Food insecurity remains inexcusably rampant in the United States.
For the past twelve years, the Insane Charity Bike Ride has provided critical aid for the FairShare CSA Coalition’s goal to bring fresh, organic food from Dane County, WI, farms to low-income families in the Madison area.
It’s an amazing local charity, helping the farmers and as low-income families. Sadly, these days, the need is greater.
The Army of Dorkness (ie: YOU!) has become hugely important in combating food insecurity, raising more than $205,000 over the past twelve years! You all are AMAZING! And this year, there’s a chance we could break the $225,000 mark!
Imagine the difference this will make in people’s lives!
- ALL PLEDGES ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS.
- I’ll be trying hard to get the majority of the goodies out to you by Thanksgiving.
This year’s campaign will run from now until Sept. 30th, so pledge early and often, if you can! And if you can’t, don’t worry – help speed the word with links to this page! That’s a huge help, as well!
Aside from making me cycle a very long distance (possibly with a duck or two on my head), here’s what you’ll receive, as a thank-you:
PLEDGE LEVELS AND REWARDS:
1) EACH and EVERY pledge will get a pdf of the limericks Steve Jackson, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss and Gail Simone created for the ride, illustrated by me. PLUS, a pdf copy of both charity coloring books (with another on the way soon). Seriously, every little bit helps.
2) $35 PLEDGE LEVEL: POSTCARD! Here it is: the signed 2023 MUNCHKIN CHARITY POSTCARD! Created exclusively for donors of this ride, this will let you start one game of Munchkin at Level 3. You get this, as well as the PDF limericks and coloring books (along with any stretch-goal goodies).
3) $75 PLEDGE LEVEL: BADGE! All of the above, plus a unique-to-this-ride ARMY OF DORKNESS Sergeant button (along with any stretch-goal goodies)! Here’s last year’s button:
4) $150 PLEDGE LEVEL: POSTCARDS! You get this year’s postcard, the Sergeant button, plus all eleven previous Charity postcards (These are running low, so this is probably the last year this can be offered), along with any stretch-goal goodies. (15 of 15 left)
5) $225 PLEDGE LEVEL: BOOK! Bou get this year’s postcard, the Sergeant pin, and a signed, sketched-in copy of a DORK TOWER trade paperback – your choice of THE TAO OF IGOR, GO DORK GO!, or DORK SIDE OF THE GOON. (along with any stretch-goal goodies). (20 0f 20 left)
6) $350 PLEDGE LEVEL: PLUSHIE! You get you this year’s postcard, the Sergeant button, and the 2023 Gamehole Con plushie, RUSTY THE RUST MONSTER, a signed trade paperback, (along with any stretch-goal goodies). (16 of 20 remaining)
7) THE OTHER $350 PLEDGE LEVEL: ART! You get this year’s postcard, the Sergeant button, and an ORIGINAL PIECE OF MUNCHKIN CARD ART. This remains the only way you can get original Munchkin card art – I never sell it. I’ll choose my favorite pieces to send to ride backers from the super-successful MUNCHKIN BIG BOX – it’s my favorite Munchkin art years! You also get the button, a signed trade paperback (your choice), and this year’s postcard (along with any stretch-goal goodies). (20 of 20 left)
8) $550 PLEDGE LEVEL: PLUSHIE AND ART – you get the postcard, the button, the PDFs, a signed trade paperback (your choice), and BOTH the Rust Monster plushie and the original Munchkin card art (along with any stretch-goal goodies)! (10 or 10 remaining)
9) $650 PLEDGE LEVEL: ONE WITH EVERYTHING – gets you the postcard, the button, the PDFs, a signed trade paperback (your choice), and the Rust Monster plushie, the original Munchkin card art and the 12 postcards from past rides (along with any stretch-goal goodies)! (10 or 10 remaining)
10) $1,000 PLEDGE LEVEL: FAME! You (or a friend, or a pet, etc.) will be drawn into a Dork Tower comic strip. I will work with you on a concept that is appropriate and specific to you! You also get the original art, as well as a piece of Munchkin art, the current postcard, a signed trade paperback (your choice), the pdfs and the badge (along with any stretch-goal goodies). (3 of 3 remaining)
11) $2,000 PLEDGE LEVEL: YOU’RE A CARD! You (or a friend, or a pet, etc.) will become an official MUNCHKIN card! I’ll work with you on designing the card, and you’ll get 25 copies of the card for yourself, along with the original art. These cards will also be given out by Steve Jackson Games, at various conventions world-wide. You also get a piece of Munchkin art, the current postcard, the pdfs, a signed trade paperback (your choice), and the badge (along with any stretch-goal goodies). (2 of 2 left)
12) $3,000 PLEDGE LEVEL: THE PORTRAIT! I will paint a cartoon portrait of you, and/or your family (up to five members), and/or your pets, either digitally (for use on cards, etc.) or physical (acrylics on 16” x 20” stretched canvas). You also get a piece of Munchkin art, the current postcard, the Rust Monster, the pdfs, a signed trade paperback (your choice), and the badge (along with any stretch-goal goodies). (1 of 1 remaining)
13) $5,000 PLEDGE LEVEL: JON SELLS OUT! This is the corporate sponsorship level! I will ride in your company’s t-shirt or biking jersey, plug your company in every bike ride update leading up to (and after) the ride itself, and you will get two months of advertising on the Dork Tower web site (1.5 million page views per year, and growing) featuring (should you wish) the Dork Tower characters plugging whatever you’d like plugged. Your company logo will also run on the Dork Tower website for a year. You can run these ads elsewhere, and will receive any original art I create for them (Dork Storm Press retains the right to refuse inappropriate material). You also get a piece of Munchkin art, the current postcard, the pdfs signed trade paperback (your choice), and the badge (along with any stretch-goal goodies). (1 of 1 remaining)
Oh, and if you’re also a Dork Tower Patreon supporter, or have backed The Tao of Igor Kickstarter, and back this ride…you will also receive 2023 Army of Dorkness M*A*S*H button!
STRETCH GOALS
What would this drive be, without stretch goals?
- $5,000 – PASSED! All physical rewards backers will receive a bonus Insane Charity Bike Ride 2024 sticker.
- $10,000 – PASSED! All physical rewards backers will receive a bonus Insane Charity Bike Ride 2024 Munchkin card!
- $12,500 – All physical rewards backers will receive a bonus WHITE DUCKGON card, started out for a certain role-playing game by CATACOMBS & COMEDIANS!
- $15,000 – a new celebrity limerick penned by a super-secret surprise guest, which I will illustrate.
- $17,500 – All physical rewards backers will receive a bonus BROWN DUCKGON card, started out for a certain role-playing game by CATACOMBS & COMEDIANS!!
- $20,000 – I again will ride with a plush Duck of Doom strapped to my helmet. (Don’t lie – this is the one you were waiting for…)
- $22,500 – All physical rewards backers will receive a bonus RED DUCKGON card, started out for a certain role-playing game by CATACOMBS & COMEDIANS!
- $30,000+ This is our all-time one-year record? Can we break it? And what madness follows, if we do?
Anyway, there you have it. INSANE CHARITY BIKE RIDE 2024. Help farmers get fresh food to local low-income families. Or simply do it to force a duck (or possibly two) upon my head. Your choice.
– John
PS: Due to international postage costs, we’ll ask for $20 to help cover the cost of shipping if you’re outside the USA and want the Plushie and/or a trade paperback when the orders are fulfilled.