Motorcyclists hit the road and the fundraising trail
Its officially summer and time to dust off the chaps, shine up the chrome and hit the open road. The feeling of freedom that comes from a warm day is nothing to the freedom of a nice long road trip. Harley owners and motorcycle enthusiasts will travel thousands of miles to meet with their band of brothers. But before you get the wrong idea, keep in mind it’s not all partying and hell-raising with the biker set. Bikers are known to be among the most patriotic and a hugely generous groups out there, spending a lot of their time charity fundraising and donating to an vast array of worthwhile causes. For example, H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) Chapters around the globe continue to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Up to date, these bikers have generated more than $65 million dollars for their cause.
Common motorcycle club events include organized rides, rallies, races, picnics, concerts and games. They cover every corner of America and also the world. Millions of dollars are generated through motorcycle enthusiast charity fundraising events. The common denominator among these events is just the large variety of bikes and the huge number of people in attendance. Because of this, even though they are known to be pretty laid back when they are happily roaring down the asphalt, your motorcycle group could get a little steamed when they are forced to wait in long lines to register for your event. Take care of it up front with a service like WePay where you can do registration and even accept credit card payments online. With that caveat in mind, there are a number of ways you can leverage the power and charitable spirit of local motorcycle clubs for your good cause:
Rallies
A Rally is a big ol’ biker party usually with food, music and vendors. If you are the event promoter using WePay you don’t need a merchant account or your own web site. Through the WePay site you can have the vendors pay for space in advance and also handle any ticket sales for concerts or paid events. You can even sell official T-shirts and merchandise with a storefront.
Poker Runs
For those who don’t know about this popular biker event, a Poker Run is an organized ride with designated stops where the participants choose a playing card-at the end of the day the best hand wins a prize. The entry fees are used to raise funds for charity. There’s nothing worse than standing around at the break of dawn with a thousand other bikers trying to sign up for a ride so handle the registration on your own WePay event page.
Biker Games
These events run the gauntlet of a Slow Race (hey, it’s much more difficult to go slow than it is to go fast on a motorcycle) to obstacle courses and just about any crazy thing the hosting club can make up. They are all designed to raise some funds, show some advanced riding skills and entertain the crowd.
Bike Shows
Who wouldn’t want to show off their pride and joy? Motorcycle shows, like car shows, are an All-American way to meet and compete. Registration and gate fees can all be handled in advance of your next Bike Show.
Donations and Volunteerism
Motorcycle riders are passionate about their bikes, the camaraderie they share with other enthusiasts, and doing all they can to help out their club and their community. When someone in their circle is affected by sickness or injury they are the first to respond. If another biker goes down they rally to create support for the rider and their family.
It’s great to see that people whose philosophy and life is built on a such a spirit of independence are also the first to step up when called. Get your friends together and ride for a worthy cause or just to feel the wind in your hair. Great weather and freedom calls!
