Let's Wrap this UP! | American Birkebeiner

Matching Grant and Birkie Start Line Parking Opportunity

Hello Skiers!!

I hope you had a good ski season and a great time at this year’s Birkie festivities! Spring has hit the Northwoods of Wisconsin so while we are sad to have the ski season end, we are excited to begin strategizing for future events and ways to inspire your active lifestyle! Thank you very much to all who have donated to the ABSF Capital Campaign. We have $150,000 left to raise in order to close out Phase 1 and get to work on our permanent start area. In an effort to wrap this up quickly so work can begin by late April as scheduled, I have been seeking creative ways to bring in additional contributions. I have 2 opportunities to share with you and hope you will consider making a contribution that could make your race start a walk in the park!

1) John Taylor of Madison has generously offered to provide a 2:1 matching grant up to $5,000 over the next 30 days. This means if I can raise $10,000 in 30 days, John will contribute $5,000 for a total of $15,000. I am hoping you will consider helping us win this grant by making a 2015 contribution now. To keep the math simple, I need 10 people to donate $1,000 each and the goal will be met! Or 20 people at $500, or any combination therein. John and his wife Leslie were the primary contributors to the development of the Birkie Classic Trail and are long-term supporters of the ABSF. I’d love to show him how quickly we can meet the match for his grant!

Thank you to all who contributed to the Taylor Match – Success!

2) The second opportunity involves lifetime parking at the Birkie start area. The first 30 people who make a minimum $5,000 contribution between now and April 30, 2015 will enjoy this fringe benefit and Phase 1 will be done! If you have have been fortunate enough to park in one of the Telemark Lodge lots, know that use of these lots is a wild card every year – there is never a guarantee we will have access to them, so the hundred passes we make available are not a given every year. There will always be some space at the start, so by making a minimum $5,000 contribution to the capital campaign, you’ll be set! Note that we do not sell start area parking passes; they are reserved for staff, volunteers, sponsors, and “special” friends of the Birkie – meaning donors. It’s the best possible experience at the start of your race. Sit in your comfortable warm car until minutes before your wave time, get out, toss your gear bag to the trucks, and away you go for 50-55 kilometers of fun! And as an added bonus, donors who contribute $5,000 for the pass, $1,000 of your donation will count toward the Taylor Match!

A little “fine print” about the parking pass opportunity: The $5,000 gift needs to come as a single donation; I cannot accept multiple checks or company matches as part of it. The full gift needs to be made by or close to April 30, 2015 (after all, the goal of this is to finish out Phase 1!). The pass will be issued to the donor (or a single designated “giftee”) for the rest of his/her lifetime. Donor/giftee does not need to be a Birkie skier to use the pass, however they must be in the car. Vehicles limited to “standard” vehicles (i.e. no busses) with a safe/proper amount of people. Donations can be made by credit card (at www.birkie.com/future), check, cash or stock (see instructions below). And remember, the ABSF is a Section 501(c)(3), so your gift may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes. We advise you to consult with your tax professional to determine how a contribution to the ABSF can work to your advantage.

Once Phase 1 gets wrapped up, I’ll be working on several grants to give us a jump start on Phase 2. We certainly realize our participants cannot bankroll our entire $2.3 million capital campaign, so I hope to secure a significant amount of funding through various grant opportunities. In addition, I am working on a long-term development plan for the ABSF that is not related to the capital campaign, but is directly tied to supporting the future of the Foundation. This plan will include an endowment fund, opportunities for sustained annual giving, a legacy gift program, bequests, and more. My ultimate goal is to help people understand that the ABSF is just like any other 501(c)(3) organization in that we rely on donations and membership to fund our future. Race fees pay for the races and for basic maintenance of the Birkie Trail System; it is time to develop the Foundation side of our organization and create a safety net to ensure the Birkie will be around for generations to come. We are proud to be a leader in silent sports development and the inspiration for so many people to live active outdoor lifestyles year round, as well as bring significant economic development to the communities of Cable, Hayward, and the surrounding areas. It is thanks to passionate people like you who are afflicted with a chronic case of Birkie Fever that we’ve gotten to where we are today!

Thank you for your continued support; I hope you’ll consider contributing to one or both of the 2 opportunities above. Remember that you don’t have to “give big” – every little bit helps us get closer to our goal! If you have other ideas for how you’d like to participate in the campaign and the Foundation, now or in the future, please contact me – I always enjoy chatting on the phone or getting together.