Pledge-per-mile fundraising, explained
Instead of asking for a number, you ask for a rate: a few cents for every mile you ride. The donation grows with the effort — and every training ride becomes part of the campaign.
Standard charity fundraising asks for a fixed gift. Pledge-per-mile flips it: a donor commits to, say, five cents a mile, and the total follows the riding. 1,000 miles later, that's $50 — earned a mile at a time, in public.
Why it works
It ties the money to the effort. A donor who pledges per mile checks your tally. They're invested in your Tuesday ride. The relationship inverts — instead of you chasing donors, your donors start chasing your miles.
It also lowers the barrier. "Two cents a mile" sounds like nothing; across a 10,000-mile year it's $200. People say yes to rates who'd hesitate at totals.
How to run it
You need three things: a public, trustworthy mileage count (a live tally fed by your ride tracker — screenshots don't cut it); a clear cap or settlement date so pledgers know when they give; and radical clarity about where money goes.
That's exactly how this site is built: the tally updates from Strava, pledges are free to make with no card required, and at year-end pledgers vote on which queer-community orgs receive the money — then give directly. No middleman, no cut.
A pledge is a bet on somebody finishing. That's a better relationship than a receipt.
Want to see it from the pledger side? Get on the board — it takes a name and nothing else.
I do the miles. You decide who they’re for.
In 2027 I ride 10,000 miles, all on the bike, every one of them for queer communities. You pledge a few cents a mile and pick which org it goes to. It starts January 1.