Last week the Adventure Cycling Association reported a record year for fiscal 2010 (ending 30 September) with 15% growth in overall revenue – taking annual revenue from US$3.6 million to US$4.1 million.
The association gained ‘robustly in its development, tours, and sales programs, as well as in ad revenue for its award-winning bicycle-travel magazine, Adventure Cyclist.’
As North America’s largest membership non-profit cycling organisation – with nearly 45,000 members – Adventure Cycling’s income supports its efforts to improve conditions for bicycling and bicycle travel across the US and provide resources and inspiration for people of all ages to travel by bicycle.
Jim Sayer, Adventure Cycling’s Executive Director said, "Given the continued weakness in the US economy, our performance was all the more impressive – but it’s also a sign that in difficult times, people turn to things they love, like bicycling and traveling by bike."
Of special note, Adventure Cycling saw a 30% upturn in charitable donations in support of its advocacy and program work to advance bicycling and bicycle travel. Members and donors appreciated the group’s efforts to establish an official US Bicycle Route System, as well as the association’s work on federal and state transportation policy.
Along with donations, Adventure Cycling supports these programs with grants, which increased 12% in 2010, and with net proceeds from tours and product sales. "We were humbled and energised by the generosity of our members," said Sayer.
Adventure Cycling’s tours department saw a 16% increase in tour participants and a nearly 30% increase in total tours revenue in 2010. Offering over 40 guided cycling tours last year – including supported trips, self-contained tours, and educational courses – more than 1,000 riders rode with Adventure Cycling.
Adventure Cycling also released its newest long-distance cycling route in May 2010, the 2,389-mile Sierra Cascades Bicycle Route. With the addition of the Sierra Cascades route, Adventure Cycling’s Route Network now encompasses 40,699 miles – the largest mapped network of bike-friendly routes in the world.
The Sierra Cascades map release helped boost Adventure Cycling’s sales department, which saw a 5% increase in overall map sales, selling more than 31,000 maps for the year. Adventure Cycling’s online store, Cyclosource, sells the organisation’s renowned bicycle maps as well as bicycle-travel gear. Its total sales revenue increased 12% in 2010, and since 2000, sales revenue has grown 30%.
"Buoyed by the release of the Sierra Cascades route, big increases in map sales to non-members, and wholesale map sales, 2010 was our best sales year ever," said Teri Maloughney, Sales and Marketing Director.
Advertising in Adventure Cycling’s membership magazine, Adventure Cyclist, increased 19%. This was good news after a decline in ad revenues during the prior fiscal year. Published nine times each year, Adventure Cyclist features bicycle-travel stories from around the world, how-to information, gear reviews, and more, reaching more than 87,000 readers annually. Adventure Cyclist is the association’s number one member benefit, along with discounts on maps.
"In addition to the high quality of the magazine and the creation this year of our first Cyclists’ Travel Guide, our ad sales have been invigorated by the enthusiasm and dedication of our new ad representative, Rick Bruner," said Sheila Snyder, Chief Operations Officer.
Adventure Cycling’s membership numbers held steady in 2010 (at 44,700 members), as did inquiries (people asking about services and member benefits) with approximately 13,000 requests for more information. (Membership renewals were stronger than 2009, increasing 2%.)
On average, new members increase between 2% and 3% every year, with the largest increase in the last decade occurring in 2008 when total members increased 12.2%. However, since 2000, memberships have grown nearly 40%.
The Adventure Cycling Association’s 44,700 members hail from 45 countries, from Argentina to Uruguay. Every state in the US is represented, with the most members residing in California and the fewest in North Dakota.
1,300 members live outside of the US in countries from Argentina to the United Arab Emirates, including members in Malaysia, Cyprus, the Russian Federation, Swaziland, and Slovakia.
While regular memberships held steady, big gains were made in the organisation’s life member program bringing in 48 new life members this year, a 37% increase over last year. An individual life membership costs US$1,000, while a joint life membership is US$1,500. Adventure Cycling has more than 1,500 life members.
The organisation also saw a significant spike in its corporate supporters in 2010, up 66% over last year.
"In the last year, we’ve improved our corporate supporter benefits and created new ways for our corporate supporters to engage with the organisation and our mission-driven work," said Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator.
"In particular, our May social media fundraiser for the US Bicycle Route System drew several new companies to the program."
Sayer added, "With more than 22 states and the District of Columbia working on implementation of US Bicycle Routes, it’s not surprising that cycling and outdoor recreation businesses are excited to be involved. The creation of official routes will mean that there are many more cyclists out there."
