Our Our Front Door Newsletter - December 2022

2022 Wrap-up and Annual Report

2022 was our biggest year yet. We had 248 slots filled on our 16 bike camping trips. 11 youth took part in our Youth Program and 69 folks on our Family Bike Camping Rides all of which welcomed and had the necessary accommodations for riders with disabilities.

We figure out this non-profit thing a little more each year. And we learned out a whole lot in 2022 including how to put together this first ever Annual Report! Check it out! Dang it was a good year, and dang is 2023 gonna be even better with 20 bike camping overnights planned to get over 350 folks out bike camping!

Are You Feeling Charitable?

​Did you know that about 12% of money raised by non-profits happens during the last 3 days of the year? Yep. Something I learned at a sweet UIC's Non-Profit Management class on fundraising. That is why your inbox is likely so lit up right now with persistent pleas from the most excellent orgs/causes that you care about to help them raise some funds. So, shoot, we gotta give it a shot (again, we're slowly but steadily getting better at this non-profit program here). Our Giving Tuesday fundraiser blew us away as we raised over $2,000 in like 2 days! So much gratitude to those that contributed then!

So if you or your company is looking to make some donations right now to work out some tax numbers or just because you are feeling that holiday, giving spirit, consider OOFD. Because your biggest or tiniest donation goes so far and means the world to your favorite small, scrappy bike adventure non-profit org. You can help make our programs even more excellent and get more folks out on bike camping adventures in 2023 by DONATING HERE.

​Some 2023 Bike Camping Dates!

​The month of December has been soooo good here at OOFD. We hosted our second Volunteer Appreciation Party with about 30 folks in attendance. Got to celebrate our amazing volunteers and got that sweet patch for all the 2022 guides. (Patch titled "Guide Love" designed by our very own Jose Terrazas). We munched on Mexican food, drank great and cheap beer, shared stories around the fire and got hyped for the rides we want to do next year. We then had a sold out ride (2 cabins full) on our 4th annual winter bike cabining Decemberg trip a couple days after that party. 

The 2023 ride slate is getting finalized, and will be released soon! But here's a few adult overnight dates we can tease ya with. Mark those calendars! These 6 are definitely on my personal calendar for 2023! 

• What Lies West (Blackwell) - April 29-30 (the first overnight ride of the year)!
• SWMI Ride (SW Michigan) - July 13-17
• The Big Shabonna - August 12-13 (over 70 folks, family and adult riders welcome. Big bike camping event in the South Holland, IL Cook County site)
• Waterways to the West (Starved Rock) - August 25-27
• Valhalla (Door County) - September 15-18
• Sun Harvest - October 21-22

We will be running about 20 bike camping trips in 2023 including 5 family ones, 1-2 youth ones, and even a free gratitude ride for our local bike shop workers. More dates and registration coming at ya in early 2023. 

​Upcoming Events

Some events for your radar because you know we can't wait until the first overnight in April to see y'all! 

• January 3 - Monthly Hang at Lo Rez Brewery in Pilsen. 730-10pm. Check out this year's Monthly Hangs locations line-up (every first Tuesday of the month) 
• January 11 - 2nd Wednesday Creative Work Session at Cafe Mustache in Logan Square from 7-930pm. Check out dates/locations at bottom of the Monthly Hang doc linked above.
• January 21 - Where the Wild Things Grow Ride to LaBagh Woods. In partnership with Arc'teryx Bucktown and Mappy Hour, we'll ride 6 miles from Bucktown out to do service for 3 hours. Fire to warm yourself very likely during the service. More details and free RSVP here.
• OOFD is putting together a crew to do Ragbrai this year. So if you have ridden with us or are a volunteer and haven't heard, now you know. Hit us up if you want to be a part of the OOFD crew for the week long party ride across Iowa at the end of July.