Sierra Club
Sierra Club is a 130+ year-old grassroots environmental nonprofit that mobilizes 3.5+ million members and 64 local chapters across all 50 states to advocate for climate, conservation, and clean energy through campaigns, legal action, and outdoor programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1892
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sierra Club does
Sierra Club is a 501(c)(4) grassroots environmental organization founded in 1892 by John Muir and headquartered in San Francisco, with a separate affiliated Sierra Club Foundation (501(c)(3)) that channels tax-deductible gifts. It operates through 64 local chapters across all 50 states and serves a constituency of 3.5+ million members and supporters, with a paid staff in the 501–1,000 range. The organization mobilizes that base through volunteer-led outings (15,000+ trips annually led by 7,500+ trained volunteers), grassroots campaigns (4,500+ rallies and events, 3M+ petition signatures), and legal action, with major programs including the Beyond Coal Campaign (390 coal plants retired), national parks and public lands protection (433 parks and monuments, 10M+ acres of wilderness protected), Sierra Magazine, the Outings program, and dedicated sub-brands such as Outdoors for All, Nearby Nature, and Military Outdoors. Issue verticals span climate, conservation, clean transportation, and—most recently—data centers and AI infrastructure energy demand.
Sierra Club's product portfolio is not commercial software but rather an integrated advocacy platform: a digital hub at sierraclub.org, a national print and digital magazine, an e-commerce storefront for branded merchandise and adopt-a-wild-animal programs, research reports, and a nationwide chapter-driven events and outings network. Technology consists of standard web, email, social, and mobile/SMS tools for organizing; the organization does not develop proprietary technology products.
Revenue is generated primarily through membership dues and donations (Regular $39/year, Supporting $75, Contributing $150, Life $1,000, monthly sustainer tiers at $5/$10/$20 or $85 Sequoia Circle), supplemented by merchandise sales, planned giving vehicles (charitable gift annuities, retirement plan gifts, wills and living trusts), and foundation grants. The go-to-market is grassroots-led, leveraging local chapters, petitions, rallies, public education, lobbying, and multi-party litigation with partners including Earthjustice, NRDC, BlueGreen Alliance, the Electrification Coalition, and the Union of Concerned Scientists to influence state and federal environmental and utility policy.
Sierra Club firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sierra Club
- Legal name
- Sierra Club
- Website
- https://sierraclub.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1892
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Sierra Club is a 130+ year-old grassroots environmental nonprofit that mobilizes 3.5+ million members and 64 local chapters across all 50 states to advocate for climate, conservation, and clean energy through campaigns, legal action, and outdoor programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Sierra Club is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sierra Club business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership dues and donations: Sierra Club generates revenue primarily through membership dues and donations from its 3.5+ million supporters, including various giving programs such as monthly giving, one-time donations, and major gifts.
- Merchandise and store sales: Revenue from the Sierra Club Store selling branded merchandise, adopt-a-wild-animal programs, and other merchandise.
- Planned giving and legacy gifts: Charitable gift annuities, retirement plan gifts, wills and living trusts, and other planned giving vehicles.
- Foundation grants: Support from foundations for specific campaigns and initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Supporting Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Contributing Membership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Life Membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Giving Program |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Sierra Club product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sierra Club is a nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1892 that promotes clean energy, protects wild places, and mobilizes members through grassroots activism and legal action. It delivers advocacy, member benefits such as Sierra Magazine and outdoor outings, and signature issue campaigns such as Beyond Coal to influence environmental policy.
Product overview
Sierra Club is a nonprofit environmental organization operating as a single unified advocacy platform rather than a commercial product suite. The organization's primary offerings include its main website for member engagement and activism, Sierra Magazine (a national print and digital publication), the Sierra Club Outings Program (offering outdoor trips), the Beyond Coal Campaign (a major advocacy initiative), a network of 64 local chapters, and various research publications and reports. The organization does not offer commercial software products or technology services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Beyond Coal Campaign: A major national campaign to retire coal plants and replace them with clean energy sources.
- Sierra Magazine
- Outdoors for All
- Military Outdoors
- Nearby Nature
- Outdoors Alliance for Kids
Products and services
- Sierra Club Membership Paid membership program that gives individuals access to Sierra Magazine, local chapter activities, advocacy opportunities, and outdoor outings.
- Sierra Magazine
- Sierra Club Outings Program
- Sierra Club Store
- Adopt-a-Wild-Animal Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 390 coal plants retired through Beyond Coal Campaign
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Sierra Club
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Sierra Club technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sierra Club partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- BlueGreen AllianceflagshipBlueGreen Alliance was founded jointly by the United Steelworkers and Sierra Club 20 years ago. The coalition advocates for stronger labor enforcement, environmental protections, and measures to prevent corporations from offshoring jobs. They released a platform proposing improvements to USMCA trade agreement.
- Outdoors Alliance for KidscoreSierra Club serves as a leading member of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, which launched the One Million Kids Outdoors (1MKO) initiative to connect one million children with nature. The movement has garnered support from over 100 organizations including environmental groups, outdoor recreation associations, and health-focused nonprofits.
- Trout UnlimitedminorSierra Club joined with Trout Unlimited to oppose KORE Mining's exploratory drilling and potential gold mining near California's Hot Creek, citing concerns about cyanide contamination and harm to a year-round trout fishery.
- EarthjusticecoreSierra Club and Earthjustice have filed multiple challenges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking to overturn emergency orders forcing coal plants to remain operational past their planned closure dates.
- Natural Resources Defense CouncilcoreSierra Club joined with NRDC and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy to file briefs opposing Georgia Power's fuel cost recovery requests, arguing the utility should share fuel costs with ratepayers.
- Electrification CoalitioncoreSierra Club partnered with Electrification Coalition, Forth, and Plug In America to release the AchiEVe 2026 policy guide designed to help advocates, policymakers, utilities, and community leaders accelerate electric transportation adoption.
- Climate + Energy ProjectminorSierra Club advocated alongside Climate + Energy Project and Kansas Latino Community Network for the approval of Accelergen's East Side Energy Storage project in Wyandotte County.
- Union of Concerned ScientistscoreSierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists opposed Wisconsin state regulators loosening financial protection requirements for data centers, citing Oracle's debt-to-equity ratio and arguing changes would shift financial risks from tech companies to ratepayers.
- California Environmental Justice AlliancecoreSierra Club and California Environmental Justice Alliance challenged SoCalGas' application to charge ratepayers $266 million for the Angeles Link hydrogen pipeline project, arguing customers would bear enormous costs without direct benefits.
- American Lung AssociationcoreSierra Club joined American Lung Association and other organizations endorsing the Promoting Reduction of Emissions through Landscaping Act, proposing a 40% federal tax credit for zero-emission landscaping equipment.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sierra Club competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Natural Resources Defense Council: NRDC is one of the largest US environmental advocacy organizations, with a similar mix of litigation, lobbying, and science-based campaigns. It is a frequent co-filer with Sierra Club on utility and climate cases, making it the closest direct peer in scale, mission, and tactics.
- National Audubon Society: Audubon is a large membership-based conservation organization with a chapter network and dual advocacy/recreational programming (birding). It competes with Sierra Club for conservation-focused members and overlapping public-lands policy outcomes.
- Friends of the Earth: Friends of the Earth is a grassroots environmental advocacy organization with a comparable confrontational style and focus on climate, agriculture, and corporate accountability. It competes with Sierra Club for progressive donor dollars on climate and anti-corporate campaigns.
- Union of Concerned Scientists: UCS pairs scientific research with policy advocacy on climate, energy, and transportation — directly overlapping with Sierra Club's climate, clean transportation, and data-center advocacy portfolios. It is a frequent coalition partner and a comparable scientific-advocacy competitor.
- Environmental Defense Fund: EDF is a major environmental advocacy nonprofit that combines market-based solutions, corporate partnerships, and policy advocacy. It overlaps with Sierra Club on climate, clean energy, and clean transportation issues and competes for the same major-donor base.
- Greenpeace USA: Greenpeace USA is a grassroots-driven environmental advocacy organization with a comparable membership-funded model, confrontational advocacy style, and broad issue scope (climate, oceans, forests). It competes for the same individual-donor and monthly-giving segments.
- Earthjustice: Earthjustice is the largest nonprofit environmental law organization in the US. It is a recurring co-litigant with Sierra Club on coal, pipeline, and public-lands cases and competes for foundation grants supporting environmental litigation.
- National Wildlife Federation: NWF is one of the oldest and largest US conservation organizations, with a federation structure of state affiliates that mirrors Sierra Club's 64-chapter model. It competes for the same conservation and wildlife-protection donor base.
Broad incumbents
- World Wildlife Fund (US): WWF-US is a large, brand-driven global conservation organization that operates at much broader geographic and thematic scale than Sierra Club. It overlaps on climate, wildlife, and public-lands advocacy and competes for major-donor and corporate-partnership dollars.
Emerging players
- 350.org: 350.org is a digital-first climate movement focused on grassroots mobilization and fossil-fuel divestment. It is smaller and more issue-narrow than Sierra Club but represents the digital-native, younger-skewing model that could increasingly compete for next-generation climate donors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sierra Club social profiles
Digital presenceSierra Club financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sierra Club leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Sierra Club funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sierra Club 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 Sierra Club
What does Sierra Club do?
Sierra Club is a nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1892 that promotes clean energy, protects wild places, and mobilizes members through grassroots activism and legal action. It delivers advocacy, member benefits such as Sierra Magazine and outdoor outings, and signature issue campaigns such as Beyond Coal to influence environmental policy.
Is Sierra Club a public or private company?
Sierra Club is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sierra Club founded?
Sierra Club was founded in 1892. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Sierra Club based?
Sierra Club is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sierra Club make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership dues and donations are the primary driver. The others are merchandise and store sales, planned giving and legacy gifts and foundation grants.
Who are Sierra Club's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Natural Resources Defense Council, National Audubon Society, Friends of the Earth, Union of Concerned Scientists, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace USA, Earthjustice and National Wildlife Federation. World Wildlife Fund (US) is listed as a broad incumbent. 350.org is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sierra Club have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sierra Club.