We need help! We are really good at trail building and we can always use more trail workers but there are all kinds of other ways you can get involved that have nothing to do with trail building. Here are a few:

Fundraising
They say money won’t make you happy but it sure does solve a lot of problems. We could do a lot more if we had more money. We need someone who is interested in fundraising…even better would be more than one person so we could have a fundraising committee. I know there is money to be had out there but we have never been very successful in going after it. We need people who are good with people, like asking for money and can promote a positive message in a way that will convince companies that it’s a good idea to give us money.

Marketing
We need more stuff with our name and logo on it. We could make a little money off selling stuff and money is cool but really it’s more about getting our name out there and being more visible. And it’s also just fun to have cool accessories with our name on it. I have a source for stickers and business cards now and am working on that but really I’m kind of flailing around and don’t really know what I am doing. I would like to have a broader range of merchandise…posters, signs, pint glasses, hats, car accessories, whatever, so it would be great to have a couple of people take the lead on this. Maybe form a marketing/merchandizing committee.

Volunteer coordinator
We really try to thank our volunteers and recognize the awesome people that you guys are…really thank you all for what you do….but really at the end of the day we fail to adequately recruit, organize, thank and recognize our volunteers. I would like to have a dedicated volunteer coordinator who could take the lead on getting the word out for upcoming events, how many volunteers are needed, where they need to go, what type of help is needed, etc. Again more than one person would be cool too.

Membership coordinator
We need more members. Charlotte is a big city. We are hovering somewhere around 320 members or something like that. I know there are more people than that out there riding their bikes. We need to convince those people that it makes sense to officially join. We make a little money of memberships and again money is cool but really this one is not about the money. Having a larger membership base means more power and influence when we approach land managers for access or when we approach companies for money or apply for grants. It is significant when we can say we represent 320 members of the riding community….think of how much more significant it would be if we could say we represent 500 people; 1000 people. We can say “hey XYZ company, you should give us money because all these members will like you if you do”. 


 
So if you think you might be interested in any of the above please let me know…..president@tarheeltrailblazers.com….or you can just post here. Even if you just think you might be able to help but aren’t really sure and want to talk about it…let me know. We can talk about it and you can decide later. Just because you raise your hand doesn’t mean you are committed (really it doesn’t, all kidding aside). You can be as involved or not as you want to be and as your time allows. A lot of this kind of stuff can be done from home at any time of the day or night. Heck if you raise your hand, I might even give you a Hello Kitty sticker. 


Thanks for reading....and thank you to everyone for everything you do!

Emily 
President

Wow, the 'Fisher Farm green loop' thread had a page of responses by 8:30am the following day; the thread with the sole purpose of making your MTB life better is getting no love...

Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to commit a whole lot of time to the club, but I'm happy to contribute where I can.  As someone who has regularly enjoyed the trails for the last 8-9 months, the least I can do is to help fund some of projects undertaken by the club.  Perhaps others will follow my lead:

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) -> If you would like to make a direct financial contribution to the Trailblazers, click on the Donation button. 100% of your contribution will go to the Trailblazers.

The Tarheel Trailblazers (THTB) are a non-profit organization, recognized as tax exempt in October 1997.

If you've made a tax deductible donation to THTB, quote the link above, and reply -  it will encourage others!

Steve

If you buy stuff using amazon smile they kick 0.5% of the purchase to the club.  Not a ton of money but it helps.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

If we had some moderately priced t-shirts, $10-15, I'd pick up several.

Quote:


I should also point out a 2 discrepancies with the 'Store' link above ( (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)), which I found when searching for the 'donation' button:

• Slight disparity on the prices in the store vs. the prices on PayPal (on both jersey & mens tee)
• spelling - Mens Tech Tees, not Tess

I figured I could also make a contribution in the Marketing area, by getting the THTB logo on more stuff (specifically me).

In the spirit of recruiting, has there ever been any thought in to setting up a tent for a couple of hours at one of the local trails on a Saturday to try and promote the club?  Kinda like is done at a trade show?  The percentage of people who ride the trails and have absolutely no clue the THTB exists is probably pretty high.  Also, do we have any flyers or literature to hand out?  If so, would any of the local shops be willing to have them on the counter and/or give them out when they sell a bike?  I'm just brainstorming, but maybe those ideas could help spread the word.

Also, if anyone is interesting in helping sell jerseys, tech tees and hoodies I have most of that here at the shop.  I also have a box of the brochures if someone wants to grab them and distribute to other local shops.  I know REI has them, I have them and NC Velo has them.  Not sure about Cool Breeze/Trek Stores, Spirited Cyclist, First Flight, Live It Xtreme or Blood, Sweat and Gears.

Also one of the tents is at Fisher Farm Park.

I'd be willing to spend a couple hours at a tent some day.  Would be a good opportunity to help spread the word and I could also try and sell some of the gear if that seems like a good idea.

Thanks guys!

Great idea. Once that's all in place let's talk about that.

Why don't we use (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) to create Tarheel TrailBlazer Jersey to be sold online and in local shops? IMBA Italy uses them for their jersey, could be the same style ( (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)) with the TTB logo on it. People likes gadgets if cool. Also why not do an easy race open to anybody, not in a tough trail but in a simple environment like Mc Apline Creek. They have a very easy loop but it could be a way to have many people interested also not usual MTB aficionado. As a marketer i am sure you have quite a good mailing list, mailchimp could be used to create 4-5 newsletters a year.

Doc00t wrote on 04/05/17 at 1:12pm:


Ok, the fact that i did not knew about it does not mean too much, but how many "me" are around? and frankly I do not find it appealing. The THB Logo that is present in the website is beautiful, in the jersey it almost disappear in the dark background and frankly I find not appealing that huge white light in the front with THB written with a different font from the logo font.
Of course this in MY PERSONAL opinion and count for one.

DG wrote on 04/05/17 at 3:10pm:


I didn't know about it either - is there somewhere local that has them to be tried on?

DG wrote on 04/05/17 at 3:10pm:


On that jersey we decided to do something different for our 25th anniversary.  That and the previous jersey were both done by Primal which out of the past 16 years worth of jerseys fit the best, IMHO.

BTW I can post pictures of all but the very first club jersey if you'd like to see them.  I have them all in my closet but the OG one.

Doc00t wrote on 04/06/17 at 2:23pm:



Could be fun and cool

The Cycle Path wrote on 04/06/17 at 3:55pm:


Do it! Would love to see past designs. Laid back social race would also be fun, I wouldnt mind doing a relay or team race as well. 

What about having a bike clinic on stuff like form, proper riding technique, how to manual, bunny hop, bike repair. 

I'm new here but wouldn't a slalom race be way more fun and more mountian bike oriented than tt? I'd be out for a slalom race for sure

All good thoughts everyone. We are looking into time trail races and the like but we have to get the insurance details figured out first so look for those in the future. 

Skills clinics also a little tricky since technically we would need to have certified instructors to teach to be able to call them skills clinics.

catsruletn wrote on 04/24/17 at 6:47pm:


I know a certified instructor who lives in Mooresville     

The Cycle Path wrote on 04/06/17 at 3:55pm:



Let's see old design if possible

DG wrote on 04/26/17 at 2:04am:



Are you talking about crit as in road?  If so I don't know if that's a good idea, no better way to get the mindset of biking isn't for you than to do a crit with a bunch of inexperienced riders.  I'm an OK rider and the idea of doing a road crit scares the crap out of me (not just because other riders, I don't trust myself!).   

I also think you'll find that appealing to general public will have a lot less return for membership.  Think of how many people ride a bike or have a bike in your neighborhood, or even rent bikes at wwc... now how many of them would care to be a member of a bike club?  Now I'm not saying there shouldn't be some appeal to these people as I am all for getting new people into the sport, but IMO there is a ton more people who look at it as "bike riding" instead of a "sport".

Now think about all the enthusiasts we have in CLT.  Not saying it needs to be a TT around all the black diamonds; but it does need to appeal more to a targeted audience.  In this case the targeted audience would be bikers who are engaged enough in it to consider joining a club.  There are > 5000 members of this forum but it sounds like less than 10% are members of the actual club.   

Full disclosure, I for one am not an official member, and I know most of my friends that are on these forums are not (I think the only people I know that are official members are the awesome peeps who put on the Tuesday rides), and I think that comes down to the fact I'm still fairly new to the sport and when I was told about this majestic place the answer I got when asking are you member ("no") and what's the benefit of being a member, I didn't hear something along the lines of, "they have awesome weekly TT, or skill clinics, etc, that you can attend if you're a member".  I get that there are shop discounts and stuff but I am a pretty simple person, I just want to ride my bike, meet people, attend events, and something like a TT would be something to push me to become official (especially considering the costs of the races/events around here).  I'm 100% the guy who will spend $100+ on cycling shoes or $30-40 to ride a bike event but won't spend over $10 for a meal after bike event.

As far as the jersey, I picked one up the other day and love the colors (IMO the red is darker on the picture than real life).  Look at one in person before you decide it's not for you.  I am also not the guy to buy expensive jerseys; IMO the jersey is priced very well considering its for a good cause (if any money is even made on the jersey)

Also - Mark time to put your jersey collection where your mouth is... 

sCvHeaVens wrote on 04/26/17 at 1:02pm:


Unfortunately in today's merchandising marketing the first step is to make things appealing for the online user, and this jersey is not appealing to me!! That's it!

sCvHeaVens wrote on 04/26/17 at 8:02pm:


Membership is power. Power to approach land managers not only locally but at a state and federal level to obtain and keep access to public land. There is a huge push in the current congress to sell or transfer public land to the states for easier disposal for business. To paraphrase the NRA "Congress wants to get your trails".
Membership also provides under the general liability policy some protection for the club for the 
Power to partner with existing land use agreements for maintenance of the over 120 miles of trail in the CLT area. 

The IMBA/SORBA/THTB dues are split. The IMBA insurance program covers people who are doing the trail work. The land managers requires it. When we were on our own several years ago the rate increase would have eaten all of our dues and then some. That is just for a general liability policy. Partnering with IMBA/SORBA allowed us to keep the dues reasonable and still provide trail work. 
The remainder we keep helps to provide insurance and maintenance for our sizeable amount of equipment; A mini excavator: two small skid loaders, a 4 wheeler, a trailer, chainsaws, hand tools, leaf blowers, and much more. 
Membership also provides under the general liability policy some protection for the club for the few events we do have. That is why the sign up sheets should be used for the rides and work days. 

As far as hosting races that is a whole new set of problems. We can with our existing insurance hold a time trial event. I don't claim to understand the difference between a time trial and a race in that aspect. 
To buy a separate policy to cover a race or skills clinics is very expensive. We also have to have some equipment to measure the event. We have left that to Neal Boyd who makes his living doing just that. 
To present skills clinics we need to have in addition to the insurance, certified instructor(s) to meet the insurance requirements again an expense. To have an instructor certified to teach something more than a ride leader involves several multi day classes and a cost of over a grand by the time all is said and done. Then there are continuing courses to maintain the certification. 
The land managers who own or manage the trails demand the coverage to mitigate their liability.

Oh, and this web site costs us too.



While I appreciate the input and what participation I want to ask sCvHeaVens and others; You're getting the milk, can you help us buy the cow? You spend more than the $30 in dues on bike parts every year.

Tom F wrote on 04/26/17 at 9:01pm:



Tom - this goes back to my statement about it being a donation... its not about the money for me either; the question I was replying to was how to gain more members or make it more appealing to become a member.

sCvHeaVens wrote on 04/27/17 at 4:18pm:


I do not know how you base your forecast to project 3-4000  in sales per year, 4000 a year for 50 average sale is 80 sales a year, a little bit more than the double (if we give a 40% markup) if you were talking about net profit. This is a very low number.
I do not have the club budget and figures but from what I see they have a lot of expenses, and that is why they try to cash in also with membership, I do not think 3-4000 is a lot to maintain all the tracks, and everything else, frankly. 
I also think that it is true that there might not be a "visible" benefit to be member (sorry i reply to your statement) but try to look from my point of view. I like to go and have a trail taken care or updated, and the yearly fee to me is nothing for this benefit. I wish all was going in their pockets but now we know that there is an insurance paid by IMBA, which is a great benefit. Think about it and become a member!

DG wrote on 04/27/17 at 5:55pm:

  We (The Club) do not own the trails. The land manager can charge a fee but that is unlikely especially in municipal parks. We have memorandums of understanding which is basically a contract to provide so many hours per year for maintenance on each trail. To answer your question, no. 

Some trails get more love than others. For example Beatty gets a lot of love because of where it is in CLT. Lake Norman State Park gets a lot of use but few volunteers to work. This is because of the distance. We cannot put a donation box there. Uwharrie is another example. It is managed by the USFS. 

And you are not pissing me off. I have been a THTB member since 2005 or 2006 after moving here from out west. Was involved with trails and advocacy in a couple places there. Took up MTB in 1993 or 94. 
What hair I have left is grey and I don't know how much longer I can ride or do trail work. My point is to keep the wonderful resources we have here and across the country new blood needs to come on board full of questions and ambition and willing to pick up where us old farts left off. Some of the club founders have passed the torch and gone their way. 
To pick up the shovel and McCleod you gotta ask questions to keep from re inventing the wheel. 
Tom

As is noted, donations, memberships all help the club. I think we've done incredible things to the area for not only ourselves but others who enjoy the work we put in on trails.

The work done by the board and various other members to work with land managers etc... is time consuming on a personal level. I'm not sure but other states (see link for Arkansas) - (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links); use tourism as a vehicle for more trails, more help, more money. That isn't to say that THTB haven't done this or are pursuing it - Tom any thoughts on this...?

The more we help physically on the trails, donations, memberships the more we all get back. I've been here as a member since 2012, don't get to attend many meetings but proudly renew each year knowing the club gets some of it.

Slo-Moshun wrote on 04/28/17 at 2:41pm:


Thank you for that man!   

BTW, we just crested 400 members this month

Even if you don't have time to give, the memberships and donations really help.  We need $$$ to keep our 4 machines running right, tools in the hands of the right people, and to jump start our new trail projects!  We've got quite a few in development right now.

TrillWill wrote on 04/28/17 at 6:36pm:


Awesome! Lets crest 500 next!  Still in amazement of the # of  trails this club has created and maintain!

sCvHeaVens wrote on 04/28/17 at 7:15pm:


I'm a member, I do trail maintenance whenever I get sone time and.i buy parts occasionally. You are a person who pisses me off. You post about buying a bunch of parts and complain about being a "member". You know why attitudes get thrown around from any voluntary organization because a small percentage keep it going and a large percentage complain and don't contribute time or money. I've had enough. Are you kidding me with your banter?!  Move a stick on your next ride or contribute 30 bucks your call!

jaybase09 wrote on 04/29/17 at 2:06am:
.

You contributing $30 for a membership does not give you a right to tell people what they should or shouldn't do.  How would you feel if someone who gave a large monetary donation told you that you need to spend more time working on the trails?   

Mark, no one is balking at giving back to the trails... this whole thing has been in reply to Emily's post about gaining more members, I was trying to explain and give examples / opinions from someone who would rather make a donation, buy swag, or help the club in other ways than join as a member.

I remember a club trip last fall that looked kinda hip. Said you had to be a member(which I am). Turned out I couldn't go. But if a simular trip came up this fall, I would definitely do it. So I'll keep my membership

Wears my bike wrote on 05/01/17 at 11:11am:


I do not think it is silly I wonder if the website template allows it.

Wears my bike wrote on 05/01/17 at 11:11am:


I agree. This would help slow down the trolling.

We as a club board have actually discussed this on many occasions over the past 15 years. Some for, some against.  I think in the end, even though a private forum sounds desirable, the club is better served by keeping it open to the public.

FYI, Trailblazers monthly meeting is this Thursday at 7:30pm at D9 brewing in Cornelius 11138 Treynorth Dr, Cornelius, NC 28031.  There will be a food truck on site if you'd like to eat dinner at the meeting, we've got a private room reserved at the brewery.

Pre-ride at North Meck Park from 6-7, rolling at 6, meet at the pump track.  Chance of rain in the evening so we'll play it by ear for the ride.

It would be great to see all of the people participating in the thread at the meeting, just sayin' 

Thanks for the offer to help. I'll definitely send you an email.