irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $7KBike Programming: Reconnect Rochester offers a variety of bike education classes designed to improve bike safety and inspire people to discover the health and financial benefits of using a bike to get around. We also host community bike rides and tours to get more people on bikes and build bike community in Rochester.
- #2 $4KRochester Street Films: This program features locally produced films and curated film clips, accompanied by live panel discussions, to help stimulate community conversations about the current state and future possibilities for mobility in Rochester.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Bike Education Program
Offers bike safety classes, smart cycling courses, and community rides to teach safe and legal biking practices and build a stronger biking community in Rochester.
Bus Stop Cubes
Provides permanent, weather-resistant fiberglass seating at bus stops to improve comfort and accessibility for transit riders, especially seniors, people with disabilities, and families.
Complete Streets Makeover
Advocates for and implements street design changes that safely accommodate all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers, to reduce collisions and improve access.
Rochester Street Films
Hosts film screenings and panel discussions featuring local and curated content to spark community dialogue about mobility, transportation equity, and future possibilities for Rochester.
Transit Ambassadors
Employs paid ambassadors to conduct outreach with RTS bus riders, gather feedback, and publish rider stories to inform transit improvements and policy recommendations.
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Transportation Policy Advocacy & Infrastructure Reform 6 activities
- Advocate for complete streets and traffic calming infrastructureAdvocates for street design changes such as raised crosswalks and curb extensions, supported by data collection and community outreach, to slow traffic and improve safety; contributed to permanent installations on Parsells Avenue following a 2018 Complete Streets Makeover.
- Conduct research and collect transportation safety dataCollects and reports crash data involving pedestrians and bicyclists in Monroe County, documents fatalities and injuries, and gathers pre- and post-installation speed and pedestrian counts to evaluate the impact of street design interventions.
- Conduct transit rider outreach and publish recommendationsEngaged RTS bus riders through paid ambassadors, surveyed over 200 riders, conducted in-depth interviews, and published findings to inform transit system improvements in Rochester.
- Equip advocates with tools and resourcesProvides an Advocacy Tool Kit and Mobility Action Alerts with talking points and guidance to empower community members to advocate for safer street projects and transportation policies.
- Install and maintain bus stop seating infrastructureDesigned and installed 54 permanent fiberglass and over 30 seasonal bus stop seating cubes in Rochester between 2014 and 2022 to improve rider comfort and accessibility.
- Promote multimodal transportation and equitable mobilityAdvocates for integrated transportation options—including bus, rail, biking, and walking—to support a vibrant, equitable, and accessible transportation system in the Rochester, NY region.
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Youth Cycling Education and Access Programs 6 activities
- Create and distribute low-stress bike route mapsDeveloped a comprehensive bike map highlighting protected lanes, trails, and bike boulevards to support safe and accessible cycling routes in Rochester.
- Educate about e-scooters and alternative mobility optionsProvides public education on Veo e-scooters as a viable urban mobility option to expand access to low-carbon transportation in Rochester.
- Expand biking advocacy through organizational integrationIntegrated the Rochester Cycling Alliance in 2019 and hired a dedicated Cycling Coordinator to strengthen and expand regional biking advocacy efforts.
- Host community bike rides and mobility eventsOrganizes weekly community bike rides from May to September and annual events like ROC Transit Day to encourage car-free transportation and increase public engagement with active mobility options in Rochester.
- Provide bicycle education and skills trainingOffers on-bike and classroom-based cycling education programs, including Smart Cycling Classes based on the League of American Bicyclists curriculum, Learn to Ride lessons for beginners, and safety presentations for schoolchildren, delivered in schools, workplaces, and community settings across Rochester.
- Support personalized bike route planningOffers one-on-one assistance to help individuals create customized, low-stress bike routes from home to work or other destinations to promote active transportation.
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Documentary Film Production 1 activity
- Produce films and host screenings on mobility issuesProduces documentary films on Complete Streets projects and hosts film screenings with panel discussions through Rochester Street Films and in collaboration with Floating Home Films to foster community dialogue on transportation safety and design.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Implement pedestrian safety improvements through Downtown SmART StreetsLeads the Downtown SmART Streets project to enhance pedestrian safety via curb extension murals, design renderings in partnership with GPI, and artist selection through a formal request for qualifications process, beginning in 2025 in downtown Rochester.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$152K
Contributions & grants$147K97%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$5K4%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$407K
Program expenses75%
Admin / overhead25%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$321K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$339K
Cash$143K
Investments$0
Liabilities$4K
Net assets$335K
Liquid reserves4.2 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -22.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Staropoli | Executive Director | 32 | $52K |
board members · 12
- Bill Collins — Board Member
- Bo Shoemaker — Board Member
- Bree-Ana Dukes — Board Member
- Brendan Ryan — Board Member
- Erick Stephens — Board Member
- Jackie Marchand — Treasurer
- Jason Partyka — Secretary
- John Lam — Board Member
- Michael Davis — Board Member
- Pete Nabozny — Vice President
- Renee Stetzer — Board Member
- Victor Sanchez — President
relationships · 21
Who they work with
- Center for Disability Rights Partner — Collaborates with and follows the lead of the Center for Disability Rights on accessibility issues in transportation.
- City of Rochester Government — Vets project locations, reviews designs through the Traffic Control Board, and issues permits through the DES department for Downtown SmART Streets installations.
- City of Rochester Partner — Collaborated with Reconnect Rochester to build and place seasonal bus stop seating cubes.
- DRHS Partner — Partners with Reconnect Rochester to offer free Learn to Ride Lessons and co-host weekly guided bicycle rides.
- Dunwoode Design Partner — Facilitates the RFQ process to select local artists for mural creation in the Downtown SmART Streets project.
- EE Pathways Partner — Co-hosts guided bicycle rides with Reconnect Rochester to promote use of Rochester's bike network.
- Floating Home Films Partner — Produces short documentary films with Reconnect Rochester to document and share the stories of Complete Streets Makeover projects.
- Flower City Habitat for Humanity Partner — Partnered with Reconnect Rochester to build and place seasonal bus stop seating cubes.
- GPI Partner — Design firm partner that creates renderings for Downtown SmART Streets installations.
- Genesee Transportation Council Partner — Collaborates on collecting speed data before and after Complete Streets Makeover installations to support advocacy for permanent changes.
- Genesee-FLX Climate Action Strategy Partner — Collaborates with the Genesee-FLX Climate Action Strategy to advance shared transportation equity and climate goals.
- HealthiKids Partner — Provides equipment from its "traffic calming library" for use in Complete Streets Makeover events.
- Jesse Peers Partner — Cycling Manager who created the ROC Easy Bike Map.
- League of American Bicyclists Network — Reconnect Rochester's On-Bike Smart Cycling Classes are based on the League of American Bicyclists' curriculum, and its cycling coordinator is a League Certified Instructor.
- RGRTA Partner — Collaborated with Reconnect Rochester to promote Critical Mass Transit Day and ROC Transit Day.
- RMAPI Partner — Implements transportation recommendations from RMAPI through the Transportation Impact Collective.
- RTS Partner — Collaborated with Reconnect Rochester to promote Critical Mass Transit Day and ROC Transit Day.
- RTS Partner — Collaborates with RTS by conducting rider outreach and presenting survey findings and recommendations to leadership.
- Rochester Cycling Alliance Partner — Formally joined Reconnect Rochester in 2019 to strengthen advocacy for biking infrastructure and safe streets.
- Rochester’s Recreation Department Partner — Co-sponsors free Learn to Ride Lessons and guided bicycle rides with Reconnect Rochester.
- Stantec Partner — Design team that creates illustrations of temporary street improvements based on community workshop input.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Experiential Engagement to Shift Public Perception of Mobilitymethodology: experiential-mobility-engagementBy creating personal experiences of joy, freedom, and safety through multimodal movement—such as biking, walking, and temporary street transformations—we increase public support for equitable infrastructure because lived experience builds empathy and behavioral change more effectively than data alone.
- Infrastructure Design as a Tool for Safety and Universal Accessmethodology: universal-design-for-streetsBy designing streets using complete street principles, traffic-calming features, and universal design, we improve safety and accessibility for all users—including pedestrians, cyclists, children, and people with disabilities—because physical design shapes behavior and reduces risk at the systemic level.
- Transportation as a Lever for Equity and Systems Changemethodology: systems-changeBy addressing transportation through a systemic lens that integrates mobility justice, climate justice, and community-driven solutions, we produce more equitable and sustainable outcomes because transportation is fundamentally a social determinant of health, safety, and economic access.