Wish for Wheels
Wish for Wheels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004 that partners with corporations to host team-building events where employees build bicycles donated to Title I 2nd-grade students, having served 99,000+ children across 850+ events nationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersEnglewood, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Wish for Wheels does
Wish for Wheels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 by Brad Appel and headquartered in Greenwood Village (Englewood), Colorado. The company operates the 'Bike Build & Give' program, in which corporate teams fund, assemble, and donate bicycles and helmets directly to second-grade students at Title I schools in the same session. Events are positioned as employee engagement and CSR experiences for corporate partners and are customizable for team building, sales kickoffs, client appreciation, holiday parties, and company retreats. The organization handles all logistics, including parts, tools, and school partnerships, with advance notice of 3-4 weeks for Colorado events and 4-8 weeks for events outside Colorado. As of 2023, Wish for Wheels has delivered bikes to over 85,000-99,000 children (sources differ slightly) across 1,100+ schools through 850+ events, with 2023 alone producing a record 8,200+ bikes via 117 corporate partners.
Revenue is generated through three streams: corporate event sponsorships (primary), individual bike-and-helmet donations at $250 per unit, and a merchandise storefront selling apparel and accessories ($15-$50 items). The customer base spans 117 corporate partners across diverse verticals including energy, banking, insurance, legal, manufacturing, technology, and real estate, with notable anchor relationships such as OXY (Occidental Petroleum), Gates Corporation, Chevron Colorado, 1PointFive, McWhinney Real Estate, and Banc of California. Geographic operations cover multiple U.S. states, with recent expansion emphasis in Texas energy markets and Arkansas. The company runs with a lean 1-10 person core team (CEO/Executive Director Greg Greenwood, Director of Operations, Director of Sales and Partner Relations, and several Build/Give Specialists) supported by an external volunteer base of 30,000+. Technology footprint is minimal — a Squarespace website, standard e-commerce, and basic email/newsletter — with no proprietary software, app, AI/ML capabilities, or disclosed APIs.
Wish for Wheels firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wish for Wheels
- Legal name
- Wish for Wheels
- Website
- https://wishforwheels.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Wish for Wheels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004 that partners with corporations to host team-building events where employees build bicycles donated to Title I 2nd-grade students, having served 99,000+ children across 850+ events nationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wish for Wheels industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropic Team Building Services
- NAICS
- Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (339920)
- SIC
- Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bicycle Programs & Bike Share (Parking, Repair, Rentals) (EDALAKAE)
Keywords
Where Wish for Wheels is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Englewood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Wish for Wheels business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Corporate Event Sponsorships: Companies and organizations sponsor Team Build & Give events where they fund, build, and donate bikes to Title I 2nd-graders. Corporate partners cover the cost of bikes and helmets as part of their team building and CSR initiatives.
- Individual Donations: Individual donors can sponsor a bike and helmet for a 2nd grader in a Title I school for $250. These donations directly fund the purchase of new bikes and helmets for children.
- Merchandise Sales: The organization operates an online store selling apparel and accessories including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, socks, and helmets. Proceeds from merchandise sales support the mission of providing bikes to Title I students.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual bike sponsorship - $250 per bike and helmet |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Wish for Wheels product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wish for Wheels operates the Bike Build & Give Program, where corporate teams sponsor and assemble bicycles that are then donated the same day to Title I 2nd-grade students along with helmets. The organization handles all logistics including parts, tools, and Title I school coordination across the USA. Revenue is generated through corporate event sponsorships, individual bike-and-helmet donations ($250 each), and a merchandise store selling branded apparel.
Product overview
Wish for Wheels is a nonprofit organization offering the Bike Build & Give Program as its core product—a philanthropic team-building service where corporate teams assemble bicycles and donate them directly to Title I 2nd-grade students. The primary offering includes Corporate Team Building Events, Company Retreats, Client Appreciation Events, Donate a Bike for Every Sale programs, and Holiday/Giving Events. Supporting the mission, the organization operates a Merchandise Store selling branded apparel (Tri-Blend Tees, Zip Hoodies, Sun Protection Hoodies, Sport Hats) and accessories (Kids Bicycle Helmets, Trucker Hats, Logo Socks, Performance Tech-T Jersey). Additionally, individual donors can sponsor bikes through the Individual Bike & Helmet Donation program ($250 each), while corporate partners can participate in State, City/County, or School/District Sponsorship Programs to scale their community impact.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bike Build & Give: The core program where corporate teams build bikes and donate them to Title I 2nd graders
Quantifiable outcome
- 99,000+ children have received bikes since 2004
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Wish for Wheels
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Wish for Wheels technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Wish for Wheels partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PeopleForBikescoreSGS partnered with PeopleForBikes and Wish for Wheels to donate 60 bicycles and helmets to youth in underserved communities as part of SGS's new Bicycle, eMobility and Transit Packaging testing laboratory launch in Bentonville, Arkansas.
- 1PointFivecoreCarbon removal technology company partnered with Wish for Wheels and King Ranch to build over 300 bikes for area second graders in Kingsville, Texas at Harvey Elementary School.
- King RanchcoreHistoric ranch partnered with 1PointFive and Wish for Wheels to support bike donations to area second graders through the Team Build & Give program.
- McWhinney Real Estate and DevelopmentminorReal estate development company partnered with Wish for Wheels to assemble and distribute 41 bicycles at Truscott Elementary School.
- National Cycling League (NCL)corePartnership to promote cycling and drive community-building in Denver, Colorado. The National Cycling League and Wish for Wheels collaborate to advance cycling initiatives and community engagement through the nonprofit's bike donation programs.
- Native American BankminorFinancial institution donated 25 bikes for kids at Denver Indian Center. Employees assembled and donated bikes through the Wish for Wheels program.
- PDC EnergycoreEnergy company partnered with Wish for Wheels to donate brand-new bicycles to all second graders in Pecos-Barstow Toyah ISD in Texas, totaling over 200 bikes.
- OXY (Occidental Petroleum)coreMajor energy company partnered with Wish for Wheels to donate 575 bicycles to every second-grader at 10 Houston ISD schools. Set a WFW record with 615 bikes built for the 5th Ward in Houston. Multiple-year partnership continuing into 2023-2024.
- The Pro's ClosetminorBike retailer partnered with Wish for Wheels to give bicycles and helmets to Aurora second graders. Built and gave 70 bikes through the collaboration.
- Bike Fort CollinscoreLocal cycling organization partnered with Wish for Wheels for the 3rd Annual FoCo program, with goal to bring new bikes and helmets to every second-grader in Poudre School District's Title I schools.
- Denver PoliceminorDenver Police partnered with Wish for Wheels to help kids with bike repairs, extending the impact of bike donations into ongoing community support.
- Hope CyclesminorDenver-area organization that accepts donations of used bicycles. Referenced as an alternative for those looking to donate used bikes, as Wish for Wheels only gives new bikes.
- Bike TogetherminorDenver-area organization that accepts donations of used bicycles. Referenced as an alternative for those looking to donate used bikes, as Wish for Wheels only gives new bikes.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Wish for Wheels competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Habitat for Humanity: Large nonprofit that runs corporate volunteer 'build days' where employees construct homes for low-income families. Closest direct peer to Wish for Wheels — same nonprofit + corporate team-building event model applied to a different physical product (homes vs. bikes).
- KaBOOM!: Nonprofit that organizes corporate volunteer playground builds for underserved communities. Directly comparable operating model: corporate teams, logistics-handled events, partnership with schools/communities, and mission tied to children's well-being.
- buildOn: Nonprofit running corporate team-build service trips (often school construction) with enterprise partners. Comparable model combining corporate engagement with community/mission impact, though more travel-intensive.
- Project C.U.R.E. Nonprofit that engages corporate volunteer groups to sort and pack medical supplies for underserved communities. Similar model of corporate team-building experiences that produce a tangible, mission-aligned physical output.
Broad incumbents
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Established youth-services nonprofit with deep corporate partnership infrastructure and similar Title I / underserved-community beneficiary base, but a much broader operating mandate (after-school programming) rather than a single productized event.
- United Way: Dominant nonprofit intermediary running large-scale workplace giving campaigns and corporate volunteer mobilization. Comparable on the corporate-partnership channel but operates at far larger scale and on a different (fund-allocation) product model.
- TeamBonding: For-profit corporate team-building vendor that offers a portfolio of experiences including charitable giving events. Comparable on the corporate team-building purchase occasion but competes in the for-profit experience market rather than as a mission nonprofit.
- Outback Team Building: For-profit corporate team-building company whose catalog includes charity-themed events (bike builds, etc.). Functions as a commercial competitor to Wish for Wheels in the same enterprise buyer occasions and event categories.
Emerging players
- Bike New York: Cycling-focused nonprofit running youth education and bike-programming initiatives in underserved communities. Comparable mission overlap (bikes + youth + equity) but different operating model (education classes vs. corporate team-building events).
Others
- VolunteerHub: B2B volunteer management software platform used by nonprofits to coordinate corporate volunteer programs. Adjacent ecosystem participant — Wish for Wheels' corporate partners may be in VolunteerHub's buyer base, but it is a tooling vendor rather than a competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wish for Wheels social profiles
Digital presenceWish for Wheels financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wish for Wheels leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Wish for Wheels funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wish for Wheels M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wish for Wheels
What does Wish for Wheels do?
Wish for Wheels operates the Bike Build & Give Program, where corporate teams sponsor and assemble bicycles that are then donated the same day to Title I 2nd-grade students along with helmets. The organization handles all logistics including parts, tools, and Title I school coordination across the USA. Revenue is generated through corporate event sponsorships, individual bike-and-helmet donations ($250 each), and a merchandise store selling branded apparel.
Is Wish for Wheels a public or private company?
Wish for Wheels is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Wish for Wheels founded?
Wish for Wheels was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Wish for Wheels based?
Wish for Wheels is headquartered in Englewood, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wish for Wheels make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Corporate Event Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations and merchandise Sales.
Who are Wish for Wheels's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Habitat for Humanity, KaBOOM!, buildOn and Project C.U.R.E.. Broad incumbents are Boys & Girls Clubs of America, United Way, TeamBonding and Outback Team Building. Bike New York is listed as an emerging player. VolunteerHub is listed as an others.
Does Wish for Wheels have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wish for Wheels.
What industry is Wish for Wheels in?
Wish for Wheels's product category is Philanthropic Team Building Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAKAE, Bicycle Programs & Bike Share (Parking, Repair, Rentals). Its NAICS code is 339920 and its SIC code is 3949.