The latest IMBA Trail News report featured a short note about IMBA’s 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and supporting charts and graphs showing how the organization is funded and where those funds end up. I’m always interested in this stuff so I thought I’d share for those who missed it.
Where does IMBA’s money come from?
The non-profit’s revenue stream is actually pretty well balanced with roughly the same amounts coming from trail consulting (the IMBA Trail Solutions arm), individual support, and corporate donations/grants. Some riders may not realize that IMBA’s Trail Solutions group is paid to plan and build mountain bike trails all over the world and their customers include government organizations and even private landowners such as ski resorts.
Corporate donations and grants were the largest source of income for IMBA in 2011 which isn’t surprising – large corporate sponsors can donate tens of thousands of dollars per year based on the size of the company. Grassroots support is still important and clearly those $30 annual dues add up over a lot of riders.
It’s also interesting to note that income has been steadily rising over the years at IMBA, particularly the Trail Consulting portion. By proving themselves to be good managers of funds, IMBA is attracting more money – which means more (and better) trails for all of us!
Where does the money go?
In 2010, IMBA used 88% of available funds to support programs, leaving only 12% for administrative and fundraising expenses. Greg and I visited the IMBA offices earlier this month and we can both attest that these guys aren’t blowing money on big fancy workspaces. 🙂 The vast majority of your donation to IMBA goes toward important programs like mountain bike advocacy and trail work.
As mountain bikers we’re lucky to have such a transparent, well-organized group representing us and taking on issues that are important to riders. Consider joining IMBA or volunteering at a work day this year – this stuff is important!
