Position: Director of Experiences - Operational Oversight
Reports To: VP of Programs
Salary: $70,000-78,000
Start Date: Immediately
Position Overview:
The Director of Experiences will oversee Adventure Cycling’s Experiences programming, focusing on guided bike travel adventures such as self-contained tours, fundraising tours, and educational tours. This role entails operational oversight and logistical execution of the guided experiences slate, ensuring seamless delivery of guided tours, introductory and educational camps, and fundraising tours. While there is a strong preference for in-person work at our headquarters in Missoula, MT, remote work options may be considered for exceptional candidates who can demonstrate effective remote management abilities while fostering a culture of teamwork, communication, risk management, compliance, and exceptional customer service. The Director report to the Vice President, Programs, and work in collaboration with the VP in crafting the future of Experiences at Adventure Cycling in coordination with the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.
Key Responsibilities:
Operational Oversight and Logistical Execution (60%)
- Manage and coordinate guided bike travel adventures, including self-contained tours, fundraising tours, and educational tours, ensuring exceptional customer service at all touchpoints.
- Supervise the creation and implementation of new guided tours and educational programs.
- Implement risk management improvements based on recommendations from the 2023 risk management audit, ensuring the safety and security of participants and staff.
- Ensure compliance with tour leader guidelines and regulations, providing necessary training and support to maintain high standards of professionalism and safety.
- Oversee the implementation of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems and technological solutions to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences.
- Develop and implement operational strategies for remote management, if applicable, ensuring effective communication and collaboration among remote team members.
- Review and assess current operational processes, identifying areas for improvement to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in remote management.
- Collaborate with the team to develop replicable systems and procedures for scalable remote operations.
- Monitor program operations and provide guidance for system improvements to optimize resource utilization and enhance operational efficiency.
Leadership and Program Management (40%)
- In coordination with the VP, Programs and the Adventure Cycling Strategic Plan, create, plan, and execute new educational and skill building programs nationwide.
- Supervise remote staff, including Tours Operations Manager, Tour Leader Compliance Manager, Customer Experience Coordinator and project-based contract staff, providing coaching and support to foster skill development and talent within the team.
- Represent the Experiences team in Director’s meetings and the Program Leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and action plans to achieve organizational goals.
- Oversee the Experiences budget of $3M, conducting annual budget planning and forecasting, and monitoring monthly budgets to achieve targets.
- Oversee the Tour Leader Compliance Manager who oversees 50-100 seasonal staff
Required Qualifications:
- Understanding and willingness to engage with issues of institutional and structural biases and their impacts on the organization and community.
- Commitment to equity and inclusion, respecting differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, ability, religion, and socio-economic circumstances.
- 5-8 years of prior experience in outcomes-based program leadership and operations.
- Prior budget management experience of at least $500,000.
- Strong understanding of risk management principles and practices.
- Experience in tour leader compliance and safety regulations.
- Proficiency in CRM systems and technological implementation for operational efficiency.
- Outstanding written and oral communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
- Strong decision-making, delegation skills, and problem-solving ability.
- Passion for learning and seeking innovative solutions and new ideas externally.
Position: Development Coordinator
- Start Date: Immediately
- Hourly: $20-$25/hour
- Part-Time (20-25 hrs/week)
- Reports to: Director of Development & Membership
Position Overview:
The Development Coordinator reports to the Director of Development/Membership and is primarily responsible for supporting the successful expansion of Adventure Cycling’s donor pipeline and giving societies (including the systems, recognition, collateral, and cultivation for individual and corporate major gifts) as well as assisting in day-to-day Development tasks, both in the administrative/clerical and customer service realms.
The Development Coordinator will also be responsible for coordinating and executing in-person and digital events for Adventure Cycling constituents.
This position works effectively with other departments, especially Marketing, Programming and IT to integrate development activities to increase donor support and resource acquisition for the well-being of the organization. The successful candidate will have the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, be proficient and effective at outreach and relationship building, and have the interest and desire to learn how to grow as an impactful development professional.
About Adventure Cycling:
As one of the largest nonprofit cycling organizations in the country, Adventure Cycling has an impactful voice in policies and programs that advance the safety and accessibility of cycling. Adventure Cycling serves through its members and the bike travel community. Our cycling community encourages and supports countless cyclists each year as they explore the beauty and history of America while tending to their mental and physical well-being. For nearly half a century, Adventure Cycling has created life-changing experiences that deepen appreciation for our country’s diverse cultures, communities, landscapes, and people. Adventure Cycling headquarters are based in Missoula, MT, and we acknowledge and honor the Indigenous peoples who consider this land their home. The area’s natural abundance was stewarded by many peoples including the Blackfeet, Crow, Shoshone, Cheyenne, Kootenai, Pend d’Oreilles and Salish for millennia before colonization, and continues to be to this day.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
The staff and Board of Directors of Adventure Cycling Association believes in the power of bicycle travel to open minds and change the way the world explores. We envision a future where this organization draws staff, tour leaders, members, board members, and riders from the whole of our society. For this to occur, bicycle travel must be available for everyone.
We are committed to listening to BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized peoples and understanding the systems contributing to oppression while also working to provide more resources and support for these communities.
The Adventure Cycling Association acknowledges its place in this power dynamic. As an organization we have benefitted from white privilege omnipresent in the United States and must use our power to hire, support, empower, and create safe spaces for Black, Indigenous and People of Color, LGBTQIA+, and Femme/Trans/Women communities.
Key Responsibilities:
Support Major Donor Program and Giving Societies
- Create, execute, and track strategic cultivation plans for existing and prospective individual and corporate major donors
- Coordinate and organize donor cultivation and stewardship activities including but not limited to:
- Virtual events/webinars
- Annual Reports
- Programmatic updates
- Track fundraising performance and support monthly reporting needs
Donor Communication
- Researches, writes, edits, and/or oversees the preparation of persuasive proposals, case statements, reports, correspondence, and other development-related communication materials
- Executes cultivation, solicitation, & stewardship communications via phone/video calls, emails, and other forms of direct personal contact
- Supports other members of the Development and Management Team in their stewardship goals
Manage Donor Acknowledgement Processes
- Ensure accurate record keeping and acknowledgement of all donations, including monthly donations and annual membership dues payments
- Track and follow up on pledged donations
- Assist Finance Team with annual audit needs related to Development
Event and Travel Management
- Organize member/donor outreach events to further engage and cultivate donors and the community at large
- Manage all aspects of securing and preparing of event venues, including but not limited to
- Food and beverage catering
- Audio/Visual entertainment
- Engagement activities
- Swag/giveaways
- Run of show schedule
- Manage event invitations and RSVP tracking
- Assist ACA Staff with travel scheduling as needed
- Manage volunteers and track tasks/hours
- Travel as needed to help administer events
- Other customer service tasks, as needed and as requested by the Development Director
- Field bulk email replies, return phone calls, and other administrative tasks relating to incoming donations and membership payments
Required Qualifications:
- Understanding and willingness to engage with issues of institutional and structural racism or bias and their impacts on our organization and community.
- Commitment to equity and inclusion and to learn and respect differences of race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, ability, religion and socio-economic circumstances and class.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
- High level of organization and commitment to the highest standards of confidentiality surrounding sensitive information
- Experience with managing, tracking, and reporting on complex projects to effectively outline activities, due dates and owners
- High level of comfort with 1:1 communication with donors/members
- Proficiency in cross-departmental collaboration
- Knowledge and experience with data entry and reporting
- Ability to prioritize, multi-task, and follow through with minimal direction
- Proficient in using various MS Office programs, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Dynamics 365 CRM. Experience with Asana a plus.
- Experience working with people that are very different from yourself.
Physical Requirements:
Elements of job duties may require occasional moving of up to 15 pounds and the ability to occasionally stoop, kneel or crouch; candidates not able to meet such demands can possibly work with staff or others to accommodate.
Compensation, Schedule and Benefits:
This is a part-time, non-exempt position (average 20 hrs/week). $20-$25/hour. We are located at Adventure Cycling’s headquarters in beautiful and bike-friendly Missoula, Montana. Occasional remote work possible. Benefits include paid time off, holidays, we have a wonderful office in downtown Missoula, with plenty of bike racks! Adventure Cycling Association is an equal opportunity employer.
How to apply:
Please answer the following question in the last paragraph of your cover letter: “Describe why inclusive and accessible opportunities in the outdoors are important to you?”
Adventure Cycling needs help from a motivated and organized individual with its asset and editorial photography management. This is an entry-level position, ideal for someone with background or an interest in asset management, photography, and bicycle travel. This position requires being on-site at Adventure Cycling's headquarters in Missoula, MT. If this sounds like fun, please apply. We’d love to talk to you. Proposed start date: 4/15/2024
Position Responsibilities
- Collect, review, and organize the photo assets from various Adventure Cycling platforms and archives following criteria outlined by Art Director
- Organize assets according to program, apply metadata, and transfer assets to online sharing platform as outlined in documented process
- Notify Art Director of weekly progress
Desired Skills or Experience
- An eye for editorial photography
- Familiar with scanning and optimizing images for print and web
- Familiar with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Bridge, Adobe illustrator, and basic metadata entry
- Organized, self-motivating, and a fast learner with attention to detail
- Comfortable with online asset management platforms
- Excited about bicycle travel, inclusivity, and storytelling through photography
Compensation and schedule:
Contract Hourly Rate: $18/hour, approximately 5-10 hours per week or 250 hours maximum. The weekly schedule is adaptable based on deadlines and workload. The contract goes through September 15, 2024 or until the payment total reaches $4,500 (not to exceed). Adventure Cycling has the right to cancel the contract at any time.
The Creative Assets Librarian will document their time and provide a monthly invoice showing hours and payment and will submit this to Art Director (Daniel Mrgan) at the end of every month.
How to apply:
Please submit a short cover letter and resume.
Position overview: As part of the Adventure Cycling Marketing team, the Marketing Email Designer will develop the strategy, tone, and topics for marketing emails, as well as design and write organizational email content for our nonprofit programs and campaigns. Proposed start date: 3/25/2024
About Adventure Cycling:
As the largest nonprofit cycling organization in the country, Adventure Cycling has an impactful voice in policies and programs that advance the safety and accessibility of cycling. Adventure Cycling serves through its members and the bike travel community. Our cycling community encourages and supports countless cyclists each year as they explore the beauty and history of America while tending to their mental and physical well-being. For nearly half a century, Adventure Cycling has created life-changing experiences that deepen appreciation for our country’s diverse cultures, communities, landscapes, and people. Adventure Cycling headquarters are based in Missoula, MT, and we acknowledge and honor the Indigenous peoples who consider this land their home. The area’s natural abundance was stewarded by many peoples including the Blackfeet, Crow, Shoshone, Cheyenne, Kootenai, Pend d’Oreilles and Salish for millennia before colonization, and continues to be to this day.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
The Staff and Board of Directors of Adventure Cycling Association believes in the power of bicycle travel to open minds and change the way the world explores. We envision a future where this organization draws staff, tour leaders, members, board members, and riders from the whole of our society. For this to occur, bicycle travel has to be available for everyone.
We are committed to listening to BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized peoples and understanding the systems contributing to oppression while also working to provide more resources and support for these communities.
The Adventure Cycling Association acknowledges its place in this power dynamic. As an organization we have benefitted from white privilege omnipresent in the United States and must use our power to hire, support, empower, and create safe spaces for Black, Indigenous and People of Color, LGBTQIA+, and Femme/Trans/Women communities.
Key Responsibilities:
- Participate in weekly team meetings and occasional marketing planning meetings to develop a deep understanding of campaign and program needs and communication styles
- Apply an expertise in email strategy toward a variety of nonprofit campaign types: sales, fundraising, and program engagement
- Use both design and writing creativity to draft high-level and engaging emails for external programmatic, departmental, executive communications
- Write and proofread email copy
- Size photos and other assets according to best practices for email and Adventure Cycling's visual standards
- Use available organizational resources, such as the website, social media, project/campaign briefs, subject matter experts, etc. to gather ideas for needed email content
- Work closely with Art Director on email design and templates to ensure consistent brand coherence and to increase impact
- Collaborate with Marketing Project Manager and Database Manager on organizing email segments
- Manage individual task assignments as outlined in project plans
- With assistance from the Marketing Team, become familiar with Adventure Cycling internal communication channels and access them as needed. Examples of communication channels include Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing, Outlook, Microsoft Teams (video and chat), OneNote, Asana, Word, and SharePoint
- Identify and communicate opportunities for improvement in email strategy, process, or results
- With assistance from the Marketing Team, learn and follow Adventure Cycling branding and processes
- Identify linking opportunities and mentions to Adventure Cycling programs and products in emails
- Fact checking
Required Qualifications:
- Adobe InDesign and Photoshop
- Writing and proofreading
- Marketing and team collaboration technologies
- Passion for cycling and nonprofit programming
- Understanding and willingness to engage with issues of institutional and structural racism or bias and their impacts on our organization and community.
- Commitment to equity and inclusion and to learn and respect differences of race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, ability, religion and socio-economic circumstances and class.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working with people very different from yourself.
- Familiarity with Creative Cloud a plus
- Marketing email strategy
Compensation and Schedule:
Contract Hourly Rate: $40/hour, approximately 10-15 hours per week or 600 hours maximum. The weekly schedule is adaptable based on deadlines and workload. The contract goes through December 31, 2024 or until the payment total reaches $24,000 (not to exceed). Adventure Cycling has the right to cancel the contract at any time.
The Marketing Email Designer reports to the Marketing Project Manager and will document their time and provide a monthly invoice showing hours and payment and will submit this to Marketing Project Manager at the end of every month.
How to apply:
Please submit a short cover letter and resume with a link to (or an attachment of) a portfolio or writing and design sampling of your work.
Please use this page to submit any private information, such as tax information.
Thank you for your interest in Adventure Cyclist magazine. We accept queries and manuscripts on a rolling basis year-round. However, since our very small staff is primarily focused on producing each Adventure Cyclist, we'll be reviewing them on a roughly quarterly basis. This is a time-consuming process among our many other duties, so please be patient and bear with us.
Please make sure to thoroughly read our submissions information. Note: We only accept submissions through this Submittable portal.
Time Frame: If a story idea is accepted, the typical period of time until publication is approximately 12-18 months from the time of acceptance.
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Adventure Cyclist is a bicycle-travel magazine published nine times yearly by Adventure Cycling Association, a nonprofit service organization for bicyclists. Adventure Cyclist is dedicated to publishing stories about bicycle travel and other recreational cycling subjects.
Adventure Cyclist generally uses two types of stories from freelancers:
- Feature-length stories. These should be about specific areas and must be accompanied by high-quality photos, both in terms of content, composition, and size.
- The Final Mile. These are essays less about locale than about a singular experience while on a bicycle trip. These run at 1,200-1,500 words and don't require accompanying photos. Note: we do not buy Final Mile essays based on queries, we want to see the full manuscript.
What we pay is negotiable, but generally ranges from $.30 to $.60 per word, depending on various factors. We buy first rights and will consider simultaneous submissions as long as we are informed of the other publications considering your manuscript. Your manuscript should be typed with single returns between paragraphs — no indentations — and single-spaced.
Photos: Feature submissions should be accompanied by electronic images (300 dpi is standard) or color transparencies. Special focus and humor pieces do not require photos, but if you have something good, by all means, send it. And remember, we are always looking for stunning verticals to go on the cover. (See more about photos here). When you send us photos through Submittable, you are only allowed to upload three files, however, if you create a .zip file from your collection, this will only count as one single file. If you don't know how to create a .zip file, use the links below or simply Google it:
4 Ways to Zip a File on a Mac - wikiHow
4 Ways to Compress Large Files - wikiHow
Adventure Cyclist staff does not guarantee that you will receive a response concerning your story nor will we guarantee the return of unsolicited materials.
For further and more detailed information, visit adventurecycling.org/submit
Editor-in-Chief, Carolyne Whelan
magazine@adventurecycling.org
Adventure Cycling Association
150 E Pine St
Missoula, MT 59802
Interested in becoming an Adventure Cycling Tour Leader? Please fill out this questionnaire and upload your Cover Letter and Resume. We are currently accepting applications for our 2024 Guided Tours. We are reviewing applications and scheduling interviews on a rolling basis. You can find the full job description and more information on our website.
Thank you for submitting your photos and videos from the recent event you attended.
By submitting your photos, you are giving Adventure Cycling Association permission to publish your photos. Please provide the highest quality photos possible and include a name for photo credits.
Please share any and all pertinent details through this form, and be sure to tell us which route you're describing and what location. If you have photos you would like to share with us, you'll find a handy tool below to upload those image files.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the USBRS team at: usbrsinfo@adventurecycling.org. Thanks!
This submission portal is for use by Adventure Cyclist magazine advertisers only. It is not for story inquiries, submissions, or images.
PRINT: We only accept advertising creative in PDF or JPEG format. The file should be press-optimized, colorspace set to CMYK (not RGB), and resolution of 300 pixels per inch. Convert all spot colors to CMYK. Please include your company name in the filename.
NEWSLETTER: Please submit newsletter ads in PNG or JPG format at 728x90 pixels. Files should be 72 dpi and RGB. Include URL with submission.
Once the file is uploaded, you will receive a confirmation email that the file is ready for download by the Adventure Cyclist team.
Thank you for your interest in Adventure Cyclist Online. We love to share bike travel. We accept pitches and stories on a rolling basis year-round, reviewing submissions quarterly and responding as quickly as we can. It's a time-consuming process, so please bear with us.
Guidelines for Contributors & Freelancers
- Adventure Cyclist Online only publishes original content from real people doing bicycle travel.
- Photos make all the difference, so please submit high-quality photography with your submission.
Adventure Cyclist Online generally publishes the following:
Inspiring, Historical, or Amusing Stories related to bicycle travel. Click here for an example.
How-To Articles on ways to plan, navigate, pack, prepare, and handle any obstacle of a bicycle trip. Click here for an example.
Trip Reports: There’s nothing like a good story of a bicycle trip or bike overnight of where you went, what was special about it, and how others can do it too. Click here for an example.
Photo Essays: A set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story. Please include captions with all photographs.
No length requirements: Posts should simply be high quality and comprehensive.
Compensation
What we pay is negotiable, but generally ranges from $150-250 per article, with the lower end of the scale representing what we pay first-time writers and the higher end what we pay repeat writers. We buy first rights and will consider simultaneous submissions as long as we are informed of the other publications considering your submission. We do not pay for photography separately.
Not-So-Fine Print
- We prefer a well-written and high-quality, original article.
- We prefer an article that reflects the writing style and tone of Adventure Cyclist Online.
- Include a short author bio including a maximum of 1 anchor text link to your own website.
- Include proper attribution of photos, data, quotations, and other third-party content referenced in the article.
- The Adventure Cyclist Online team reserves the right to copy-edit content as we see fit and update it in the future for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
- Adventure Cycling reserves the right to include calls-to-action to Adventure Cycling content, including but not limited to newsletters, campaigns, and downloadable content.
Send Us Your Story or Inquiry
All inquiries, text documents, and images must be sent to us through Submittable. If you don't already have an account with Submittable, you will be prompted to start one. Accounts are free and will allow you to track your submission as it makes its way through our system.
For additional information or questions regarding a pitch, please email the online editor, Jessica, at jzephyrs@adventurecycling.org.