Integrated Volunteer Trail Builder Solutions
Because the Trail Fairy doesn’t Exist ; )
With a free mobile app for volunteers, Dig !t share its proven and efficient management system to structure and mobilize your trail builder community. Dig !t streamlines the process and generates more work!
Join the first International Volunteer Trail Builder Alliance.
Volunteer Trail Builders are
the Backbone of Trail Networks
PARTICIPATE
TEAMMATES are the core of the volunteer trail builder community. They use the Dig !t mobile app to sign up for dig events and accumulate their volunteer hours in their profile.
ORGANIZE
LEADERS are seasoned trail builders who create dig events and record attendance on our app. In the field, they are often recognized by their high-visibility orange caps.
SUPERVISE
CHAPTER OPERATORS are managers (volunteer or salaried) who run the operations of an organization and/or supervise a network of trails.
Since 2023, the volunteers under the Dig !t Alliance maintained 56% of surveyed trails and built 51% of new trails.
Their efforts made it possible to maintain, extend and protect many fragile networks.
Without their contribution, countless trails would simply not survive.
PARTICIPATE
TEAMMATES are the core of the volunteer trail builder community. They use the Dig !t mobile app to sign up for dig events and accumulate their volunteer hours in their profile.
LEADERS
LEADERS are seasoned trail builders who create dig events and record attendance on our app. In the field, they are often recognized by their high-visibility orange caps.
SUPERVISE
CHAPTER OPERATORS are managers (volunteer or salaried) who run the operations of an organization and/or supervise a network of trails.
These Key Volunteers Are Already
Active in Your Community.
TEAMMATE (FREE)
Any Volunteer Trail Builder
- Manage your profile, find events in your community or around you.
- Click on « I'll be there », show up, give an helping hand.
- Make a difference, rack up your hours, earn the next reward level.
- Get recognized for your efforts, keep getting involved. Your Trails Need You !
LEADER (EARNED)
Events Organizer + Field Leader
- Gain experience, you can only be named a Leader by your local Chapter Operator.
- Create events, see registrations, mobilize teammates for the project at hand.
- Share advice, share your trail building knowledge, inspire teammates. Repeat.
- Work smarter, not harder, do more. Empower your buddies.
OPERATOR (PAID)
Community Manager
- Take action, showcase your leadership, open an official Dig !t chapter.
- Deploy the Dig !t recipe, oversee operations, create and promote your reward program.
- Streamline your management, lighten your workload, enhance your efficiency.
- Unite all stakeholders toward a common goal. Foster a thriving trails community.
Give your Builders a System to Thrive
Our system operates with 3 different statuses : TEAMMATES, LEADERS, and CHAPTER OPERATORS.
Each status directly relates to individuals that already make up your trail building community, while establishing
3 levels of functionality to ensure optimized and efficient actions across all official Dig !t Chapters.
A Diversified Volunteer Trail Building Crew
In every trail community, not every volunteer needs to spend long days moving rocks. Many dedicated individuals play a variety of roles to make it happen.
Even if they do not know it yet, they probably already have a unique statuses within the Dig It Trailbuilders’ slang. Who are the people that make up your crew ?
Full Patch
Active member who sits on the Chapter’s Board of administrators.
Guru
A builder who knows a lot, helps and gives advice in order to pass on his knowledge.
Cleaner
Someone who tidies up the trail pathway with minimal yet essential cleaning.
Barista
A Teammate or Hangaround tasked with coffee duties during morning sessions.
Kid Kodak
A Teammate who always gets the “money shot” that will later be used on social media.
Flagger
An experienced trail builder who designs future trail pathways.
Grom
An young emerging Teammate, who start to talk about trails with others.
Greenman
A chill dude who excels at creating smoke signals to get rid of bugs.
Captain
An experienced trail builder who is giving advices and helping others.
Timberman
Someone who enjoys solitude in the woods while clearing a flagged pathway.
Trail Builders Come from Different Backgrounds
HIKERS
Humans have been creating and using trails since the dawn of time. Their actions over millennia have played a key role in establishing the global trail network we use and protect today.
MOUNTAIN BIKERS
Back in the ’70s, clunker bikes bombing down Repack laid the groundwork for modern mountain biking. Today, dedicated trails have replaced fire roads, setting the benchmark for MTB riding.
RUNNERS
From African long-distance runners to UK fell runners, running on trails has always been an efficient means of transportation.
HIKERS
Humans have been creating and using trails since the dawn of time. Their actions over millennia have played a key role in establishing the global trail network we use and protect today.
MOUNTAIN BIKERS
The 70s Klunker bikes laid the groundwork for the rise of modern mountain biking. Today, dedicated handmade trails set the standard for sustainable and fun-filled pathways.
RUNNERS
From African long-distance runners to UK fell runners, running on trails has always been an efficient means of transportation.
Dig !t Trail Heroes in Numbers
31
Dig !t Chapters leading the charge, transforming trails and communities.
1539
passionate Volunteer Trail Builders shaping the future of outdoor spaces.
26235
accounted hours dedicated to preserving and expanding our trails.
1415
KM of trails restored and maintained for generations to enjoy.
108
Kilometers of brand-new trails paving the way for adventure.
*The numbers presented here are based off the compilation of the Dig !t APP Database records As of April 1, 2025
These Fine People Trust Dig !t
The Dig !t System: Simple as 1-2-3
1. Dig !t Pre-Requisites
A) Your organization will use our system to exclusively manage work on legal trails. Dig !t discourages unsanctioned trail work.
B) Volunteer trail builders are active in your organization (even if there are employees around).
2. Impacts Over Time
A) Short Term: Simplify management tasks, increase volunteer engagement and improve Teammates sense of belonging.
B) Mid Term : Increase work quality, augment work output and lower volunteer burnouts.
C) Long Term : strengthen trail network capacity, boost community cohesion and foster a strong trail building culture.
3. Keys to Success
A) Having a Chapter Operator with strong leadership in his community (may not be an actual trail builder).
B) Understanding that well managed and motivated volunteers are a key asset to a thriving trails community.
C) Be willing to connect all stakeholders in order to better recognize and reward grassroots trail builders involvement.
About Dig !t
Dig !t digitizes the efforts of volunteers in order to further mobilize and encourage volunteers to keep at it. Dig !t makes the invisible power of volunteer actions visible to all stakeholders.
By leveraging our expertise in volunteer management, sharing our recipe to create a stronger sense of belonging and harnessing elusive data, Dig !t offers an integrated solution to facilitate the management of trail builders, which will in return help fuel their motivation and community involvement for years to come.
Our (Coming very soon:) Native App
The Dig !t App is FREE for
Volunteer Trail Builders
Ready to Implement our Efficient Solution ?
As Dig !t exclusively supports volunteer engagement on public trails and sanctioned land, a local manager must first complete our Chapter Opening Form.
Upon request, we will reach out to you to onboard your organization into the Dig !t network, guiding you through the process and ensuring a smooth integration into our community.
Get started today by clicking the link below to open a chapter!
Facilitate, Promote, Track and Reward Volunteers Action
Based on the number of hours of volunteering, Dig !t digitizes the efforts of volunteers in order to make the invisible power of their actions visible to all the trail networks stakeholders.
Strengthen Connections Through Dig !t
Nourish your Brain, Save your Muscles !
These straightforward information sections are relevant to any organization wishing to optimize its trail building actions, as well as for any Trail builder wishing to become more efficient during his dig sessions in the forest.
Dig !t Trailbuilders doesn’t claim to know all the secrets of trail building. A local TEAMMATE knows the landscape and natural resources of his or her community better than anyone else. By sharing experiences and networking, we can all learn a little more about the techniques used elsewhere, and then use them to our benefit back at home.
Don’t be afraid to show up at a dig event in another community other than your own, especially while on vacation. During this community immersion, you’ll meet other enthusiasts, other kind of geological features and a variety of new knowledge and techniques to experiment with.
As an added bonus, you’ll have access to the “ insider information ” from the locals, so you can find out about the best hidden swimming spot, the best local brewery, or the perfect place to park your van without disturbing anyone else. Your positive attitude may even land you a ride with a local in their hidden trails, the very next morning…
Learn from all the Mistakes we've Made along the Way
Our system was built on over a decade of volunteer trail building experience with plenty of trial and error.
Today, we gladly share our knowledge and experience in order to help your trails communities thrive
FAQ _ Dig !t System
I understand that the mobile app is free of charge for any volunteers who want to find trail building events and get involved. Who is paying the bill ?
A legal trail network manager must pay an annual licence fee to implement Dig !t in its community. These managers occupy many different position in many different types of organization :
- Non-Profit Organization who manage a trail network;
- Bike Club Board Administrator, Coach, Manager or Parent;
- Recreational Officer (municipality, town, county);
- Open-to-the-public private trail center or resort;
I oversee field operations at a private resort. While employees handle most of the work in the forest, a few volunteers assist occasionally. Can I open an official Dig !t Chapter for our private resort?
Dig !t strongly supports trail volunteering, regardless of a community’s ecosystem. An employee can use our app on his work shift to exclusively log volunteers participation. Employees can use a Leader profile to record attendance. However, paid employees supervising volunteer efforts should not be listed as participants.
Integrity and truth are core principles of the Dig !t system, ensuring that Chapter Operators and salaried Leader uphold the true spirit of volunteerism.
Despite their good intentions, some of the volunteers who come and go around our trails network can complicate our operations. How can we involve them effectively?
A salaried manager should encourage, organize, and oversee volunteer ativities during working hours. When volunteers receive proper training and supervision from the start, they quickly become self-sufficient.
Driven by passion and enjoyment, volunteers create and maintain exceptional trails. In the medium and long term, the cost of supervising them is minimal compared to the immense value they bring to your network, enhancing your center’s offerings, significantly improving trail quality.
Someone in my community is building a trail without the landowner’s written permission. Does this "undercover" individual have the right to log their hours on Dig !t?
Absolutely not. At no time will Dig !t endorse “undercover” trail building activities, which promote the creation of unsanctioned trails and may lead to potential legal issues. Chapter Operators have a responsibility to regulate the actions of these clandestine trail builders, as their activities will inevitably harm the community’s environment in the long run.
I’ve created my profile, but I can’t find my chapter on the Dig !t app. How can I locate it?
Your local community organization may not be familiar with the Dig !t Alliance. Reach out to those responsible for trail maintenance and development in your area and introduce them to Dig !t. They’ll likely be interested in learning more and may even be open to starting a Chapter in good standing.
