"The Mock Turtle said: `No wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.'

`Wouldn't it really?' said Alice in a tone of great surprise.

`Of course not,' said the Mock Turtle. `Why, if a fish came to ME, and told me he was going on a journey, I should say "With what porpoise?"'

`Don't you mean "purpose"?' said Alice."

Lewis Carroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1865)

FUNDRAISING

Solo long distance riding is a good opportunity to help out an organisation in the community  by fundraising while you ride.  Of course, this is probably best implemented for rides extending over a period of a few weeks or more.  Here are some tips for distance solo rides:

1. Pick an organisation that is large enough to be know wherever you ride. Raising funds for your local school team will mean less to people the further from home.  Better to pick a state or national level organisation which has a presence and mission that people are familiar with.
   

2. Pick any, but pick one.  Supporting multiple causes can dilute your effort, the money raised, and it does not show a clear focus or commitment to one goal.  Support as many as you want either side of the bike ride, but during support one.
   

3. Advertise it somehow on your bike or gear or person.  That way when you forget to mention it, the people you encounter may just ask.
   

4. Advertise well before you leave and try to secure pro rata donations - a dollar for every 10km or 100km or day you camped in a tent etc.  That way people have some options and estimates of how much they would like to give... and have time to save it up for when you get back.
   

5. Donations above certain amounts are tax deductible - make sure this is known and provide a receipt to those who donate if possible.
   

6. Let the organisation you are supporting know what you are doing - they may advertise in their newsletter/flyer or provide some media support.  Plus it’s nice to know the people/faces behind the cause.  They may even provide a recognition letter that you can produce for skeptics to show you are collecting for a real cause.
   

7. Have some simple and lightweight bookkeeping method (a little receipt book works fine) with you at all times.  And a secure way to carry cheques/cash/IOUs.
   

8. Collect stories as well as cash or cheques.  Stories related to your cause. That will make your cause, the donations, and the trip so much more powerful to everyone involved.  It’s another chapter for the trip.
   

WHAT’S YOUR PORPOISE?

So, uh, why are you riding solo so far?  Holiday?  Fun?  Exorcising (and exercising) demons?  Getting out of a comfort zone?  Being dared or challenged?  Feel the need?  Stuck in a big rut?

The point is - if you ride for more than three weeks, you’ve probably got an alternative reason besides ‘holiday’ or ‘fun’.  Make the reason explicit to the world and to yourself.  People may not understand what/why, but they will be able to see the drive to do it, and the achievement in it.  Besides calling you crazy they may actually offer their support and encouragement! You on the other hand - if you don’t know why you are doing it then you are more likely to pack it in and not stick it out WHEN the going gets tough, rotten or ugly.  You’ve got to want it.

What was my point? I rode for funds for cancer research for the Australian Cancer Society (ACS).  Most people I know have had some link in their lives with cancer. In fact, I'd be confident to say everyone I know. It's that common (and that's because there are so many different types). People know it through personal experience, a family member or friend having it, or working with those who have cancer. 

My relationship with cancer is very close. My mother and her sister both developed and were victims of cancer. My aunt works for the QLD cancer fund as a volunteer. My best friend worked at Camp Quality with children who had developed cancer. Friends of mine have spoken about their relatives and friends who have had cancer. It's there, and it’s close and scary, and so the decision was easy. 

I also needed to get away, out of a rut, see my country, and satisfy a curiosity.

AUSTRALIAN CANCER SUPPORT DAYS

Pink Ribbon Day

The Biggest Morning Tea

Daffodil Day

SOME INTERNATIONAL CANCER ORGANISATIONS

AUSTRALIA http://www.cancer.org.au

UNITED STATES http://www.cancer.org

UNITED KINGDOM http//:www.cancer.org.uk

INDIA http//:www.cancer.org.in

MEXICO http//:www.cancer.org.mx