What Wild Montana does

Wild Montana, legally Montana Wilderness Association dba Wild Montana, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1958 and headquartered in Helena, Montana, with a second office in Missoula. The organization focuses on protecting Montana's wild public lands and waters through a combination of policy advocacy, grassroots mobilization, and on-the-ground stewardship. It is Montana's oldest conservation organization and operates seven geographic chapters across the state. Its core offerings include the Hike Wild Montana online trail guide featuring 453 searchable trails with filtering by features, accessibility, activities, mileage, and elevation gain; the Wilderness Walks program of free volunteer-led group hikes running March through November; and the Volunteer Trail Crew program, which since 2012 has mobilized 1,880 volunteers contributing 55,300+ labor hours and improving 720 miles of trail. Supporting programs include Chapter Stewardship (single-day volunteer projects), Trail of the Week microcast, the Wild Montana Weekly newsletter, and Bands for Lands community events.

The organization's business model is membership-driven, with primary revenue from individual memberships (suggested $10+ annual or monthly recurring donations), Business for Montana's Outdoors business memberships, planned giving and legacy donations (managed through the Forever Wild Endowment at the Montana Community Foundation), and vehicle and stock donations. Wild Montana monetizes neither software nor traditional products, but rather distributes mission impact through direct membership engagement, chapter networks, and digital platforms. Its technology stack is modest: a digital trail guide with faceted search, email newsletter infrastructure, a podcast microcast, and social media presence. The organization holds the GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency and a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating, and it serves individual conservation advocates, outdoor recreationists, Montana businesses dependent on the outdoor economy, and tribal communities.

Name

Wild Montana

Legal name

Montana Wilderness Association dba Wild Montana

Website

https://wildmontana.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wild Montana is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1958 that protects Montana's public lands through advocacy, volunteer stewardship, and member engagement, serving individual conservationists, outdoor recreationists, Montana businesses, and tribal communities via seven statewide chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation / Public-Lands Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ)

Keywords

• Conservation advocacy
• Public lands stewardship
• Volunteer habitat restoration
• Wilderness protection
• Environmental nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Helena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Donations: Wild Montana generates primary revenue through individual member donations and annual memberships. Suggested minimum donation of $10 for membership. The organization offers monthly giving programs where donors contribute small amounts each month.
2. Business Membership (Business for Montana's Outdoors): Business engagement and advocacy platform where Montana businesses join to support public lands protection and outdoor economy advocacy. Includes support levels for various business sizes.
3. Planned Giving and Legacy Donations: The organization accepts bequests, IRA rollovers, charitable gift annuities, and beneficiary designations. The Montana Wilderness Association dba Wild Montana Forever Wild Endowment is maintained at the Montana Community Foundation.
4. Vehicle and Stock Donations: Wild Montana accepts vehicle donations (cars, trucks, boats, RVs) from anywhere in the continental United States, and stock donations processed through Vanguard.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wild Montana is a statewide nonprofit conservation organization that protects Montana's wild public lands, waters, and wildlife through member-supported advocacy, volunteer stewardship projects, and public-lands education. It mobilizes individual members, donors, and volunteers to campaign on federal land-management policy and to conduct hands-on trail building, restoration, and monitoring work on public lands.

Product overview

Wild Montana operates as a membership-based nonprofit organization offering a suite of interconnected outdoor recreation and conservation programs. The core offerings include Hike Wild Montana (an online trail guide with 453 trails), Wilderness Walks (free guided group hikes), and Volunteer Trail Crew (multi-day trail projects). Supporting programs include Chapter Stewardship (single-day volunteer projects), Trail of the Week microcast, and the Wild Montana Weekly newsletter. The organization also runs Business for Montana's Outdoors as a sub-brand for business engagement. The organization does not offer a software product or platform in the traditional SaaS sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Business for Montana's Outdoors: A business engagement and advocacy platform launched in 2012 that brings together business leaders to support the economic value of healthy public lands and waters in Montana.

Products and services

• Wild Montana Membership Annual membership program providing individual supporters with member benefits, voting rights, and ongoing conservation updates in exchange for dues paid to support Wild Montana's mission.
• Volunteer Stewardship Trips Multi-day, volunteer-led field experiences where participants perform hands-on trail maintenance, habitat restoration, and land monitoring on Montana's public lands under Wild Montana staff and crew leadership.
• Public-Lands Advocacy Campaigns Grassroots advocacy campaigns that mobilize Wild Montana members to submit public comment, contact officials, and support specific outcomes on federal public-lands policy, including wilderness designations and travel-management plans.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Business for Montana's OutdoorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness engagement and advocacy platform since 2012 that brings together Montana businesses that rely on healthy public lands and outdoor recreation economy. Includes diverse industries that build businesses, create jobs, and sustain Montana's economy.
• Oboz FootwearminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrail of the Week sponsor. Oboz provides outdoor footwear sponsorship for the trail recommendation program.
• Montana Public Radio (MTPR)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Trail of the Week microcast, helping promote outdoor recreation and public lands awareness.
• KGLT RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Trail of the Week program supporting Montana's outdoor culture.
• Trail 103minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor supporting the trail recommendation microcast and outdoor programming.
• The Recording CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Trail of the Week microcast, supporting Montana's outdoor community.
• Ten Mile Creek Brewing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHelena brewery collaborated with Wild Montana on a 'Not For Sale' specialty beer to celebrate keeping Montana's public lands public.
• Salish Kootenai CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SKC's Upward Bound program where students participate in trail stewardship activities in the Jewel Basin area.
• Back Country Horsemen of MontanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that works with Wild Montana to steward public lands, combining horseback and hiking trail maintenance.
• Continental Divide Trail CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in stewarding the Continental Divide Trail, a major long-distance trail crossing Montana.
• The Montana TrailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization collaborating on trail stewardship and public lands advocacy.
• Old Growth Forest NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in organizing old growth forest field training hikes to educate participants about identifying and protecting old growth forests.
• Glacier Two Medicine AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in protecting the Glacier-Two Medicine landscape, collaborating on wildlife walks and trail maintenance in the Badger-Two Medicine area.
• Yaak Valley Forest CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in offering high-elevation adventures along the Newton Ridge Trail system in Northwest Montana.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: Large national conservation organization with overlapping public lands, wildlife habitat, and policy advocacy work, but operating across all 50 states with a far broader programmatic portfolio than Wild Montana's Montana-only focus.
• Sierra Club: One of the largest and oldest U.S. environmental nonprofits, with active Montana chapters. Overlaps with Wild Montana on public lands advocacy, climate, and outdoor recreation, but at national scale and a much larger membership base.
• Trust for Public Land: National land conservation organization working on public land access and park creation. Overlaps with Wild Montana on federal land protection and public access advocacy, with a national real-estate-driven operating model.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation organization with significant Montana operations and land trust activities. Comparable in mission to protect natural lands, but uses a fundamentally different model (fee-title land acquisition, science-led) than Wild Montana's advocacy-and-stewardship approach.
• National Parks Conservation Association: National nonprofit dedicated to protecting and enhancing the National Park System, with overlapping public lands and Montana-relevant advocacy. Larger national scope; adjacent rather than identical in mission.

Direct peers

• Greater Yellowstone Coalition: Regional conservation nonprofit focused on protecting Greater Yellowstone's lands and wildlife, with a similar member-based, Montana-anchored advocacy and stewardship model — directly comparable in geography, mission, and operating approach to Wild Montana.
• The Wilderness Society: National conservation organization focused on protecting public lands and wilderness areas. Directly comparable mission around federal land designation, though operating at a much larger national scale.
• American Hiking Society: National nonprofit focused on trails and hiking, with a volunteer trail stewardship program (Volunteer Vacations) directly paralleling Wild Montana's Volunteer Trail Crew. Comparable in trail-focused product offering and volunteer mobilization model.
• Idaho Conservation League: Idaho's oldest statewide conservation nonprofit, with an advocacy and chapter-based grassroots model closely paralleling Wild Montana's Montana-focused approach. Highly comparable structure, programs, and revenue model.

Emerging players

• Montana Conservation Voters: State-level policy and electoral advocacy organization focused on Montana conservation outcomes. Overlaps with Wild Montana on policy engagement but emphasizes electoral/legislative strategy rather than direct stewardship and trail programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wildmontana
• Facebookfacebook.com/wildmontana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildmontana
• Instagraminstagram.com/wildmontana

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Wild Montana