Who doesn’t love a leisurely ride along the country-side or along city streets, wind blowing the hair, sounds and smells which are unique to your area of living. These rides are even more fun when viewed from the seat of a bicycle built for two or one.

Now is the time to host a bicycle fundraiser, while the sun shines and the weather is right. Here’s a few suggestions to help you along on your ride your way to fun “Bicycle Fundraiser”.

Start by finding willing participants. Ask those in your church, clubs, faculty, even placing an ad in the newspaper for volunteers to take part in a fundraising event for the local schools. While people are signing up decide on how long your bicycle ride will be and what route you’ll use when the fundraiser happens. After these two parts are taken care of it will be time to arrange a meeting with your volunteers and discuss how the funds will be raised.

Let everyone know that the way the funds will be raised is by finding sponsors, be it friends, family, co-workers, businessman, corporations. Ask that they sponsor so much money for each mile ridden by that participant. You can have sheets made up for the names and amount of money sponsored and the miles completed, so it can be easily figured up once the race ends.

You can decide on a price to ask for each mile rode or you can leave it up to the ones doing the donating. The important thing is to raise money for the needs of your local schools. Lots of people love giving to organizations, causes and needs when they know about them and what they are going towards. You can have a door to door campaign and a business to business campaign. It will need to be done professionally and as quick as can be, especially when visiting the local businesses. Dress appropriately for whatever area you’ll be working.

Try to see if you can find someone to donate services towards catering the fundraiser. Local hamburger joints, drug stores, grocery stores and so on. You’ll need water, snacks, first aid help, bicycle tire air pumps, and so on to ensure everyone is able to finish the ride.

Try to work it up the way a professional bike ride would be held. Do your research ahead of time to figure out what all you’ll need to have a successful ride. The more businesses you can find to take part in the fundraiser, the better it will be for drawing in donations and crowds.

See if you can get the city council involved, as well as the Mayor. Maybe the Mayor could start the ride, as the official fundraiser begins. If you have business ties, try to rope them in. You need all the community help you can get.

Plan for an, “after the ride celebration” where hamburgers and hotdogs, chips and drinks are served. Again going for the offer of volunteers to provide all the needs. You could ask that everyone meet at the largest park or recreational area around and bring their grills and foods.

Have a sort of grazing party, where everyone eats and shares what they’ve brought to the celebration. This is a fun way to end your bicycle fundraiser and for the community to enjoy as a whole, the association and town/city association for a common goal.

These sort of fundraiser bring in lots of donations. There is no better cause to donate to than the education of children. Even when it comes to the community to raise the funds, it gives everyone involved the sense of accomplishment knowing they contributed time and resources to their community, in a productive way.

As an added bonus have an award ceremony for first, second, and third place in adult and child categories. Perhaps you can offer gift certificates in various denominations with ribbons for prizes or whatever you can come up with.

Once the ride is over make sure everyone makes good on those donation pledges. After all the money has been gathered make a public announcement, via the local newspaper, stating the amount of money which was raised and give a hearty thank you for everyone’s help in raising money for the schools.

This will be a fundraiser many talk about for a time. Perhaps it could become a tradition for your community, a sort of beginning of the school year donation drive for the schools. Whatever happens with this fundraiser have fun. Plan ahead and this will be a successful event.