Story

Catalyzing Community and Growth in Rapid City with Black Hills Bike Hub

Black Hills Bike Hub (BH2), formerly the Black Hills Mountain Bike Association, is a grassroots cycling organization based in Rapid City, South Dakota. Over the past year, it has undergone rapid transformation—from a dormant group into a vibrant hub for community engagement, trail advocacy, and youth and women’s cycling initiatives. With membership growing from 10 to over 160 in just one year, BH2 recognized the need for a clear, strategic foundation to scale their efforts and serve their expanding community.

Going from engaging the community to activating the community

Despite their growth, BH2 faced challenges typical of fast-moving volunteer-driven organizations:

• A lack of shared mission, vision, values, or a long-term plan.

• An overextended board and unclear operational roles.

• A need to professionalize their structure to attract grants and broader community support​.

The goal was to reground BH2 in what really mattered to them, and develop a structure and two-year strategic plan that would focus their energy, accelerate their impact, and build long-term sustainability.

Building a platform of awareness and understanding (how we did it)

Stakeholder Engagement

I began by seeking to understand—conducting structured surveys with board members and the broader cycling community to assess perceptions, priorities, and opportunities​​.

• Board Survey: Explored vision alignment, organizational challenges, and leadership capacity.

• Community Survey & Interviews: Identified the group's public perception, unmet needs, and excitement areas—from youth cycling to urban access improvements.

1:1 Qualitative Interviews

To add depth to the surveys, I held 1:1 structured interviews with all board members and key community stakeholders. These interviews surfaced personal motivations, organizational dynamics, and hidden pain points, such as:

• Leadership burnout and role confusion.

• Gaps between organizational ambition and operational capacity.

• The urgent need for trail access expansion and youth/women's programming​​​​​​​​​.

Strategic Facilitation

Using the insights we gained from the initial research, I traveled to Rapid City to meet the team. Our time together included rides, community meetings, and culminated in a half-day workshop with the board. In the workshop we worked together to…

1. Reset Mission/Vision/Values (one hour)

2. Establish measurable goals for 2025 (one hour)

3. Identify key activities/events BH2 would execute to achieve those goals (one hour)

4. Sketch an organizational & committee structure that activates community

Strategic Plan: 2025–2026

We co-created a two-year roadmap with measurable goals, including:

• Organizational Strengthening:

  • Reduce board workload by 30%

  • Secure 501(c)(3) status

  • Raise $75,000 through diverse revenue streams​

• Community Building:

  • Grow to 300 members

  • Launch a youth cycling pilot with 50+ kids

  • Host 60+ inclusive community events

• Trail Development:

  • Complete 6 of 8 segments of the All American Trail

  • Finalize the Skyline Flow Trail

  • Develop a 5-year Trails Master Plan

• Policy & Advocacy:

  • Establish an Advocacy Platform

  • Strengthen relationships with the U.S. Forest Service and city planners​

Impact

This process enabled BH2 to transform from a passionate group of individuals into a purpose-driven and effective organization with clarity, alignment, and actionable strategy. With a solid foundation and forward-looking plan, they are now positioned to deepen their community impact, advocate more effectively, and grow the next generation of riders and trail stewards.