2007 Benchmarking Report - Alliance for Biking & Walking

State
Total populationserved
by org.
Income per
capita
Full-timeequivalent
staff
Staff per one million
people (3)
Number of
members
One member per
how many people
Media
hits (1)
Media hits per one
million people (3)
Washington 5,894,121 $0.102 5.5 0.93 2,837 2,078 35 5.9
West Virginia 1,808,344 $0.003 0 0.00 160 11,302 10 5.5
Wisconsin 5,556,506 $0.067 6.5 1.17 3,000 1,852 120 21.6
Mean /Average 6,712,157 $0.030 (2) 2.6 0.37 (2) 1,202 56,579 (2) 61 5.9 (2)
Median 5,130,632 $0.013 1 0.16 525 11,359 30 5.9
High 33,871,648 $0.342 17 4.95 6,000 841,435 300 253.3
Low 608,827 $0.000 0 0.00 0 212 0 0
Sources: Thunderhead Organization Surveys, Thunderhead Alliance
(1) Media hits are defi ned here as any time an organization’s name appeared in the media in the
previous 12 months, including television, radio, newspapers and other public media sources;
(2) Average is weighted by population or takes into account the sums from all states;
(3) For states where the population is less than one million, standardized values will be larger than the
value of the variable.
Maine tops
the charts for
state-wide
advocacy
capacity.
THUNDERHEAD ORGANIZATIONS THAT work state-wide operate on an average of three cents per capita.
Maine has the highest per capita revenue of advocacy organizations in all states earning approximately 34
cents per resident. On average, states have 0.37 full-time-equivalent (FTE) bicycle and pedestrian advocacy
staff person per one million people. Texas has the most advocacy staff of any state with 17 FTEs. Hawaii has
six FTE which translates into 4.95 FTE staff per million people: the highest number of staff per capita in the
country.
In terms of membership, Maine also ranks highest with one member for every 212 residents (a total of 6,000
members). Colorado also has 6,000 members, coming in second with one member for every 717 residents.
Jeff Miller, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine attributes his success to being a relentless
advocate. He also noted the most important thing about earning and keeping members is to ask.
Maine’s governor, attorney general, Senate president and more than a dozen state representatives and senators
participated in the annual Maine Legislative Bike Tour and Walk organized by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY P. McGINNIS, WWW.COMMUNICADO.US
Legend:
* = Thunderhead could not access data
** = Not applicable
˚ = Data from more than one
organization representing state
= High Value
= Low Value
THUNDERHEAD ALLIANCE BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVOCACY
79
Bicycling & Walking in the U.S./ Thunderhead Alliance 2007