Community Cruisers is a volunteer-run organization that promotes cycling for fun and everyday commuting to enhance health, sustainability, and equity across the Bow Valley. In line with its mission to make cycling accessible and inclusive for all, Community Cruisers was looking to become a member of the Bow Valley Pride Network and improve the way the organization held space for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the region.
Community Cruisers partnered with Perch Communications to co-create a communications strategy that explicitly welcomed 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. In addition to meeting the criteria for joining the Pride Network, the goal of the strategy was to equip the Community Cruisers team with best practices to better serve the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, inspire meaningful connections, and foster solidarity.
Community Cruisers partnered with Perch Communications to co-create a communications strategy that explicitly welcomed 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. In addition to meeting the criteria for joining the Pride Network, the goal of the strategy was to equip the Community Cruisers team with best practices to better serve the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, inspire meaningful connections, and foster solidarity.
ClientServicesCommunications Strategy
Campaign Planning Writing & Editing |
Cause2SLGBTQIA+ Rights
CreditsStrategy: Jenny Spurr
Words: Devon Murphy |
Community Cruisers partnered with Perch Communications to co-create a communications strategy that explicitly welcomed 2SLGBTQIA+ folks.
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"After working with Perch, I feel inspired and empowered. I think that's the best combination. It's one thing to be inspired, but that doesn't always lead to effective action. Perch provided us with information and tools that empower us to take the next steps towards our goal of increasing 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusivity in our own organization and in the Bow Valley community."
- Jen Tweddell, President, Community Cruisers
The Challenge: Addressing Gaps in 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion with a Small Team of Volunteers
Community Cruisers is run by a small, passionate board with support from volunteers from around the Bow Valley. They offer a variety of cycle-centric programming, including riding mentorships, valet bike parking at events, and bike repair services and training at the Community Cruiser Hub Workshops in both Banff and Canmore. They also offer Pedal4Joy, a unique adaptive e-bike experience.
“Community is in our name. We think of ourselves not only as an organization that serves our community, but as an organization that’s part of the community,” says Jen Tweddell, President of Community Cruisers. “Inclusivity is one of our core values.”
After attending a training session on 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusivity for non-profits from Bow Valley DEI, Jen realized that there was an opportunity for the organization to step up and play a bigger role in establishing safe, fun spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks in the community within cycling, and beyond. As a first step, Jen and the board wanted to work towards becoming a member of the Bow Valley Pride Network. Meeting the Pride Network’s membership requirements would prepare Community Cruisers to engage more meaningfully with 2SLGBTQIA+ folks and demonstrate the team’s commitment to facilitating inclusion.
“We saw the need in the community and we wanted to be more intentional about the way we communicated and connected with 2SLGBTQIA+ community members,” Jen says. “But our team of volunteers has very limited bandwidth. We knew we didn’t have the human resources to complete this project.”
Community Cruisers secured a grant from the Calgary Foundation to provide DEI training to volunteers across the organization and establish an inclusive communications strategy that centred 2SLGBTQIA+ needs and experiences in alignment with the Pride Network’s requirements. “We asked Aurora Borin from Bow Valley DEI to recommend someone to help us with the communications strategy component. Perch was at the top of that list,” Jen says.
“Community is in our name. We think of ourselves not only as an organization that serves our community, but as an organization that’s part of the community,” says Jen Tweddell, President of Community Cruisers. “Inclusivity is one of our core values.”
After attending a training session on 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusivity for non-profits from Bow Valley DEI, Jen realized that there was an opportunity for the organization to step up and play a bigger role in establishing safe, fun spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks in the community within cycling, and beyond. As a first step, Jen and the board wanted to work towards becoming a member of the Bow Valley Pride Network. Meeting the Pride Network’s membership requirements would prepare Community Cruisers to engage more meaningfully with 2SLGBTQIA+ folks and demonstrate the team’s commitment to facilitating inclusion.
“We saw the need in the community and we wanted to be more intentional about the way we communicated and connected with 2SLGBTQIA+ community members,” Jen says. “But our team of volunteers has very limited bandwidth. We knew we didn’t have the human resources to complete this project.”
Community Cruisers secured a grant from the Calgary Foundation to provide DEI training to volunteers across the organization and establish an inclusive communications strategy that centred 2SLGBTQIA+ needs and experiences in alignment with the Pride Network’s requirements. “We asked Aurora Borin from Bow Valley DEI to recommend someone to help us with the communications strategy component. Perch was at the top of that list,” Jen says.
"From the first moment I met Jenny for coffee before we hired Perch, the thing that stood out to me was her enthusiasm. It felt like she really believed in what we were doing. As a non-profit organization, it's amazing to work with someone who is passionate about your mission and aligned with your values."
- Jen Tweddell, President, Community Cruisers
The Solution: A Holistic Strategy with Actionable Communications Tools, Training, and a Step-by-Step Plan
Perch Communications worked with the Community Cruisers team to create a comprehensive communications strategy and messaging guide. Perch also developed a five-stage action plan with checklists that provided a framework the team could use to take action on the strategy.
To support volunteers’ day-to-day communications work, Perch put together a content calendar template. They also created a post-event survey template to get feedback from the community on the organization’s inclusivity efforts. Through their professional network, the Perch team connected Community Cruisers with local 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations, opening doors to future partnership opportunities.
1. Creating connections with 2SLGBTQIA+ community members
The project began with the communications strategy, which involved analyzing Community Cruiser’s strengths and conducting research into what similar organizations across the country were doing well to uncover opportunities for improvement. “As volunteers, we don’t have time to go through and do all the research that Perch was able to do for us,” says Kim Fisher, who is responsible for communications in addition to her volunteer role as Secretary at Community Cruisers. “Jenny and her team looked at our channels, did audience engagement, and even provided quotes from community members.”
The communications strategy highlights where Community Cruisers can best spend their limited resources to engage with their audience. “It’s always tempting to look at the next shiny thing, like ‘Should we get on TikTok?’ But Perch said, ‘No, you already have these channels that are working really well for you.’ That was really empowering for us and gave us permission to focus on the stuff that’s working,” Jen says.
To help ensure that the communications strategy reflected the needs and perspectives of 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, Perch brought Devon Murphy, a queer writer based in Banff, onto the project. “We had looked at other communications agencies and Jenny was the only person who said, ‘We need to have a queer person on the team for this project,’” Jen says. “She made sure there was a voice from the community we were looking to include and that was really valuable for us.”
To support volunteers’ day-to-day communications work, Perch put together a content calendar template. They also created a post-event survey template to get feedback from the community on the organization’s inclusivity efforts. Through their professional network, the Perch team connected Community Cruisers with local 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations, opening doors to future partnership opportunities.
1. Creating connections with 2SLGBTQIA+ community members
The project began with the communications strategy, which involved analyzing Community Cruiser’s strengths and conducting research into what similar organizations across the country were doing well to uncover opportunities for improvement. “As volunteers, we don’t have time to go through and do all the research that Perch was able to do for us,” says Kim Fisher, who is responsible for communications in addition to her volunteer role as Secretary at Community Cruisers. “Jenny and her team looked at our channels, did audience engagement, and even provided quotes from community members.”
The communications strategy highlights where Community Cruisers can best spend their limited resources to engage with their audience. “It’s always tempting to look at the next shiny thing, like ‘Should we get on TikTok?’ But Perch said, ‘No, you already have these channels that are working really well for you.’ That was really empowering for us and gave us permission to focus on the stuff that’s working,” Jen says.
To help ensure that the communications strategy reflected the needs and perspectives of 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, Perch brought Devon Murphy, a queer writer based in Banff, onto the project. “We had looked at other communications agencies and Jenny was the only person who said, ‘We need to have a queer person on the team for this project,’” Jen says. “She made sure there was a voice from the community we were looking to include and that was really valuable for us.”
"Perch modelled that best-practice for us. If inclusion is your goal, you need to be reaching out to that community and working with them as much as possible. It's a critical piece of that culture shift. If you don't do it, you're missing the point."
- Jen Tweddell, President, Community Cruisers
2. Providing evergreen communications tools for volunteers
Perch put together a package that included a messaging guide and content planning and audience survey templates that Kim can use to streamline her own work. “I didn’t have the capacity to put all these tools together,” Kim says. “It was a huge help to work with Perch.”
Partnering with Perch also gave Kim insights into how she can make improvements to the organization’s general communications tactics going forward. “Perch also put together recommendations about how often we should be posting on each of our platforms,” she says. “I’m not a social media expert, so Perch provided information on how to engage with our audience more consistently.”
Straightforward templates will help the team get volunteers on the same page as they expand the organization. “Taking the guesswork out of communications is critical when you’re working with volunteers,” says Jen. “Something as simple as having the calendar to help us schedule our posts and guidelines around what those posts should look and sound like is so helpful.”
Perch also offered communications training to the Community Cruisers board and volunteers so that they felt comfortable and excited about executing on the strategy and messaging. “Having the people who created the plan talk about how to use it really helps volunteers get on board and feel inspired to execute on it,” Jen says.
Perch put together a package that included a messaging guide and content planning and audience survey templates that Kim can use to streamline her own work. “I didn’t have the capacity to put all these tools together,” Kim says. “It was a huge help to work with Perch.”
Partnering with Perch also gave Kim insights into how she can make improvements to the organization’s general communications tactics going forward. “Perch also put together recommendations about how often we should be posting on each of our platforms,” she says. “I’m not a social media expert, so Perch provided information on how to engage with our audience more consistently.”
Straightforward templates will help the team get volunteers on the same page as they expand the organization. “Taking the guesswork out of communications is critical when you’re working with volunteers,” says Jen. “Something as simple as having the calendar to help us schedule our posts and guidelines around what those posts should look and sound like is so helpful.”
Perch also offered communications training to the Community Cruisers board and volunteers so that they felt comfortable and excited about executing on the strategy and messaging. “Having the people who created the plan talk about how to use it really helps volunteers get on board and feel inspired to execute on it,” Jen says.
3. Delivering an intentional action plan
After finalizing the strategy and messaging, the Perch team created an action plan that gave Community Cruisers clear direction for embarking on their inclusivity endeavors. “We wanted to do this in an intentional way. We didn’t want to just go out and talk about being inclusive, we wanted to prioritize doing the work to actually create a safe space and an inclusive culture within our organization,” Jen says.
“It was really important to us not to get ahead of ourselves and start talking about inclusion before we had done the work,” echoes Kim. “Perch’s approach made DEI and inclusive communications training and policy development part of the strategy so that we had a foundation to share from.”
The action plan includes checklists that outline steps like publishing an equity and inclusion statement on the website, gathering user-generated content from 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, and prioritizing partnerships with local 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations.
“The plan is broad and far-reaching, but there are also simple, actionable things we’ve been able to start doing right away,” Jen says. “For example, Perch pointed out that our branded apparel has gendered sizing, which is a small detail we can address going forward. All the little things add up and you can see where they all fit into the plan.”
After finalizing the strategy and messaging, the Perch team created an action plan that gave Community Cruisers clear direction for embarking on their inclusivity endeavors. “We wanted to do this in an intentional way. We didn’t want to just go out and talk about being inclusive, we wanted to prioritize doing the work to actually create a safe space and an inclusive culture within our organization,” Jen says.
“It was really important to us not to get ahead of ourselves and start talking about inclusion before we had done the work,” echoes Kim. “Perch’s approach made DEI and inclusive communications training and policy development part of the strategy so that we had a foundation to share from.”
The action plan includes checklists that outline steps like publishing an equity and inclusion statement on the website, gathering user-generated content from 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, and prioritizing partnerships with local 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations.
“The plan is broad and far-reaching, but there are also simple, actionable things we’ve been able to start doing right away,” Jen says. “For example, Perch pointed out that our branded apparel has gendered sizing, which is a small detail we can address going forward. All the little things add up and you can see where they all fit into the plan.”
"The tools Perch put together for us gave us a step-by-step process. It was clear how we can apply this information into our day-to-day on social media, in our newsletter, on the website, and in our volunteer training."
- Kim Fisher, Secretary, Community Cruisers
4. Laying the foundation for future partnerships
As part of the communications strategy and action plan, the Perch team reached out to their local network to make a few introductions, connecting Community Cruisers to established 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations and other grassroots groups in the Bow Valley.
“Perch already had connections with folks at Canmore Pride, which made us feel more comfortable reaching out to see if they were interested in collaborating,” says Kim. “They also had connections with other local organizations like Shred Sisters and the Rundle Mountain Cycling Club. Getting those direct contacts was really valuable for us.”
“Perch is a part of the Bow Valley community, they’re invested in it, and that was really important to us,” Jen adds. “They helped us build relationships. It was wonderful to find out that the organizations we reached out to were interested in partnering with us.”
As part of the communications strategy and action plan, the Perch team reached out to their local network to make a few introductions, connecting Community Cruisers to established 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations and other grassroots groups in the Bow Valley.
“Perch already had connections with folks at Canmore Pride, which made us feel more comfortable reaching out to see if they were interested in collaborating,” says Kim. “They also had connections with other local organizations like Shred Sisters and the Rundle Mountain Cycling Club. Getting those direct contacts was really valuable for us.”
“Perch is a part of the Bow Valley community, they’re invested in it, and that was really important to us,” Jen adds. “They helped us build relationships. It was wonderful to find out that the organizations we reached out to were interested in partnering with us.”
"Before working with Perch, we didn't know where we were going or how to get there. It feels like we are at the very beginning of a long journey. We have a lot of work to do, but we know what each step looks like. That's hugely empowering to our organization and it's hard to articulate how valuable it is for us."
- Jen Tweddell, President, Community Cruisers
The Results: Doors Opened to New Opportunities for Growth, Engagement, and Meaningful Connection
With the communications strategy, tools, and training in hand, Jen, Kim, and the Community Cruisers team are ready to take the necessary steps to engage with and welcome more 2SLGBTQIA+ community members in their organization. “Having the communications strategy helps us embed inclusion in our overarching strategy so that it’s ingrained in the fabric of the organization,” says Jen. “We wanted to create a model for inclusion that we could expand to reach people from other marginalized groups as well and the strategy from Perch provides that.”
In line with the action plan, Community Cruisers sponsored the 2024 Canmore Pride Festival and partnered with the organization to do a bike maintenance workshop at the library before the festival kicked off. “It was a great way to start collaborating with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community,” says Jen. “We had never thought of sponsoring an event like this before and it was really nice to be able to take action right away after Perch helped us make the connection.”
Moving forward, the Community Cruisers team will continue to use the communications strategy, messaging guide, and action plan to cultivate an inclusive culture within their growing group of new and returning volunteers. “What we say on social media and our newsletter is one thing, but how someone is treated at our workshops is what will actually make them feel like coming to our next event,” Jen says.
The strategy will also help the Community Cruisers team expand their organization and support more cyclists in the Bow Valley. “Having the communications strategy helps us align our services and connect with more like-minded volunteers,” Kim says. “It really sets us up for the long term as we create an inclusive space that helps us retain volunteers, reach new folks in the community, and engage in more partnerships, which will allow us to grow.”
In line with the action plan, Community Cruisers sponsored the 2024 Canmore Pride Festival and partnered with the organization to do a bike maintenance workshop at the library before the festival kicked off. “It was a great way to start collaborating with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community,” says Jen. “We had never thought of sponsoring an event like this before and it was really nice to be able to take action right away after Perch helped us make the connection.”
Moving forward, the Community Cruisers team will continue to use the communications strategy, messaging guide, and action plan to cultivate an inclusive culture within their growing group of new and returning volunteers. “What we say on social media and our newsletter is one thing, but how someone is treated at our workshops is what will actually make them feel like coming to our next event,” Jen says.
The strategy will also help the Community Cruisers team expand their organization and support more cyclists in the Bow Valley. “Having the communications strategy helps us align our services and connect with more like-minded volunteers,” Kim says. “It really sets us up for the long term as we create an inclusive space that helps us retain volunteers, reach new folks in the community, and engage in more partnerships, which will allow us to grow.”
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