5 Awesome Things About OOFD

Why Support OOFD?

Momentum. We got it. 557 folks signed-up for our 22 bike camping adventures in 2024. And more to come in our 10th season next year. 

This giving season, we have an amazing donor who will match up to $4000 of the donations that we bring in before the end of the year. 

Please consider giving $10, $25, $100, shoot even $250 to OOFD. We only accept donations if you believe in adventure and think that getting a diversity of folks out into nature on bikes learning about local history and nature is a good thing. 

If you need more convincing, read on for 5 reasons to donate to OOFD this giving season.

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Reason #1: We made a plan for sustainability and are sticking to it

In 2020, we wrote a 5 year plan (2021-2025).


The GOAL - sustainability for the org.
The METHOD -  slowly scale up to a full-time paid Executive Director (ED).
The PATH - increase our programming (specifically on overnight rides) and participants so our mission can reach more adventurer seekers.


2021 - 258 participants. ED - 0 paid hours a week
2022 - 228 participants. ED - 10 paid hours a week
2023 - 433 participants.  ED - 20 paid hours a week
2024 - 557 participants. ED - 28 paid hours  a week
2025 - Goal of 654 participants on our rides. ED -  Full-time paid salary and benefits


We have not always hit every goal of our 5 Year Plan, but we have adjusted, adapted, and made sure we stayed on track to reach the ultimate goal of sustainability through supporting a full-time Executive Director role as well as growing our programs and supporting our volunteers.


Your donation helps us continue to grow towards sustainability to assure we will be here for years to come, living our WAVE values and being Welcoming Adventurous Volunteers that Educate. ​

​Reason #2: Momentum in our Adaptive Program

We just finished up our 4th year of officially having an Adaptive Program that serves mainly youth with adaptive needs. We got the big $50,000 Laureus grant to help us scale this program up this year.

In 2024, we got over 120 young people with adaptive needs out in nature, riding our custom adaptive tandem bikes, many of which were riding a bike for the first time in their life! And we got over 20 families with children with adaptive needs on our family bike camping trips this year. 

Your donation helps us  continue to extend our reach to get more people with adaptive needs out in nature on empowering and inclusive bike adventures. ​

Reason #3: We are reaching the next level of fundraising as a growing non-profit ​

We have focused almost to a flaw on growing our programming over the past few years. The idea was that is where our mission lives. That is what gets us so jazzed. Always.

As we grow as a non-profit org, we are learning from our partners and community of non-profits here in Chicago how fundraising fits into our model. For some context, here are some OOFD fundraising totals over the past couple years (outside of the annual Hootenanny Fundraiser Party).

2023 - $5,574 (5% of our total income)
2024 - $12,494 (8% of our total income)
2025 - Goal is $20,000 (10% of our projected total income)

We still are hyper focused and driven by our programming and making sure our mission reaches as many adventure seekers in Chicagoland as possible.

Your donation helps continue on the path towards being a next level, sustainable org that will be here for years to come to serve our home, from the humans to the habitats.

Reason #4: Keeping our rides affordable and accessible for adventurers on any budget

Our bike camping tours are easily half the price of other bike camping tour nonprofits tours and about a tenth the price of the high end bike camping tour companies. Shoot, there are 3 hour walking tours that cost more than our 2 day overnight tours.

We are not crazy even though many folks often say our prices are. We are here to break down as many barriers to local adventures in nature as possible, especially the barrier of price.


Your donation will help us keep our prices generously low.

​Reason #5: Good percentage of our expenses go straight into our local county, state, and national parks

Our bike camping trips almost exclusively stay at local county, state, and national parks so big parts of our annual expenses go straight to supporting these crucial lands, resources, and organizations. We have begun booking campsites for next year and have been sending $1000s to these parks just over the last couple weeks. 


Your donation will help us support our local parks.

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Consider joining us for our MiniFundraiser at Montrose Saloon on 12/15

Thank You

Y'all are so so supportive. And I hope it goes without saying, that whether you can afford to give money this time of year or not, we appreciate the heck out of you. Because you show up in so many ways, either as a volunteer, coming out to our events, moral support, or even just being on this email list and reading these emails. We have a community of folks that generates so much gratitude and reciprocity. And really, that is the most awesome thing about OOFD. 

Hope y'all had a good holiday weekend, and catch ya out there pedaling soon:)

Glenn and the whole OOFD crew