The snow is melting, fat bikes are headed back in for summer hibernation, and we’re anxiously awaiting the reopening of our favorite trail networks. With the ‘official’ start of the 2022/23 season just a few days away (April 1st!), don’t forget to renew your VMBA membership so that you’re sporting a shiny new turquoise VMBA strip in time for that first trail ride!
But before we flow headlong into the upcoming season – VMBA’s 25th – it’s important to take stock of the past 12 months and share back both highlights and lessons learned with our members, supporters, and the communities throughout Vermont connected to and impacted by mountain biking. With that goal in mind, we’ve put together our 2021/22 Annual Report, which includes summaries of our major initiatives, measurements of success, member survey highlights, and financial reporting.
Along with the continued incredible growth in our riding community, evidenced by a 25% increase in membership relative to 2020/21, we are again proud to report that roughly 90% of membership dollars made their way back to our Chapters in the form of direct and indirect support. Chapters are the lifeblood of our organization and with more than 90% of survey respondents approving of their trail projects, our focus remains on ensuring the operational sustainability of their on-the-ground stewardship efforts.
We hope you’ll take a few minutes to flip through the Report ahead of our Annual Meeting this Thursday, March 24th. We’ll share back and discuss some of the Report’s content while taking the time to dive deeper into our advocacy, education, and operational efforts. We’ll also hear from many of the Chapters who put Naming Grant and Trail Grant funds to good use this past year. After announcing our new Board Members, we’ll then look ahead to the 2022/23 season and discuss how we plan on building off this past season’s success to make the upcoming one our best ever. Hope you can join us!