Le Pedal Power: developing the right fundraising product for your cycling audience
From the serious to the casual cyclist, cycling can represent a huge fundraising opportunity for every charity with every audience.
But how do you identify your target audience and develop a cycling product which is right for them?
Here we explore why and how you should consider developing a cycling product which raises income, reaches and engages donors and that can take your charity into a new fundraising space.
Why cycling?
Almost 7.4 million people in the UK participated in cycling in 2023 (Statista), which means anything from jumping on their bike for the daily commute to competitive club riders. With 47% of people in the UK owning or having access to a bicycle (gov.uk) if you get the event right, you can attract the numbers to make your cycling product investment worthwhile.
Far from only appealing to hardened hill-climbers, there is the potential to build a cycling product for lots of different potential audiences.
Cycling events can encompass a range of events for a number of different audiences:
- A physical hill climb – product-driven, colder audience, more serious cyclists, more niche audience
- A virtual climb (e.g. the ascent of Kilimanjaro) – challenge-driven, colder audience, a mixture of serious and less serious cyclists
- Distance events (50/100/200km+) – can target audience dependent on distance, warm supporters, different challenges for different mindsets
- A specific route (e.g. London to Brighton) – mass participation, increased brand awareness, often people’s first challenge on a bike, likely to participate with friends/team
- Cycle tours of a specific region or point of interest – niche, high-value audience (business owners, affluent), often with a small group
- A fun event e.g. Brighton’s annual naked bike ride – everyone in the locality
- A monthly cycling challenge – super warm audience, more female
- DIY cycle events – warm audience, all levels of cyclist
- Corporate cycling events (e.g. workplace or industry specific cycling events/tours) – warm audience, all levels of cyclist, high value
As you can see, there is a long list, and potentially a very different audience for each. Establishing the correct audience(s) for your charity and building the event from there is always our starting point, and it’s fantastic to have a huge variety of event types to consider.
Reaching a new audience
So, what makes cyclists an interesting audience for charities besides the broad appeal of cycling in the UK?
They are likely to differ from a charities’ traditional donor base. More male, younger, educated, fitness-focused, innovators/early adopters, there is an opportunity to engage a group of people who might not be representative of your current database.
With Red Bull’s recent takeover of the German team Bora Hansgrohe we can expect to see growth in cycling continue. We know from experience (namely Formula 1), Red Bull’s involvement in a sport often leads to a boost in investment in youth (both in terms of the riders/drivers) but also the content and marketing they produce. They are a cool brand, producing engaging content for a younger audience and we think we can fully expect to see the same across cycling. Watch this space!
Credibility
But don’t end up appearing unknowledgeable, you have to get it right. Like most sports, cycling has its own way of doing things that sets fans of the sport apart. It’s important to understand these nuances to have credibility in the space and engage this group, they can be sensitive types. So, a few rules from the code to bear in mind before you saddle up. Tan lines should be cultivated and kept razor sharp. Eyewear should always be cycling specific and never leave home without it. Shorts and socks should be like Goldilocks, (not too long and not too short) and above all respect the jersey
So, to understand more about cycling: the right audience for you and how to define your product in a way that appeals to them, speak to us. We know our we know our ‘Maglia Rosa’ from our ‘Magic Spanner’.