Introduction

Promoting a bike collection drive for the Boys and Girls Club Bike Exchange is a truly rewarding community service project for your school, company, organization or faith community. A bike drive is a focused effort to encourage people to donate bikes in their garages, basements and storage sheds that are no longer being used. Our Bike Exchange volunteers will recondition donated bikes and sell them at our shop in the Capitol Plaza Shopping Center in Ewing.   All profits from the sale of donated bikes go to the Boys and Girls Club of Trenton & Mercer County. We invite you to organize a bike drive and to make it an annual tradition!

We are pleased the following organizations have run bike drives for the Bike Exchange:

     Long & Foster Real Estate

     Stark & Stark Legal

     Boy Scount Troop 79 in Robbbinsville, NJ

     Lawrenceville Farmers Market

In addition, Princton University and Trenton Police Department have donated abandoned bikes.

Bike Drive Benefits:

1. Positive recognition for your organization.
2. Donor satisfaction that used bikes are put to good use.
3. Creative support of recycling and environmental stewardship.
4. Freeing space in your storage areas.
5. Tax deductions for those who donate.

To Organize a Bike Drive You Must Accomplish the Following Tasks:

1. Obtain approval from your organization's leader.
2. Designate a Bike Drive Coordinator.
3. Contact the Bike Exchange at www.BikeExchangeNJ.org to begin planning your drive.
4. Publicize and market the event to your target donors.
5. Manage the Bike Drive on the day(s) of collection.

Questions You Will Need To Answer:

1. When? This will depend on your organization and target donors.  For some groups, a single or half day weekend event will work well.   For others, a week long bike drive would be most effective.
2. Where? The best sites are centrally located, easily identifiable, and convenient for both donors and volunteers.  While empty lots can work well, a nearby building is advisable (for bathroom facilities or in case of bad weather). A covered walkway also works well in case of rain.  Collections run rain or shine!
3. What materials are needed? A Bike Exchange Bike Drive Coordinator will provide organizers with customized flyers to Promote the Drive, a Volunteer Sign in Sheet, and Tax Deductible Receipt Forms. You will need to supply tables, chairs, any signs you decide are needed, and an adequate number of volunteers.  If outdoors, you should have a tarp in case of bad weather.

Site Preparation:

Be sure to arrive at your site at least an hour before the collection start time to post signs, set up the table and to organize the volunteers. Late sponsor arrival combined with and early influx of bikes can disrupt your efforts, cost time and energy, and fray relationships with volunteers and donors.  It is important to schedule enough volunteers to promptly complete tax deduction receipts for donors.

Event Publicity / Overall Marketing Strategy

The number of bikes you collect will depend heavily on your publicity efforts. Your organization's Bike Drive Coordinator should strategize with fellow volunteers to determine the optimum publicity approach.  A Bike Exchange volunteer will be available to help you create a news release to aid in promoting  your bike drive.   Depending on your unique situation, you may want to contact local Press, distribute customized flyers, and/or contact prospective donors via E-mail.

Transporting the Bikes to the Bike Exchange Store

The Bike Exchange Bike Drive Coordinator will work with your Coordinator to agree upon a transportation plan. If your organization or volunteers have trucks, you can deliver the bikes to our store in Capitol Plaza at 1500 Olden Avenue in Ewing. The Bike Exchange also has access to trucks if they are needed.

Good Luck With Your Bike Drive!