Dear Members,

Thank you to the 8,271 members who participated in the recent vote on the proposed sale of Adventure Cycling’s headquarters building. Your engagement matters, and the board is grateful that so many members chose to make their voices heard.

The vote concluded with 3,273.5 weighted votes (40.8%) in favor and 4,753.5 weighted votes (59.2%) opposed* — a marked change from the first vote held in the fall of last year, in which 94.7% supported the proposal. That shift deserves careful reflection.

As a result, the sale contract has been terminated, and we’ve removed the building from the market.

After the first vote, we understood the concerns raised by members as primarily procedural. We now understand that far more was being expressed. The second vote makes clear that what we treated as technical issues were, for many of you, symptoms of a deeper rupture of trust — real concerns about voice, transparency, how decisions are made, and by whom. By framing the repeat vote as a technical correction rather than an opportunity for relational reset, we missed an important signal.

As we move forward, I want to be clear about two things.

First, our deliberations, engagements, and decisions throughout this process were made in good faith, guided by what we believed to be in the best long-term interests of ACA during this time of real financial strain and uncertainty.

Second, intent does not negate impact. The impact of this process was painful for many, and we take responsibility for the ways our actions and decisions strained trust.

Why We Listed the Building for Sale Last Year

Since 2018, Adventure Cycling has experienced a gradual decline in membership, with sharper losses beginning in 2022. By 2024, multiple revenue streams — including membership, donations, grants, and tour profitability — were under pressure at the same time that temporary pandemic-era funding ended. Together, these shifts created a significant year-over-year operating cash flow shortfall.

In response, the board and staff reduced the 2025 budget by more than $1 million, including difficult staffing reductions of more than 30%. These decisions were made to protect the work that defines Adventure Cycling — stewarding routes, inspiring cyclists through our publications, and offering guided tours — while adjusting the organization to a more sustainable scale.

It was in this context that the headquarters building was listed, as one possible way to create additional financial flexibility and time to stabilize operations, adapt programs, and invest in innovation.

What This Means for Adventure Cycling

Because the sale will not move forward, this particular avenue for creating additional flexibility is closed for now. While that narrows the margin for error, it does not make our future impossible. We have approved a deficit budget for the coming year, and we plan to maintain our programs, celebrate the 50th anniversary, prioritize member retention and engagement, and stabilize revenue. We’ll maintain our established process for reviewing financial performance with staff and making course corrections as needed.

In the coming months, we will reassess what ACA uniquely contributes to the cycling community and how to deliver that work sustainably. In 2025, we explored potential paths to financial sustainability, including strategic partnerships and further organizational restructuring. That work gives us a foundation as we continue planning. 2026 operations will proceed as budgeted while this work continues. Strengthening transparency and governance is essential to rebuilding trust, but it doesn’t solve our financial challenges. Financial and programmatic stabilization requires different work that is ongoing. We cannot commit to specific outcomes before that work is complete, but we will share our thinking on priorities and tradeoffs as decisions develop.

Building Trust with You

ACA’s future depends on our collective effort — yours, the staff’s, and the board’s. The challenges we face, including long-term financial sustainability, evolving member needs, and how we continue to innovate in service of adventure cyclists, cannot be addressed by any one group alone. They require shared understanding, mutual trust, and sustained collaboration.

We also note that the passion around the building sale ran high, and at times, that passion crossed lines. Personal attacks directed at members, staff, and board members are not acceptable and erode trust, regardless of where one stood on the issue. Disagreement is healthy in a membership organization; personal harm is not. As we move forward, we must all commit to respectful engagement rooted in genuine care for the organization we love.

We are grateful to the many members who wrote with thoughtful questions about our financial assumptions, decision-making frameworks, and stewardship responsibilities. We want to specifically acknowledge the Save ACA group and former staff who articulated concerns that resonated widely during this process. While perspectives differed on specific proposals, the depth of care and experience reflected in these exchanges contributed to our reflections. We are committed to strengthening how we engage with members and rebuilding trust through greater transparency and dialogue.

In recognition of the trust rupture this process revealed, the board reached out to Save ACA and held a preliminary facilitated conversation this week, grounded in our shared care for Adventure Cycling and a mutual interest in finding constructive ways to move forward.

Over the coming months, our Governance Committee will advance a set of concrete commitments, including:

• Creating a governance landing page to make board meeting minutes, bylaws, member-facing financial summaries, and our investment policy statement easily accessible, with a clear place for members to ask questions
• Scheduling board town halls and facilitating conversations to support dialogue and provide updates on board work
• Establishing clearer pathways for member leadership, including opportunities to serve on issue-specific advisory committees
• Administering surveys to gather member input to inform strategic decisions about specific programs
• Continuing dialogue with members and former staff to inform board deliberations

Working Together with You

If you are passionate about supporting ACA’s mission and future, we also encourage you to consider standing for board service. There are currently three vacancies on the 2026 board, with additional openings anticipated in 2027. As we chart the next chapter, new energy and leadership will be essential. We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in member engagement, nonprofit leadership (especially in cycling or trails), and change management. Information about board service and the nomination process is available here.

We also heard from members who shared that, should the building not be sold, they would be interested in supporting ACA financially. We are grateful for that generosity; members who wish to explore this further may contact staff at development@adventurecycling.org.

The months ahead will require more frequent, candid communication. Please ensure you’re opted in to receive all our emails, especially the Member Newsletter — our primary channel for updates and opportunities for dialogue. Note: if you received this communication as an email, it does not mean you are opted in to all communications. You can review and update your preferences by opening an email from Adventure Cycling, scrolling down to the bottom, and clicking on Manage Preferences.

Finally, we want to acknowledge the extraordinary work of ACA’s staff and Executive Director Andy Williamson. The past two years have been exceptionally challenging, and throughout that time, staff have continued to show up with professionalism, creativity, and care, ensuring our routes, maps, publications, and experiences remain available to future generations of adventure cyclists.

With your support, 2026 has the potential to be a pivotal year for Adventure Cycling. We invite you to join us in honoring our first 50 years and working together to build a joyful and sustainable future for the next generation.

With respect,

Flavia Chen
2026 Board Chair
On behalf of the Adventure Cycling Association Board of Directors

*To ensure fairness for household memberships, votes from households with multiple participants were proportionally weighted so that each household counted as a single vote. For those interested in further information about voting statistics and mechanics, please review Pedal Lucid’s vote certification.