FAQs
Find out all you need to know about We Ride Australia with our Frequently Asked Questions below. If you have further questions, please feel free to Contact us.
Business Details
Q: I need more information on your business details?
We Ride Australia is the business name for the Australian Cycling Educational and Health Foundation.
Entity Name: Australian Cycling Educational and Health Foundation
Business Name: We Ride Australia
ABN/ACNC: 75 618 071 855
Please Contact Us if there is further information you require.
My Donations
Q: Is my donation tax deductible?
A: We have partnered with the Australian Sports Foundation to allow your donation to be tax deductible.
The ASF will tax a 5% commission on each donation made.
We sincerely appreciate any donation we receive in support of better bicycling and the benefits to the environment across Australia. You can contribute financially towards this amazing vision, by visiting our Donations page.
If you are a business who is providing sponsorship to our organisation, please speak to your accountant about the tax deductibility of your contribution as a marketing expense.
Q; How can I be sure that you are using the money you receive to enhance cycling and not for other purposes?
A: As part of our legal obligations, We Ride Australia will be publishing annual financial accounts which will be audited by an independent, qualified and registered auditor.
We will also be posting regular newsletters which will give details of our activities and campaigns, so you can be kept informed of what we are up to. Make sure you Add Your Voice to be kept in the loop.
Q: How much of my money will go towards We Ride Australia’s initiatives and how much goes towards fundraising expenses?
A: We would like to keep fundraising expenses as low as possible, but for a small organisation this will always be a challenge.
Depending upon the amount raised each year, the fundraising expense will be between 16% and 20% with the maximum being capped at 20%. This is widely regarded as a reasonable level for charity organisations whose income is solely or largely comprised of donations.
Q: Can I look at your past financial statements?
A: The Australian Cycling Promotion Foundation (We Ride Australia) only began operation as a separate legal entity as of 1st July 2017, so there will be no financial statements prior to those for the 2017/18 financial year. However as the years transpire, all annual reports including financials will remain available for viewing on our website.
Q: How much money do you actually need?
A: The more that we can raise, the more that we can do. Our vision will always exceed our provision, so we will have to carefully prioritise and squeeze as much return out of every dollar. If you would like to help us towards our goal, please visit our Donations page.
Q: Do you have a fundraising target?
A: Our first target is to reach $1 million per year and we can’t do that without your help. This level of funding would bring us up to a per capita comparable size, with organisations that are equivalent to us in Europe and America. You can make a difference towards us reaching this target, by visiting our Donations page.
Governance
Q: Who oversees the operations of We Ride Australia?
A: Our board is made up of independent, non-executive directors, who are responsible for ensuring that We Ride Australia is run professionally and complies with all statutory requirements. You can find out more about these directors and their profiles by visiting the Board page.
Q: Are you a Registered Charity?
A: On 1st December 2017, the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission of the Australian Government, approved the Australian Cycling Promotion Foundation as a registered charity. You can search the Charities Register using our ABN 75 618 071 855, by visiting www.acnc.gov.au, or find us using this link.
Supporters
Q: The bicycle industry benefits from your activities. Why don’t they fund We Ride Australia?
A: They do! Bicycle industry members founded the forerunner to We Ride Australia, the Cycling Promotion Fund in 1997 and have been the largest donor category ever since. You can find a list of our financial supporters in the Foundation Benefactors and Foundation Members pages on our website.
Our vision is wider than the industry and beyond the capacity of the bicycle industry alone to support and achieve. We appreciate the donations and support of all people, both young and old, who want to partner with us in seeing better bicycling in Australia for everyone who rides a bike!
Q: Is We Ride Australia competing against the local state based cycling advocacy organisations?
A: Definitely not! We strongly support all state and local cycling organisations and work collaboratively with them.
There are a number of differences in our focus and initiatives and our priorities focus on achieving an improved environment through more people riding bicycles, which will ensure minimal overlap in our activities.
We are a national body with our focus upon Canberra and the national approach of improving the environment through more people riding bicycles
We are not a membership based organisation and encourage all of our supporters to join and be active in their local organisations.
Unlike many of these organisations, we will not be running cycling events or other grass-roots activities.
Q: Why don’t you run rides, sell products or other forms of social enterprise to raise your funds instead of asking for donations?
A: For several reasons:
Firstly, so as not to be seen to be overlapping or competing in any way with other cycling organisations.
Secondly, because we feel that our limited resources are best spent directly engaging in our core activities to achieve an improved environment through more people riding bikes.
Thirdly, because any sort of commercial activity involves a degree of risk and we do not want to risk donors’ money.
The events we do run, including the Summit, expert study tours and Ridescore have greater impact on improving the environment through more people riding bikes.
Policy
Q: What’s your policy on Australia’s compulsory helmet laws? Isn’t that the thing that’s holding you back from achieving your aims?
A: We believe that our limited resources can be more productively spent in other areas that promote cycling for the benefit of the environment. Therefore campaigning upon this issue is not a high priority for We Ride Australia.
Q: Wouldn’t cyclist be taken more seriously if they had to pay registration like motorists?
A: No, we don’t think so and we don’t believe that compulsory registration of cyclists or bicycles is a good idea.
Every km that a bike rider travels benefits all of society, and any barriers to preventing people taking up cycling such as registration would have negative impact for the environment.
Repeated studies over the years in various jurisdictions where compulsory registration of bicycles has been suggested, have also found that the revenue raised would not warrant the cost and administrative burden of operating such a system.
Q: You research seems to focus on economic impact more than the environment?
A: Over several years we know that we need both scientific and economic research to support policy makers to make decisions and investments that have long term benefits to the environment