Every year, the generosity of Gallatin Valley residents and businesses is on full display during Give Big Gallatin Valley. It’s 24 hours chock full of matching donations, peer-to-peer challenges, and crowd-sourced fundraising. It’s a whirlwind, and it’s always inspiring to see.

For SWMMBA, Give Big represents the single most important day of fundraising all year. With these unrestricted funds, we are able to support the trail maintenance, access advocacy, and community outreach that is so vital to regional mountain bikers.

Last year, driven by a generous matching donation, we were able to hire our first-ever seasonal Trails Manager. This year, we’re bringing that position back—with your help. In 2020, we were able to clear over 300 miles of public-lands trails, and we’re hoping to build on that success in 2021.

Give Big is especially important this year as we’ll be busier than ever, managing several projects, including:

• The Westlake Dirt Jumps rebuild

• Our seasonal Trail Stewardship program

• The annual Lionhead trail-clearing weekend

• The Big Sky Pump Track rebuild

• Weekly dig days and group rides

To make sure we’re adequately funded to deliver on these program areas, we’re asking for your support from 6pm on Thursday, May 6 to 6pm on Friday, May 7. There are several ways to contribute on Give Big, and you can choose which approach works best for you.

Your Give Big 2021 giving options include:

• Individual donations

• Business Fundraisers

• Peer-to-Peer Giving

• Matches & Challenges

If you would like to contribute a match or have questions about setting up a challenge, email outreach director David Tucker.

As an extra incentive, this year’s first 100 donors giving at or above $100 will get a limited edition Give Big 2021 t-shirt, produced by our friends at Tuscola Branding, with graphic design courtesy of Jaxen Blaze Art. Stay tuned for a sneak peak coming later this week.

With trail season just getting underway, now is the perfect time to ask yourself how much mountain biking means to you. Whether you give for new bike parks in Bozeman or trail crews in the Bridgers, your contribution is another step toward making Bozeman a world-class mountain biking city.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.