Quarterly ED and Board Update January 2025

Jan 31st, 2025

 

Letter from the Executive Director

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ED Jen O’Dell poses with a snowman her family built.

Dear Adventure Cycling Community,

As we move into 2025, I want to share important updates about Adventure Cycling’s path forward. Your dedication has helped us inspire, empower, and connect people to bicycle travel, and as we navigate some significant changes, your support remains vital to our mission.

In early 2024, we developed a financial plan to support our new strategic initiatives, which included a measured approach to piloting new programs over three years. However, as we closed out 2024, we fell short of our revenue goals. This reality check led us to make some difficult but necessary decisions about the pace of implementing our strategic plan, choosing to align our work with current resources rather than projected growth.

We’re implementing necessary adjustments to create a sustainable foundation for Adventure Cycling’s future. Our number one goal is to prioritize mission impact with an efficient, budget-positive schedule of programming that can support the needs of our community while maintaining stability through shifting economic conditions.

Our priorities for 2025 are clear:

  • Deliver our full schedule of Guided Tours
  • Maintain our valued Adventure Cyclist Magazine at a quarterly schedule
  • Enhance our Routes program with improved digital capabilities and new route development
  • Continue preparations for our 50th anniversary
  • Streamline operations to optimize our resources

To support these priorities, we made some significant organizational changes, including a staff restructuring. We’ve provided comprehensive support packages to our departing team members, whose contributions to our mission have been substantial.

Your support as members and donors remains crucial. Each contribution helps us maintain the core programs you love. While we’re adjusting our pace, our vision for the future is as ambitious as ever, and we remain committed to serving the bicycle travel community for the next 50 years.

Looking ahead, I’m encouraged by our early progress on several key initiatives. Our digital routes partnership with Ride with GPS is strengthening our ability to serve cyclists with modern, accessible navigation tools. Our tours program is also showing strong momentum – we’ve already reached 75% of our sign-up goal, outpacing last year’s sign-ups significantly. These indicators give us confidence that while we’re making necessary adjustments, our core programs continue to meet the needs of our community.

We’re grateful for your continued support as we implement these changes. We believe these steps, though challenging, will help ensure Adventure Cycling’s ability to serve cyclists for years to come.

Thank you for being part of our community,

Jenn O’Dell
Executive Director
Adventure Cycling Association

Letter from the Board Chair

 

ME Price speaking to board and staff at the September 2024 Board Meeting

ME Price speaks to staff and Board at the September 2024 Board Meeting.

As Board Chair of Adventure Cycling, I want to share my own update on our organization’s direction.

As we recognized our revenue goals were not being met, the Board of Directors worked closely with the leadership team to develop a practical approach to the 2025 Budget. We focused on our essential programs while adjusting operations and working with staff to imagine new ways to distribute our routes and engage with the bike travel community.

Right now, the Board is actively shaping Adventure Cycling’s future through five focused working groups that pair board members with staff leadership. One group examines our fundraising strategy, strengthening engagement with members and donors and developing deeper connections to foster support for generations of cycling advocates. Three working groups focus on enhancing the effectiveness of core program pillars — Routes, Advocacy, and Education — while the fifth group is planning our milestone 50th Anniversary celebration. At our upcoming Board meeting, a key priority will be reaching an agreement on the timing and pace of these working groups, as well as developing a comprehensive approach for engaging our community throughout these initiatives.

While we navigate this work, the Board remains deeply optimistic about Adventure Cycling’s future. For nearly 50 years, we’ve been the cornerstone of bicycle travel in America. That legacy isn’t just history – it’s a strong foundation that can support turbulent times. Hundreds of thousands of people go on bicycle adventures every year. Our routes, our deep understanding of bike travel, our tours program, and most importantly, our staff, members, and supporters are important assets that remain as relevant today as ever. We will continue to lead and be true to our mission to inspire, empower, and connect people to travel by bike.

Your ongoing support makes our work possible. We appreciate your trust and remain committed to being responsible stewards of your investment in our shared mission.

Thank you for your continued commitment,

Maria Elena Price
Board Chair
Adventure Cycling Association