Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a credit card to use Trail Care?

No, you can use Trail Care as long as you'd like without a credit card. We'll still send you emails showing how much maintained trail you've ridden. You could then use that information to make a direct donation, or buy trail builders a keg of beer, for example.

How do I add my organization or advocacy group to Trail Care?

Read about joining Trail Care.

How does my donation get to the trail organization?

Trail Care utilizes Stripe to process payments. Not only does this mean Trail Care doesn't store or handle any payment information, but it also means donations are deposited directly into the trail organizations bank accounts immediately.

Are there any fees incurred on the donations?

Yes, standard credit card processing fees apply. Stripe charges the industry standard $0.30 + 2.9% (same as PayPal). This is why we bundle your donations until you reach a certain amount: to keep fees low.

Who are you and why are you doing this?

Hi, my name is Austin. I've been a professional software engineer for a decade. My current day job involves writing software for telescopes that are used by astronomers to make new discoveries about the universe. I'm also a fanatical mountain biker. I created Trail Care because I thought it would be a good way to make the most positive impact I could with the skills I have. It's my way of giving back, in the most efficient way possible.

How do I stop receiving emails from Trail Care?

You can stop receiving emails any time by disabling donations on your account. Alternatively, you can disconnect from Trail Care completely via your Strava settings.

I've approved a donation but I haven't been charged.

To avoid excessive payment processing fees, your payment method will not be charged until you accrue at least $5 worth of donations for a single trail organization. You may view the payments you have made on the payments page.

I'm a geek. How does this really work?

Trail care maintains a geospatially enabled database. Each participating trail organization has an entry in the database with a geometry that represents it's jurisdiction. When we process an activity from Strava, we first check to see if the GPS track intersects any of these geometries. If it does, we calculate the length of the intersection, and et voila!