SORBA Membership FAQ

IMBA & SORBA Update Membership Structure; Continue Strong National Partnership

International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) have collaborated to professionalize the southeast organization and its chapters, making their positive mark on trails and riding together. IMBA has played an integral part for multiple SORBA chapters to plan for and hire paid staff, allowing SORBA and regional organizations to deepen and accelerate their impact.

IMBA congratulates SORBA for reaching a level of performance and resources to develop its membership management needs.

IMBA and SORBA are committed to a productive partnership focused on real-world issues around advocacy and community development. SORBA recognizes IMBA’s leading expertise in trails provides value that extends far beyond membership processing services.

IMBA is evolving significantly to serve more organizations and communities developing trails, whether they are member organizations or not. So, it remains on a path to explore and offer more sophisticated tools and systems to support professional, volunteer and emerging organizations and trail communities.

What Members Need to Know

SORBA is moving to their own membership platform on April 1, 2025. Individual memberships will remain effective through expiration date, and members will have two effective memberships for the duration: 1. IMBA National Supporter and 2. SORBA Member. Members will keep their benefits, and have the duration of their membership to assess the upsides of renewing IMBA and SORBA memberships at the end of that term. Monthly and Annual IMBA memberships will continue until the end date, there will be no auto renew even for members who selected that option. IMBA and SORBA will communicate about this during February and March, and around your particular expiration date.

If your membership is about to lapse, please don’t wait to renew. Your membership will continue uninterrupted and transfer to SORBA’s new system in April.

FAQs 
Q: What’s happening to the SORBA membership system?
A: It’s switching to the SORBA App (powered by Hivepass) on April 1st, 2025.

Q: What happens to my current SORBA membership?
A: It becomes a “National Supporter” membership with IMBA until it expires. It also transfers to SORBA’s membership system as a SORBA membership until it expires.

Q: Will my membership auto-renew?
A: No, auto-renewal will be turned off.

Q: What happens when my current membership expires?
A: You can renew with both IMBA and with SORBA if you so choose.

Q: Will I still get my IMBA benefits?
A: Yes, as a National Supporter, you keep your IMBA benefits. (see imba.com/member-benefits)

Q: Will I still get my SORBA benefits?
A: Yes, you will continue to receive benefits. (see sorba.org/join)

Q: Will SORBA and IMBA still work together?
A: Yes, the advocacy partnership continues.

Q: What does SORBA chapter / IMBA local affiliates mean?
A: SORBA chapters are recognized as part of IMBA’s network, and IMBA will continue to provide affiliate level service benefits. (see imba.com/local-options)
 

About IMBA – The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a 501c3 nonprofit that creates, enhances and protects great places to ride mountain bikes. IMBA is focused on more trails close to home by partnering with communities on trail advocacy, education, stewardship and sustainable trail solutions, so everyone has access to great places to ride and recreate.

About SORBA – Since 1989, The Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) has worked to ensure that our public lands offer fun, challenging and sustainable mountain biking for all mountain bikers. As the leading mountain biking organization in the southeast, we believe everyone should have access to the social, physical, and mental benefits that mountain biking provides.