Photo by Amy Vosters on Unsplash
The Bakery Run
Transit · 1h 30m · 5.7 mi · 3 stops
Three bakeries, three neighborhoods, one great excuse to ride the bus.
PartnersThe partners behind
The partners behind
Shift Your Summer 2026
Shift Your Summer 2026 was an 8-week active transportation challenge, open to anyone in Massachusetts, that encouraged people to walk, bike, and ride transit from June 15 to August 15. The Shift app detected active trips automatically, and participants built streaks, unlocked achievements, rose through status tiers, and became eligible for prizes.
Corporate sponsors and prize donors made it happen. Thank you. The 2026 sponsor roll is on the challenge page, and planning for the next campaign is underway — get in touch to be part of it.
8Weeks · June 15 – August 15, 2026
OpenTo all of Massachusetts
2006Year GSI was founded
Active transportation is surging.
Massachusetts is in the middle of a generational shift. New protected bike lanes, expanded transit service, and redesigned streetscapes are changing how people move. Ridership is climbing. Bike commuting is up. Walking rates in metro Boston consistently rank among the highest in the country.
The infrastructure is improving — and people are ready to use it. What’s missing is the nudge: a reason to try that first bike commute, take transit to work, or walk to the store. Active trips are faster, healthier, cheaper — and genuinely fun. Most people just haven’t built the habit yet.
For partners, it’s an opportunity to align your brand with a visible, positive, community-driven campaign — one that generates measurable environmental impact and authentic engagement with an audience that values sustainability.
Explore Massachusetts with Roams
Roams are curated, multi-stop active transportation adventures built into the Shift app: self-guided routes on foot, by bike, or by transit. Each Roam includes a map, its stops in order, terrain details, and contextual information like nearby Bluebikes docks (with real-time availability), transit boarding points (with next arrival times), and tips for people trying a mode for the first time. Completing Roams during Shift Your Summer unlocked prize eligibility.
Charles River Bike Path Loop
Bike · 27m · 4.1 mi · 6 stops
The ride everyone should do at least once.
The World Cup Express
Transit · 5h · 24.6 mi · 2 stops
South Station to Foxborough on the Stadium Train. No traffic on Route 1.
Photo by Yaakov Winiarz on Unsplash
North Point to City Hall
Bike · 10m · 1.6 mi · 3 stops
The ride that proves Boston is a bike city — almost entirely on protected lanes.
Photo: John Phelan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Shining Sea Bikeway
Bike · 57m · 8.8 mi · 7 stops
This roam covers 8.8 miles of Massachusetts' first rail trail, which traces 10.7 miles from North Falmouth to Woods Hole along the Cape's glacial coast.
Photo courtesy of MassTrails10 / MassDOT
Wachusett Greenways (Mass Central Rail Trail)
Bike · 48m · 7.3 mi · 6 stops
An 8.6-mile stretch of the Mass Central Rail Trail through Central Massachusetts' rolling countryside.
Photo: Karl Alexander
Mystic River Greenway (Alewife to Medford)
Bike · 41m · 6.7 mi · 5 stops
This roam covers 6.7 miles of the 7.1-mile urban greenway connecting Cambridge's Alewife Station to Medford's Wellington Station along two river corridors.
Photo: Pi.1415926535 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Mass Central Rail Trail: Sudbury to Hudson
Bike · 35m · 5.4 mi · 5 stops
This roam covers 5.4 miles of the 7.8-mile Mass Central Rail Trail section through MetroWest, connecting South Sudbury to downtown Hudson.
Photo: Pi.1415926535 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Marblehead Rail Trail
Bike · 39m · 5.5 mi · 7 stops
Nearly the whole Marblehead Rail Trail, from the tide pools at Preston Beach to Salem's waterfront, with 85% of it on separated path, away from traffic.
Photo: John Phelan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Manhan Rail Trail
Bike · 28m · 4.4 mi · 6 stops
This roam covers 4.4 miles of the 6.5-mile trail from Northampton to Easthampton in the Pioneer Valley.
Photo: Seasider53 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Battle Road Trail
Walk · 2h · 6 mi · 7 stops
This roam covers 6 miles, most of it on the Battle Road Trail through Minute Man National Historical Park and the last stretch along Monument Street to the Old North Bridge, retracing the route of the opening battles of the American Revolution.
Photo: John Phelan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Twin Cities Rail Trail
Bike · 28m · 4.3 mi · 9 stops
A 4.1-mile paved trail connecting Fitchburg and Leominster in north-central Massachusetts.
Photo courtesy of MassTrails10 / MassDOT
WWII Veterans Memorial Trail
Bike · 22m · 3.4 mi · 5 stops
This roam covers 3.4 miles of the 6.9-mile trail from Mansfield to Norton in southeastern Massachusetts, built on the rail corridor that served Camp Myles Standish during World War II.
Photo courtesy of MassTrails10 / MassDOT
Fort River Trail (Silvio O. Conte Refuge)
Walk · 19m · 0.9 mi · 8 stops
A fully accessible loop through the Silvio O.
Photo by Sean Sweeney on Unsplash
The Freedom Trail
Walk · 1h 10m · 3.5 mi · 16 stops
Sixteen stops, 2.5 miles, 400 years of history.
Photo by Sahaj Bedi on Unsplash
The Sunset Pedal
Bike · 10m · 1.6 mi · 2 stops
There's a reason cyclists line up on the Mass Ave Bridge at golden hour.
Photo by Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash
The B-Line Crawl
Transit · 1h 30m · 0.9 mi · 4 stops
Four consecutive B Line stops through the heart of Allston, each with a bar worth ducking into.
Photo by Mark Olsen on Unsplash
Emerald Necklace Bike Route
Bike · 49m · 7.3 mi · 4 stops
Olmsted's seven-mile chain of parks, end to end.
Photo by Herry Sutanto on Unsplash
Museum Hop
Multi-modal · 3h · 3.6 mi · 3 stops
Three world-class museums, zero parking headaches.
Photo by Aaron Doucett on Unsplash
Minuteman Bikeway
Bike · 42m · 6.4 mi · 2 stops
Follow the road the British marched in 1775, Alewife to Lexington Center.
Photo by Brett Wharton on Unsplash
Harbor Walk to Eastie Eats
Multi-modal · 1h · 1.7 mi · 3 stops
Boston's best-kept-secret Harborwalk + Latin American food scene.
Sail Boston: The Tall Ships Walk
Multi-modal · 3h · 2.3 mi · 2 stops
Walk from Charlestown Navy Yard to the Seaport during Sail Boston.
Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash
Salem by Rail
Transit · 4h · 16.6 mi · 2 stops
30 minutes from North Station drops you in downtown Salem.
Photo by Alex Jones on Unsplash
Somerville Community Path
Bike · 29m · 4.3 mi · 5 stops
Davis Square to Lovejoy Wharf, end-to-end on the new Somerville extension.
Photo by Charlie Hales on Unsplash
The Harbor Islands Hop
Multi-modal · 7h · 13.6 mi · 4 stops
A national park 20 minutes from Long Wharf by ferry.
Photo by Arthur Tseng on Unsplash
A City of Squares
Multi-modal · 36m · 4 mi · 5 stops
Four Cambridge squares, end to end, on the Red Line.
Fresh Pond Loop
Walk · 50m · 2.5 mi · 5 stops
Cambridge's 155-acre reservoir, fully looped, no street crossings.
Northern Strand Trail
Bike · 1h 1m · 9.3 mi · 6 stops
The Northern Strand Trail follows the old Saugus Branch rail line through Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus and Lynn, on a paved path of its own.
Clipper City Rail Trail
Bike · 35m · 4.6 mi · 7 stops
The Clipper City Rail Trail makes a loop from the Newburyport train station to the Merrimack River on old rail lines.
Scroll to explore →
Sponsorship
Three ways sponsors partnered.
Corporate sponsors underwrote and promoted Shift Your Summer 2026. Sponsorship funds supported paid advertising on Reddit, Nextdoor, Facebook, and Instagram to drive app installs, as well as event operations, prize fulfillment, and press outreach. Every sponsor received co-branded promotional materials to distribute through their own channels. The 2026 tiers are below as a reference for the next campaign.
Community
$1,000
- Logo on challenge sponsors page
- Custom team sign-up link & QR code for employees
- Co-branded digital promo kit
- Aggregate impact report at challenge close
- Social media mentions (2×) during the 8-week campaign
- 1 co-branded social graphic
Champion
$2,500
- Everything in Community, plus:
- App spotlight card in community feed (1 week)
- Logo in all challenge email communications
- Social media tags (6×) with co-branded assets
- 3 co-branded social graphics
- Sustainability report paragraph (ready-to-use)
- Employer platform access for 1 year
- Team-level impact report
Presenting
$5,000
- Everything in Champion, plus:
- "Presented by" naming across all channels
- Priority mention in press releases & media
- Wrap event hosting opportunity
- Prize association & winner announcement
- Social media tags (8×) across campaign
- Full social asset kit (6+ graphics)
- Monthly sponsor report (automated)
- Logo on Shift app challenge home screen
Custom packages are available for multi-year or multi-event commitments.
Brand Alignment
Associate your brand with Massachusetts's largest active transportation initiative — a positive, community-driven campaign backed by a nonprofit with nearly two decades of credibility in the region.
Employee Engagement
Your team gets a custom challenge with its own leaderboard. The employer platform gives HR or sustainability teams a dashboard with participation data, trip counts, and environmental impact.
Impact Reporting
Every sponsor receives an impact report at challenge close: total trips, miles traveled, carbon emissions avoided, and communities activated. Champion and Presenting sponsors also receive team-level data and a ready-to-use paragraph for sustainability filings.
Press & Visibility
GSI conducts PR outreach to local media including the Boston Globe, GBH, Boston.com, Patch, and neighborhood outlets. All sponsors are listed on the challenge page with linked logos.
Prize Donations
Donated prizes reached an audience.
Shift Your Summer participants became eligible for prizes by building streaks, hitting active trip milestones, and completing Roams. In-kind donations came in across three categories — and every donated prize came with brand visibility for the donor.
Grand Prize
E-bikes, annual transit passes, high-value gear
The headline prize that draws attention to the challenge. Featured prominently in press outreach, social campaigns, and the winner announcement at the wrap event.
Weekly & Milestone Prizes
Bike accessories, gift cards, fitness gear
Awarded throughout the 8-week challenge for achievements like streak milestones and trip count thresholds. Keeps participants engaged and creates recurring social content.
Reward Catalog Items
Coffee, meals, local experiences
Rewards from local businesses that participants access as they rise through status tiers. Great for local shops, restaurants, and service providers who want ongoing visibility with active transportation users.
What prize donors received
- Logo and link on the Shift Your Summer prizes page
- "Prize provided by" branding in the app when your prize is featured
- Social media mention when your prize is awarded
- Inclusion in the challenge wrap report
- Photo opportunity at the winner announcement (grand prize donors)
- Mention in press outreach (grand prize donors)
Sponsor the next campaign
Want in next time?
Tell us about your organization and how you’d like to take part in a future campaign. We’ll follow up within two business days.
Let’s shift
Massachusetts
together.
Shift Your Summer 2026 wrapped on August 15. Sponsorships and prize donations for the next campaign open soon, and presenting sponsorship is limited to one partner. Reach out to discuss the right fit for your organization.