Protect Our Winters

What Protect Our Winters does

Protect Our Winters (POW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit climate advocacy organization founded in 2007 by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The organization mobilizes the U.S. outdoor sports community — framed as the "Outdoor State" of approximately 181 million Americans — into a bipartisan political constituency for climate action. Its operational focus spans voter mobilization (Stoke The Vote), federal and state lobbying through its 501(c)(4) affiliate POW Action Fund, public lands defense, and athlete-led storytelling via 5–10 films produced annually. The target constituents are passionate outdoor enthusiasts and professional athletes whose recreation and livelihoods are directly impacted by climate change, with secondary engagement from outdoor-industry brand partners.

POW's core offerings are programmatic rather than software: the Team POW membership program (77,000 members), the POW Alliance network (Athlete, Brand, Creative, and Science alliances), the Climate Advocate's Guidebook, the CEO Playbook for Climate Advocacy, Film Screening Toolkits, Advocacy & Adventure Alliance Grants, and the Stoke The Vote GOTV campaign. Distribution occurs through a self-serve website (protectourwinters.org), an owned e-commerce shop (shop.protectourwinters.org), a Strava partnership, mountain film festivals, Olympians on Capitol Hill and at the UN, and a community chapter network. There is no proprietary technology platform, no app, and no API; the underlying stack is a standard nonprofit digital presence.

The business model is donation and partnership-driven across four streams: recurring individual donations and Team POW membership subscriptions, one-time merchandise sales, brand partnership sponsorships via the Brand Alliance, and event/ESG activations with hospitality and outdoor-industry partners. The organization operates with 1–10 employees, indicating a lean, highly-leveraged model where reach (7.5 million people reached in 2024, 300+ trainings per year) is achieved through volunteer chapters, athlete ambassadors, and partner amplification rather than headcount expansion. A regional subsidiary, Protect Our Winters Europe, operates in Europe and received a €10,000 donation via the 2026 Suunto Vertical Week partnership.

Name

Protect Our Winters

Legal name

Protect Our Winters

Website

https://protectourwinters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Protect Our Winters is a Boulder-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2007 by pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones, that mobilizes the U.S. outdoor sports community—athletes, enthusiasts, and brands—into a bipartisan climate advocacy movement through voter mobilization, lobbying, and alliance programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Advocacy and Environmental Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Climate advocacy
• Environmental nonprofit
• Outdoor community organizing
• Voter mobilization campaigns
• Athlete alliance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: POW generates revenue through individual donations and Team POW membership subscriptions. Members receive perks including 15% off POW merchandise and partner brand discounts.
2. Merchandise Sales: POW operates an e-commerce storefront selling branded merchandise (shop.protectourwinters.org) to supporters and members.
3. Brand Partnerships: POW engages outdoor industry brands through its Brand Alliance, providing advocacy partnership opportunities in exchange for support.
4. Event Activations: POW partners with hotels and brands for events and ESG activations that generate visibility and support for the organization's mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Protect Our Winters (POW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit climate advocacy organization that mobilizes the outdoor sports community — athletes, enthusiasts, brands, scientists, and creatives — into a bipartisan voting bloc it calls the Outdoor State. Its core work is organizing community chapters, climate-advocacy training, voter mobilization campaigns (Stoke The Vote), athlete-led film productions, and direct federal/state lobbying to influence climate and public-lands policy. Revenue is generated primarily through individual donations, Team POW membership subscriptions, branded merchandise sales, and outdoor industry brand alliance sponsorships.

Product overview

Protect Our Winters (POW) is a non-profit climate advocacy organization, not a software product company. POW offers a portfolio of advocacy programs, educational resources, and community-building tools centered on mobilizing the outdoor community for climate action. The core offerings include: the POW Alliance Programs (Athlete, Brand, Creative, and Science Alliances), the Climate Advocate's Guidebook, the CEO Playbook for Climate Advocacy, Film Screening Toolkits, the Stoke The Vote voter mobilization campaign, Team POW membership, and local Community Chapters. These programs work together to unite outdoor enthusiasts, brands, and athletes in bipartisan climate advocacy efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POW Action Fund: 501(c)(4) advocacy arm of Protect Our Winters focused on political lobbying and policy advocacy efforts.
• Protect Our Winters Europe (POW Europe)

Products and services

• Team POW Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• POW reached 7.5 million people in 2024 through Stoke The Vote campaign across rides, runs, and mountain film festivals
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SuuntocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuunto's 2026 Vertical Week campaign mobilized 189,000 participants to collectively climb 136 million human-powered vertical meters, triggering a €10,000 donation to Protect Our Winters Europe. This was the second consecutive year of the partnership, demonstrating strong global engagement in outdoor activity and climate advocacy.
• POW Action FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPOW Action Fund is POW's sister organization focused on political advocacy and lobbying efforts. Olympians representing POW's Athlete Alliance hit Capitol Hill alongside POW Action Fund to lobby for climate action.
• Teton Gravity ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeton Gravity Research collaborated with POW on the film 'The Hypocrite' created by professional skier Amie Engerbretson, exploring imperfect advocacy in snow sports.
• StravaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPOW partnered with Strava to reach outdoor enthusiasts through the activity tracking platform as part of their Stoke The Vote Get Out The Vote campaign.
• Aspen SnowmassminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAspen Snowmass partnered with POW through their Senior Sustainability and Philanthropy Manager Hannah Berman who participated in lobbying trips and advocated for clean energy transmission legislation.
• REIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerREI participates in POW Brand Alliance and has staff attending lobbying trips and supporting climate advocacy efforts.
• Black DiamondminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlack Diamond participates in POW Brand Alliance with staff attending lobbying trips to Washington D.C.
• Clif BarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClif Bar participates in POW Brand Alliance with Costa Adranly attending lobbying trips to advocate for climate policy.
• Arc'teryxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArc'teryx hosted a POW event at their Washington D.C. store attended by clean energy experts, Capitol Hill staff, and POW donors and partners.
• REI Co-op StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerREI Co-op Studios co-produced the film 'Spirit of the Peaks' with Wondercamp, featuring Hunkpapa Lakota skier Connor Ryan.
• WondercampminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWondercamp co-produced the film 'Spirit of the Peaks' with REI Co-op Studios, exploring cultural awareness and Indigenous rights.
• Planet Classroom NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanet Classroom partnered with Protect Our Planet and Actuality Abroad to release six new films covering net-zero climate leadership, climate adaptation, and renewable energy innovation.
• Protect Our PlanetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Planet Classroom Network and Actuality Abroad to release climate-focused educational films.
• Actuality AbroadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Planet Classroom Network and Protect Our Planet to release climate-focused educational films.
• Butterfly PavilionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Rally Hotel in Denver partnered with Butterfly Pavilion for a three-week 'Pollinator Power Hour' series as part of Earth Month 2026 activations.
• Hotels For TreesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Rally Hotel partners with Hotels For Trees as part of ongoing ESG and social impact commitments.
• Clean the WorldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Rally Hotel partners with Clean the World for sustainability initiatives and social impact programs.
• Wheel the WorldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Rally Hotel partners with Wheel the World for accessibility services as part of social impact initiatives.
• New BelgiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie provided testimonial for the CEO Playbook, citing advocacy as a pathway to real impact on climate policy and sustainability within their industry.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Access Fund: 501(c)(3) climbing advocacy nonprofit focused on public lands access, conservation, and climber education. Comparable to POW's model of mobilizing an outdoor sports community (climbers) for public-lands and conservation advocacy.
• Surfrider Foundation: 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit that mobilizes surfers and coastal communities around ocean conservation, water quality, and climate. Closely analogous to POW's sports-community-driven advocacy model, focused on a different outdoor vertical (surfing vs. snow/winter sports).
• 350.org: Grassroots climate advocacy organization mobilizing volunteer networks and broad public campaigns against fossil fuel infrastructure. Comparable to POW as a membership- and community-driven climate mobilization nonprofit with federal policy advocacy ambitions.
• Leave No Trace: Outdoor recreation-focused nonprofit promoting responsible use of public lands through education and training. Comparable as an outdoor-community-aligned nonprofit that pairs education programs with brand partnerships and chapter-based grassroots organizing.

Broad incumbents

• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): Large U.S. environmental nonprofit with strong federal climate policy and corporate-engagement programs. Directly comparable as a major 501(c)(3) climate advocacy competitor for institutional donor dollars and policy influence.
• Sierra Club: One of the largest and oldest U.S. environmental organizations with multi-million membership and broad climate/landscape advocacy. Directly comparable as a national 501(c)(3) environmental advocacy nonprofit competing for the same donor pool, though broader in scope than POW's outdoor-community focus.
• Greenpeace USA: Large international environmental advocacy organization with active U.S. operations focused on climate, forests, oceans, and fossil fuel campaigns. Comparable as a national climate advocacy nonprofit with significant grassroots and donor fundraising operations.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Major U.S. environmental advocacy organization with deep federal policy, lobbying, and litigation capacity. Comparable as a 501(c)(3) climate advocacy peer, though NRDC operates across a much broader issue portfolio than POW's outdoor-community focus.

Emerging players

• Sunrise Movement: Youth-led climate advocacy organization focused on federal policy and electoral mobilization. Comparable to POW as a movement-driven climate advocacy nonprofit, but organized around age/generational identity rather than outdoor recreation.

Regional players

• Outdoor Industry Association: U.S. trade association representing outdoor industry brands and retailers, including advocacy on public lands, trade policy, and sustainability. Comparable to POW's Brand Alliance model but focused on member-company interests rather than grassroots consumer mobilization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/protectwinters
• Facebookfacebook.com/protectourwinters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/protect-our-winters
• Instagraminstagram.com/protectourwinters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Protect Our Winters