SANTA FE, N.M. (BRAIN) — By asking retailers if they would like to "round-up" their payment to the next whole dollar, distributor BTI has raised $2,400 for the PeopleForBikes Foundation in the last year.
"Our customers get to take all the credit for this," said Andrew Wright, BTI's president and co-founder. "Today's check for $2,400 is proof that crowdsourcing a few cents on everyday purchases really adds up."
BTI has not trademarked "Advocacy RoundUp," the name of the program, and is urging other suppliers and retailers to adopt similar programs, using the same name if they wish.
Advocacy RoundUp was launched in 2011. It provides dealers with the option to round-up their order subtotal to the nearest whole dollar at checkout, or to choose a set donation of $1, $2 or $3. BTI Customers can save this choice as the default on future orders, and can change the contribution level at any time.
The AdvocacyRoundUp program is in addition to BTI's own annual advocacy contributions, which amount to roughly 4 percent of its profits. In addition to People for Bikes, BTI currently sponsors IMBA, World Bicycle Relief, League of American Bicyclists, Alliance for Biking & Walking, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Safe Routes to School Partnership and a variety of local cycling advocacy organizations.
