Thanks for Making Our Membership Program a Huge Success!

When MBOSC launched our first independent membership program in early November 2018, we were optimistic that it would be well received, but we really didn't know what to expect since we never promoted a membership program before. We set a very lofty goal of getting 1,000 new members by January 31, 2019. And guess what...we did it, all of us! You helped us knock this goal out of the park, and for that we are sending you lots of high fives, shakas, and thank you's. We couldn't be more excited to share the results of our membership drive with you...

We Exceeded Our Membership Goal by 28.1%!

When our membership drive ended at 11:59pm on January 31, we were thrilled to see that we achieved 1,281 NEW members. We actually met our goal of 1,000 new members two weeks before the deadline, so we announced a new stretch goal of 1,100. Every new membership sign-up that came in made us more and more excited, and you can't imagine how it felt when our drive closed with 1,281 new members, exceeding our original goal by 28.1%. We now have a total of 1,621 members, including those that carried over from our previous IMBA Chapter Membership program. Those numbers are impressive, and we are grateful to be in a community that is so engaged and supportive. Our large membership base helps get more trails built in the Santa Cruz area. When we meet with land managers to advocate for new trails, the first question we are always asked is how many members we have. The bigger the number we can answer with, the more our requests are heard. Now we can respond with "over 1,600", which will make our input that much more powerful. That’s why every single individual membership is so important!

We Achieved 100% of the $70,000 Donor Match!

One of the reasons why we launched our own membership program is so that 100% of your membership dues would stay right here in the Santa Cruz area to support the trails you love to ride. Don't forget that your membership dues help fund advocacy for new trail projects; trail restoration, maintenance, planning, and construction projects; volunteer training and education; and races and community events. To put the financial benefits into perspective, together we raised a total of $105,140, which jumped to $175,140 with the $70,000 matching funds included. Just imagine what that will do for trails in this area! When we launched the membership program, we announced that all membership dues would be matched by generous donors up to $70,000. We are so proud that you helped us achieve 100% of the donor match, which amplified the impact of our membership program.

Santa Cruz Bike Drawing Results!

Our friends at Santa Cruz Bicycles stepped up to support our membership program launch by offering a bike to one lucky new member. Everybody who signed-up as a member and chose to autopay renewals was entered into a drawing for the Santa Cruz mountain bike of their dreams. The number of entries you received corresponded with your member level: the higher your level, the better your chance of winning. We are eager to announce that the winner of a brand new Santa Cruz mountain bike is Rick Larson from Saratoga! Rick became a Trail Hero member in December 2018, and he says he joined because "I've been riding local trails since the late 80's and I've seen too many trails closed down. MBOSC is a local organization that does great work keeping our existing trails open and adding new ones." We talked to Rick on Friday before a stormy weekend, and he said winning a Santa Cruz felt "awesome! What a great way to make this coming rainy winter weekend, without much chance of riding, better!" Rick already is a loyal Santa Cruz rider and loves his Hightower LT, but he says "my girlfriend, Becky, really needs a new bike, so we plan to pick one out for her, either a SCB Bronson/Juliana Roubion or SCB 5010/Juliana Furtado." What a good guy to share his win with his special lady! Rick's favorite place to ride in this area is Soquel Demonstration State Forest, and we look forward to seeing him and Becky out there on the trails with the new bike sometime soon!

Huge Support from Local Bike Industry!

The local bike industry stood behind our membership program in a big way. Santa Cruz Bicycles, Ibis Cycles, FOX, Gazelle Bikes, and Another Bike Shop each purchased memberships for all employees, and Specialized is matching employee membership dues. It is so powerful to have these brands standing tall with MBOSC as we work together to bring more trails to Santa Cruz. A number of local shops also stepped up to support the Trail Badge program that launched with the membership program. The Trail Badge is a sticker that costs $20, and 100% of those funds go directly to Santa Cruz area trails. It's actually so much more than a sticker, it’s a badge of honor. It’s a small token that lets you show that you support trail stewardship and want to give back to your local trails. The Trail Badge is available for purchase at the following local bike retailers: ABS Current eBikes Cycle Works Epicenter Cycling Family Cycling Center Moore and Sons eBikes Scotts Valley Cycle Sport Spokesman Trail Head Cyclery

Thanks for Your Continued Support!

Your support of MBOSC's membership program has us more energized than ever to work hard making Santa Cruz the best place to be a trail-user. If you still haven't joined, no worries! You can join the movement and become a member right now by clicking here. Thank you to everybody who became a member! You are making MBOSC the strongest we've ever been!