dollars as local as possible. We also provide an opportunity to donate directly to Pisgah Area SORBA, in which case we receive 100% of the donation. By donating directly, individuals also have the ability to weigh in on how their money is spent. For example, an individual could directly support a campaign or project, such as the Butter Gap Project. No matter how you choose to support the trails, we appreciate your commitment to helping us maintain and improve our singletrack here in the Pisgah Ranger District!