FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Registration and Participant Center FAQs
1. About the ALS Bike Ride
2. Riders and Ride Teams
3. Letter-Writing Campaigns
4. Ride Donations
5. Ride Prizes
6. Ride SMART
7. About the Ride Center
8. Online Transactions and some techie stuff
9. What if I don't have a bike? OR: What should I do about my child?
About the Ride to Defeat ALS
Anyone 12 yrs and above can become part of the fight against ALS by joining the ALS Bike Ride. Children under 12 years can participate as a ride-along with an adult over 18, if riding on a tandem, trailer or tag-along bike. If you need special accomodations please contact britni.minkler@als.org to make arrangments.
Is there a fee to participate?
The registration fee to participate in the Ride is $55. Discounts are provided for early registration. See the Event Details page for discount codes. Riders 12 to 18 years old are $25. Children under age 12 are $10. Silver Valley Ride participants help fund local Care Service programs and internationally driven ALS research by raising donations through a variety of fundraising methods. Silver Valley Ride participants can raise anywhere from $100 to $100,000 dollars - the sky is the limit! It is suggested that all participants raise a minimum of $150.
How do I register for the Ride?
Registering for the Ride is quick, easy and can be done from the comfort of your home in 3 easy steps. If you have problems registering more than one person, delete your browser's cookies and clear the cache. Do NOT use your email for anyone other than yourself! If you continue to experience difficulty, call The ALS Association Evergreen Chapter at 509-863-4321 and we'll walk you through it.
1. Decide: Will you be participating as a member of a Ride Team or an individual (solo) rider?
2. If you choose to participate as a member of a Ride Team: Will you create a NEW Ride Team or join an EXISTING Ride Team?
3. Complete the step by step Online Registration Form to become an official participant. Participants may also choose to register by contacting the Evergreen Chapter office.
Riders and Ride Teams
What is a Ride Team?
Your Ride Team includes anyone and everyone who wants to join in the effort to raise money for patient services programs and ALS research. Family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, children and adults create Ride Teams. Ride Teams and their fundraising efforts drive the success of a Ride. More team riders means an increased opportunity for fundraising and increased awareness of ALS.
What is a Team Captain?
A Team Captain is the lead organizer and motivator for a Ride Team. Team Captains are responsible for recruiting people to join their Ride Team, naming their team, setting a team fundraising goal and continually communicating with and encouraging team members prior to and during the Silver Valley Ride. Team Captains are The ALS Association’s primary contact and liaison to the Silver Valley Ride Team; he/she will receive ongoing information and updates from the Chapter during the months leading to Ride Day. Each Ride Team must have a Team Captain.
What is a Team Rider?
Team Riders are individuals who participate in the Silver Valley Ride to Defeat ALS as part of a Ride Team. Team Riders will communicate regularly with their Team Captain and encourage friends and family to support the Ride and their team. Along with hundreds of other Ride participants, Team Riders will attend Ride Day and collect donations by using their Participant Center tool or other fundraising methods.
What is an Individual Rider?
Anyone over 12 yrs can participate in the Silver Valley Ride to Defeat ALS as an Individual Rider. People who choose to participate as Individual Riders do not belong to a specific Ride Team; rather, Individual Riders choose to participate as a single member in the Ride. Along with hundreds of other Ride participants, Individual Riders will attend Ride Day and collect donations by using their Participant Center tools or other fundraising methods.
Letter Writing Campaigns
One of the most effective (and easiest) ways to raise money for the Silver Valley Ride to Defeat ALS is to launch a letter-writing campaign. Riders who launch a Letter-Writing or Email Campaign typically raise 5 to 10 times more money than participants using other methods of collecting donations. Use the email tool in your Ride Center. It will automatically keep track of people who donated, who need a thank you note, etc. By simply drafting a “Dear family and friends” letter or email explaining why you and/or your family are participating in the Silver Valley Ride, you can reach many potential supporters. Remember to include everyone in your holiday greeting cards list, address book and associations to which you belong when sending your messages. How will people give if they don't know? And sometimes they need a gentle prodding. Three touches are often needed...be creative and send a reminder card or send them a text message.Ride Donations
Where/When Should Ride Donations Be Submitted?As you begin collecting Ride donations, we encourage you to send all contributions to The ALS Association Evergreen Chapter office up until the week prior to the Ride. However, there are other options for submitting donations:
1. Encourage online donations! Online donations are made directly to your personal Ride web page and are instantly attributed to your Rider and/or Ride Team fundraising goal. No additional steps are necessary. You'll even receive notices via email.
2. Enter collected donations into your Participant Center! Collect donations in person or by mail, enter your donations into your Participant Center tool and watch your fundraising thermometer rise! This process can be done from the comfort of your home and at your convenience. Even better, entering your donations in this way allows supporters to visualize the progress of your fundraising campaign and is a great way for you to track donations received.
*Important Reminder: Please keep all of your donations in a safe place! Better yet, mail checks to The ALS Association Evergreen Chapter up until a week before the Ride. Got cash? Convert to a check to a money order (keeping track of who gave what and send that in as well. Here is a form where you can enter gifts and send along with the donations you've collected.
3. Bring all your donations to the Registration Area on Ride Day. As a participant of the Silver Valley Ride you will receive a Ride Collection Envelope that will enable you to hold and track donations you receive (offline, not via your webpage.) Simply collect contributions from friends and family members, record their names and donation amounts on the Ride Collection Envelope and submit the envelope of donations on Ride Day.
5. All donations received after Ride Day should be mailed to the Chapter office 19226 66th Avenue S., Suite L-105 Kent, WA 98032 at your earliest convenience. Please clearly label your donations with your name and the words "Silver Valley Ride."
Ride Prizes
Ride Prizes to be determined.
Ride SMART
A special reminder about riding in Silver Valley - Headphones are not allowed during the ride (Riders must be able to hear approaching traffic clearly, or other riders calling out). Riding single file is safer, especially when meeting other bicyclists. Please be courteous to other riders and local residents.
All riders must follow the rules of the trail and RIDE SMART:
Stay Alert - watch for cars, other riders, and hazards.
Move off the trail when stopping - pull completely off the road or trail to let cars and riders pass; please do not block driveways or intersections.
Act like a car - OBEY ALL TRAFFIC LAWS, stop at stop signs, and use hand signals.
Retain space between yourself and others - leave room to dodge obstacles.
Tell others when passing on the left (don't pass on the right).
About the Participant Center
The Participant Center tools are contemporary, user-friendly and pretty much self-explanatory. Some folks may experience a brief wait time while the page loads. Once registered, take a few moments to click on the tabs and links to familiarize yourself with the functions. Your Participant Center has everything you need to send emails, monitor your fundraising progress, keep track of who responded to your messages, who you still need to thank, etc...
Online Transactions and Tech
1. I Forgot My Username and Password.
Remember that your username and password are case sensitive. And everyone who has participated in past events or donated to an event has one! When you login you will have the opportunity to ask for your user name and/or password which will be emailed to you almost immediately.
2. How Do I Change My Username and/or Password?
First, login to the site using your username and password. Once logged in you will see a link at the top of the page called "Update My Profile". Once inside your profile, you will be able to update your contact information, e-mail address, preferences, username and password. All changes will be made to your account immediately. There is no need to sign in again.
3. Is My Personal Information Secure?
Convio, the company that powers The ALS Association’s Online Ride System, makes every effort to protect your personal contact and credit card information. They use industry-standard SSL encryption techniques to make sure your credit card information, passwords and personal information travel securely over the Internet. Convio also installed an encryption engine on our database server so your data is securely stored within our offices as well.
4. How are Credit Card Transactions Handled?
Credit card information is not stored in our database. During the donation process, we send an individual’s credit card information to an online processing terminal using a secure connection. The information passed back is an approval or denial for the credit card donation. Once you've entered the amount and all the important information including your credit card number you are given an extra opportunity to alter the information or change your mind. It will appear as a confirmation page. At the bottom will be a Previous button, a Process button and a Cancel button. In order for your transaction to go all the way through, you must click on the Process button. Then you will see a page with your transaction details which you can print out for your records. You will also receive an email notice almost immediately. Did you have problems with the online donation form? Contact Amara at amara.bates@als.org.
What if I don't have a bike? Or What should I do about my child?
Riders can rent a bike or a trailer to bring the kids along from local bike dealers listed below.
Coeur d'Alene Bike Co. 21 Railroad Ave., Kellogg, ID 83837 (208) 786-3751
The Cycle Haus 100 N Coeur D Alene Ave Harrison, ID 83833 (208) 689-3436
Silver Mountain Sports in Gondola Village, Kellogg-- (208) 783-1517
Additional Questions:
Please reach out to
Britni Minkler, Development Manager at 509-724-0963 or britni.minkler@als.org
