The Daily - August 10, 2021 - 20

Ideas
OUTDOOR RE TAILER S UMMER 2 0 2 1
B I G N E W S / B I G A C T I O N
hear what's new at the Conservation
Alliance, which over the past
33 years has helped save more
than 73 million acres of wildlands,
protect 3,576 miles of rivers, stop
or remove 37 dams, designate five
marine reserves, and purchase 18
climbing areas through nonprofit
grants.
Brady
Robinson
B I G N E W S
New Focus
The Conservation Alliance executive director
Brady Robinson kicks it into high gear.
By Berne Broudy
IN FALL 2019, BRADY ROBINSON REPLACED JOHN STERLING AS THE
executive director of the Conservation Alliance. But before he could gain
steam, COVID-19 shifted every one of the nonprofit's members' priorities,
launches, and M.O.
The Conservation Alliance will host its 2021 breakfast with the theme
" Saving the Boundary Waters " both in-person on Day 2, Aug. 11 at 7 a.m.
in MR400s here at the Show and online. We caught up with Robinson to
20
/ OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2021
What Conservation Alliance
initiative are you most excited
about right now?
Like so many other organizations,
we're being thoughtful about this
moment in history, and we're in
the process of conceiving and
launching a new grant program
that's focused on BIPOC-led
organizations and making sure
we're connected to a broader
range of grantees and conservation
efforts. We're taking it slow
and trying to be super thoughtful.
We're spending a lot of time in the
research and development phase.
The opportunities to fuck up the
effort are myriad, regardless of
our best intentions, both in how
we conceive of this new initiative
and how we talk about it with
our members. So, keep your eye
on the conservationalliance.com
this fall for this launch. And if
you're a member, look forward to
further communication from us in
advance of the launch.
As a conservation organization,
is it a shift for you to
focus on social justice?
We believe that environmental and
social justice are one and the same.
We do the conservation movement
a disservice by not thinking expansively
and inclusively.
It's a tricky thing to frame. The
Conservation Alliance and the outdoor
industry don't get to say who
is and who isn't a conservationist.
In the U.S., we have Indigenous
communities and cultures who
have been managing land for
millennia. We are not the ones
who get to welcome people in and
say they are or are not part of that
movement. As an organization, we
are trying to focus on connection,
on sharing the ownership and
power over grant-making, and
we believe thats a direction both
members and nonprofits will be
excited about.
What plans were put on hold
in 2020 that you're now pursuing
full force?
For so many organizations, companies,
and brands, 2020's focus was
on the fundamentals. We planned
to grow our staff in 2020. Instead,
we focused on our relationships
with members. We added some
new members in 2020, and we
went after cause-marketing opportunities,
collaborative marketing
with members, including campaigns
with Pacifico, ESPN, and
our Keep It Wild campaign, a partnership
with brands that donated
a portion of sales to the Conservation
Alliance.
Grant-making was up by $1,000
in 2020. It was an incremental increase,
but a significant statement
in a turbulent year.
We've recently added to our
team. We've hired a new communications
director, a new creative
and digital manager, and a new
government affairs and advocacy
director. You can meet Alli,
COURTESY BRADY ROBINSON
http://www.conservationalliance.com
The Daily - August 10, 2021

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