The Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance is finally becoming its own thing! You may be asking, “Wait, TMBA has been around for a while, what are they talking about?” Well, that’s true and not true. TMBA has been functional as more or less a committee under the Nevada Bicycle Coalition for a number of years. This includes our early years when we were just a rag tag group of organizations looking to organize a Bike to Work Day event.
Over the last few years, we have started to expand what we do in terms of events and advocacy. With that in mind, we decided that January 2020 was the right time to break out on our own and become our own distinct organization. This has meant a lot of learning. There’s a laundry list of things an organization needs to do when it sets out to legitimately exist on its own. Putting together a board… Incorporation with the state… Writing byalws… Applying for an EIN… Completing the IRS Form 1023 to apply for nonprofit status…
While it is genuinely exciting and somewhat interesting to navigate these steps, it is quite a burden on an all volunteer “staff” that otherwise has real world job obligations that pay the bills. We have just one more step to go before we start the waiting game while the IRS determines whether or not we are worthy of nonprofit status.
In the meantime we have been and plan to stay busy making Washoe County a safer and more inclusive cycling community for current and potential cyclists. Here are some highlights:
- Building on the momentum gained from helping get the Center Street Cycle Track approved, we have developed an Infrastructure, Policy, and Advocacy (IPA) Committee. The intent of this committee is to to help drive the development of a connected, protected, and equitable cycling network in the Reno-Sparks area.
- We have the great fortune of being able to work with UNR this spring in hosting an intern. Our intern is a public health major who is planning on going to grad school next year. For the next few months, our intern is going to help us stay organized as we build out the IPA Committee and prepare for Bike Month.
- Of course, Bike Month is a HUGE part of what we have been doing. We continue to work with partners in identifying and organizing events throughout the month of May to help the people of Washoe County celebrate all tings bicycle related. Keep an eye on our events calendar to see what we have coming on line. Have an event you want to see added to the calendar? Let us know…
In the course of doing all this work, we are asking for financial support from existing and potential cyclists in Washoe County. By becoming our very own, independent organization, we find ourselves in need of developing a bit of a working capital fund to support our efforts into the future. That is why we have kicked off a $20,000 in 2020 Capital Campaign. Could you spare $20.20 or more to support a safer and more inclusive cycling community? If so, please make a donation by clicking the logo below. Thank you for your support!
