CONSERVATION DISTRICTS OF IOWA

What CONSERVATION DISTRICTS OF IOWA does

Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) is a private non-profit membership organization that serves as the statewide coordinating body for Iowa's 100 county-level soil and water conservation districts. Its membership comprises 500 elected commissioners (five per county), governed by an Executive Board and 9 Regional Directors, with 48 staff members delivering programs ranging from conservation planning and wetland engineering to administrative support. CDI's mission is to inform, educate, and lead Iowans through local districts to promote conservation of natural resources, addressing soil erosion, water quality, nutrient runoff, and habitat loss.

CDI's core offerings include the monthly CONNECTIONS newsletter, the Iowa Envirothon student competition, an annual poster contest, scholarship programs, commissioner training, and an annual conference. It does not sell technology products or charge fees for core services; its revenue model is donation-based, accepting tax-deductible contributions via PayPal. The organization also relies on pass-through funding and partnerships with federal and state agencies (NRCS, IDALS) and educational institutions (ISU Extension, Iowa Learning Farms).

CDI's go-to-market is community-led, leveraging its grassroots commissioner network to deliver conservation programs and education to farmers, landowners, and students across all Iowa counties. Strategic partnerships with NACD (the national affiliate), Trust In Food, AgVentures Alliance, and AgLaunch extend its programming into regenerative agriculture and sustainable fuels. The organization operates from a single headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, and serves exclusively the Iowa market.

Name

CONSERVATION DISTRICTS OF IOWA

Legal name

Conservation Districts of Iowa

Website

https://cdiowa.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Conservation Districts of Iowa is a non-profit membership organization coordinating 100 county soil and water conservation districts across Iowa, serving 500 elected commissioners, farmers, landowners, and students with conservation education, training, and program delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Resource Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL)

Keywords

• Soil conservation services
• Water conservation programs
• Conservation education
• Natural resource management
• Nonprofit membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: CDI accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal to support their programs and scholarship fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CDI informs, educates, and leads Iowans through local soil and water conservation districts to promote conservation of natural resources. It provides coordination, training, advocacy, and educational programs for Iowa's 100 county conservation districts, 500 elected commissioners, and the broader public. Core service offerings include the CONNECTIONS newsletter, the Iowa Envirothon competition, annual conference, commissioner training, poster contest, and scholarship program.

Product overview

Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) is a non-profit association representing Iowa's 100 soil and water conservation districts. CDI operates as a unified service organization offering member districts access to programs including the CONNECTIONS newsletter, Iowa Envirothon competition, annual conference, commissioner training, poster contests, and scholarship programs. CDI's network comprises 500 elected district commissioners supported by staff including conservation planning coordinators, wetland specialists, and administrative specialists across nine regional directorates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CONNECTIONS Newsletter
• Iowa Envirothon
• Annual Conference
• Commissioner Training
• Poster Contest
• Scholarship Program

Named customers3 records

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDI is the Iowa affiliate of NACD, the national organization representing America's 3,000 conservation districts. NACD provides resources, advocacy support, and connects CDI to national conservation initiatives and programs.
• Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDALS provides financial and technical assistance to county conservation districts through programs addressing natural resource concerns including water quality and soil erosion.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRCS works with county conservation districts to provide technical expertise and conservation programs to agricultural producers. Joint DC Fly-in events are held annually.
• Iowa State University ExtensionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISU Extension collaborates with CDI on educational programs including the Iowa Learning Farms initiative and events held at ISU research farms.
• Practical Farmers of IowaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization co-listed on CDI events calendars for conservation-related programming.
• Iowa Learning FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa State University conservation program that provides field days and education, co-listed on CDI events calendar.
• Trust In Food (Farm Journal)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative, partnered with CDI to host the 'Developing Sustainable Fuels Markets Through Conservation' event featuring regenerative agriculture leaders and sustainable fuel market education for Iowa row crop farmers.
• AgVentures AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that helps connect manufacturers with farmers for structured, data-driven on-farm trials through their involvement with regenerative agriculture leaders.
• AgLaunchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural innovation initiative that partners with farmers like Loran Steinlage to bridge engineering intent with field reality for product improvement and adoption.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Iowa Learning Farms: An Iowa State University conservation program providing field days and farmer education on conservation practices; it co-lists events with CDI and serves the same Iowa farmer constituency.
• Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: ISU Extension is a core CDI partner that delivers farmer education and conservation programming across Iowa, serving the same agricultural audience with overlapping conservation curriculum.
• Practical Farmers of Iowa: Practical Farmers of Iowa is an Iowa-based nonprofit serving farmers with conservation and regenerative agriculture education, overlapping directly with CDI's farmer audience and mission. It is also a co-marketing partner on CDI's events calendar.
• Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation: INHF is an Iowa-focused land conservation nonprofit that works with private landowners on land protection, overlapping with CDI's soil and water conservation mission and Iowa farmer/landowner audience.
• Soil and Water Conservation Society: SWCS is a national scientific and professional organization advancing soil and water conservation practice and policy, comparable to CDI in mission space and overlapping with CDI's technical specialist staff and commissioner audience.
• Iowa Environmental Council: The Iowa Environmental Council is an Iowa-based umbrella coalition of environmental nonprofits that conducts policy advocacy on water quality and natural resource issues, overlapping with CDI's Iowa conservation advocacy work.

Broad incumbents

• Pheasants Forever: Pheasants Forever is a national upland habitat conservation organization with significant Iowa operations working on grassland and soil health, overlapping with CDI's conservation mission and Iowa farmer/landowner base.
• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD): NACD is the national umbrella organization representing America's 3,000 conservation districts; CDI is Iowa's state affiliate. NACD operates one tier above CDI in the same conservation-district governance network, making it the closest structural peer.
• Ducks Unlimited: Ducks Unlimited is a large national habitat conservation organization that works extensively in Iowa on wetland and grassland projects, overlapping with CDI's wetland conservation programs and farmer-partner audience.
• The Nature Conservancy - Iowa: The Nature Conservancy is a large national conservation nonprofit with active Iowa operations focused on land and water protection, competing for similar philanthropic and conservation funding as CDI while serving overlapping Iowa stakeholders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conservation-districts-of-iowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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