Great Old Broads for Wilderness

What Great Old Broads for Wilderness does

Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Durango, Colorado. Its mission is to engage and inspire activism to preserve and protect wilderness and wild public lands. The organization operates as a women-led national grassroots movement with more than 8,500 members and supporters organized through nearly 40 volunteer-led Broadband chapters across 15+ states. Core programmatic areas include wilderness designation advocacy, the Don't Dam Salmon coalition, livestock-grazing/bighorn sheep management, border wall opposition, and rare-plant citizen science. The Grassroots Leadership Program trains volunteer chapter leaders bi-annually, while Broadwalks (national/regional outdoor events combining guided hikes, stewardship, and advocacy) and the Broadsides Blog drive member engagement. The organization holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, with archived collections housed at the Denver Public Library, New Mexico History Museum, and Ft. Lewis College.

The organization generates revenue through a diversified nonprofit stream: annual memberships ($50+/year), monthly sustaining memberships called Wild Lands Protectors ($15+/month, with 200+ sustainers), planned giving via the Broads Legacy Circle, BroadShop merchandise, Broadwalk event fees, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, vehicle donations via Vehicles for Charity, and affiliate shopping commissions from Giving Assistant and iGive. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight and operational rather than proprietary: Neon CRM for membership and donation management, Google Analytics for web traffic, Zoom for virtual programming, iNaturalist for citizen science data submission, and Facebook Custom Audiences for supporter outreach. No software product is sold; technology is used to enable program delivery rather than as a monetized asset.

The 14-person paid staff is led by Executive Director Reba Elliott and supplemented by a 6-member all-volunteer Board of Directors and a 20-member Council of Advisors. The Pope family established a $100,000 Wilderness Defense Fund endowment with a stated $1 million ten-year build-out goal to fund legal defense of wilderness. Strategic partnerships span Colorado BHA, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society, Mountain Studies Institute, Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Denver Public Library, Save Our Wild Salmon, Trout Unlimited, and DamSense, among 66 reported collaborators.

Name

Great Old Broads for Wilderness

Legal name

Great Old Broads for Wilderness

Website

https://greatoldbroads.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a women-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 that mobilizes 8,500+ members across nearly 40 volunteer Broadband chapters to advocate for protection of US wilderness and wild public lands through grassroots organizing, citizen science, and stewardship events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Advocacy

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Wilderness protection advocacy
• Public lands conservation
• Grassroots environmental organizing
• Conservation membership organization
• Citizen science stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Durango

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership starts at $50/year, providing members with chapter access, training, action alerts, event discounts, and merchandise benefits.
2. Donations and Contributions: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, including monthly sustaining memberships (Wild Lands Protectors at $15+/month) and one-time gifts.
3. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Bequests, wills, trusts, and estate planned gifts through the Broads Legacy Circle program.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded apparel (Broadacious Apparel), accessories, stickers, and lapel pins through the BroadShop.
5. Event Fees: Registration fees for Broadwalks, Broadworks, and fundraising events that include camping, meals, activities, and programming.
6. IRA/Qualified Charitable Distributions: Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs for donors 70.5+; gifts of securities; donor advised fund contributions.
7. Vehicle Donations: Donations of motorized vehicles (cars, boats, trucks) through Vehicles for Charity.
8. Affiliate Shopping Programs: Percentage donations from everyday shopping via Giving Assistant (up to 30%) and iGive (average 3%) programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a women-led national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes a nationwide network of volunteer chapters (Broadbands) to advocate for, steward, and educate communities about wilderness and wild public lands. The organization funds its work through memberships, monthly sustaining donations, planned giving, an endowment, events, and merchandise sales, and mobilizes members through grassroots campaigns, citizen science, advocacy training, and outdoor Broadwalks.

Product overview

Great Old Broads for Wilderness operates a unified grassroots organizing platform centered on membership and chapter-based activism. The core offering is the annual membership program ($50/year) and Wild Lands Protectors monthly giving program ($15+/month), which fund the organization's advocacy, stewardship, and educational activities. Additional offerings include the Broads Legacy Circle planned giving program and Wilderness Defense Fund endowment for legal defense of wilderness areas. The organization runs Broadwalks and Broadworks events (both in-person outdoor events and virtual webinars) and provides the Grassroots Leadership Program to train volunteer Broadband chapter leaders. A merchandise store (BroadShop) offers branded apparel and accessories. The organization does not operate a software product but uses Neon CRM for member/donor management, Google Analytics for website analytics, Facebook for marketing campaigns, Zoom for virtual events, and iNaturalist for citizen science data collection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Broadbands: Local chapter network of the organization working to preserve and protect wilderness and wild lands on a local level
• Broadwalks
• Wild Lands Protectors
• Broads Legacy Circle
• BroadShop

Products and services

• Annual Membership Program Annual membership starting at $50/year that gives supporters access to a local Broadband chapter, advocacy trainings and action alerts, early event information, 10% off first national Broadwalk, stickers, bookmarks, and a limited-edition member t-shirt at $100+ giving level.
• Wild Lands Protectors Monthly Giving Program Monthly sustaining donor program requiring a $15+/month commitment; provides yearly giving statements, early access to annual report and strategic plan updates, invitations to special national webinars, and a limited-edition t-shirt at $100 annual giving level.
• Broads Legacy Circle Planned Giving Estate planning giving society that recognizes donors who include Great Old Broads for Wilderness in their will, trust, or other planned gift to sustain the organization's wilderness protection work over the long term.
• Wilderness Defense Fund Endowment Endowment fund that donors can contribute to in order to build a permanent resource for legal actions, arbitration, or mediation to protect the integrity of designated Wilderness.
• BroadShop Merchandise Online store selling branded apparel (Broadacious Apparel), accessories and headgear, stickers, lapel pins, and other merchandise so supporters can visibly show support for the organization.
• Broadwalks and Broadworks Events Outdoor events combining guided hikes, stewardship activities, and advocacy education; includes national Broadwalks with camping/lodging and meals included, regional events hosted by local Broadband chapters, and online webinar events such as film screenings and expert presentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.2 million social media supporters reached; 15% growth in email list; 44 advocacy letters co-signed; 1,928 emails to Congress; 66 partner collaborations in mid-year 2026
• +2 more outcomes

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

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DamSenseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Don't Dam Salmon campaign. DamSense works to support restoration of free-flowing rivers and salmon recovery in the Pacific Northwest.
• Snake River Ecosystem Restoration (One 4 Salmon)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Don't Dam Salmon campaign focused on restoring the Snake River ecosystem and salmon migration routes.
• Solutionary RailminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Don't Dam Salmon campaign addressing energy and freight transportation alternatives to dam-generated power and shipping.
• Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpearheaded the citizen-science effort that Great Old Broads for Wilderness joined in 2018 to monitor bighorn sheep populations in and near domestic sheep grazing allotments in the Weminuche Wilderness.
• Rocky Mountain Bighorn SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder with Broads of the Colorado Bighorn Monitoring Program, a citizen-science initiative active throughout the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado.
• Mountain Studies InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Colorado Bighorn Monitoring Program, providing scientific guidance and coordination for citizen science data collection on bighorn sheep.
• Colorado Natural Heritage ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Rare Plant Geocaching citizen science. Trained 4 Broadband chapters across Colorado; 32 women participated contributing nearly 500 hours at ~20 sites, finding rare plants including orchids.
• Save Our Wild SalmonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in efforts to restore healthy and abundant salmon populations to the Columbia and Snake River basins.
• Trout UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing scientific resources on dam removal and the science of restoring free-flowing rivers for the Don't Dam Salmon campaign.
• Denver Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished a Great Old Broads for Wilderness archive within the Denver Public Library's American Conservation Movement collection, significantly expanding on collections at the New Mexico History Museum and Ft. Lewis College.
• Southern Resident Orca TritonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner advocating for the rights of Southern Resident Orcas, whose survival is linked to salmon recovery in the Columbia-Snake River system.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Earthjustice: Nonprofit environmental law organization providing legal representation for public lands, wildlife, and climate cases. Broad incumbent with overlapping public lands legal advocacy work that aligns with Broads' Wilderness Defense Fund endowment purpose.
• Sierra Club: One of the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organizations in the US, with a membership-based chapter model and broad conservation advocacy. Broad incumbent with overlapping chapter structure and grassroots advocacy, but operates at much larger scale with a much broader mission scope.
• Natural Resources Defense Council: Major environmental advocacy organization working on climate, conservation, and public lands issues. Broad incumbent with overlapping public lands and policy advocacy work but operates as a much larger professional advocacy organization rather than a grassroots chapter model.
• National Wildlife Federation: Large national conservation organization with a member-driven model and regional affiliate structure. Broad incumbent operating at much larger scale with overlapping conservation and wildlife mission but broader programmatic portfolio.

Regional players

• Conservation Colorado: Statewide Colorado conservation organization working on public lands, energy, and climate policy. Regional peer with overlapping advocacy model, particularly given Broads' strong Colorado presence (Colorado Bighorn Monitoring Program, 4Corners Broadband).

Direct peers

• Center for Biological Diversity: Nonprofit environmental organization using science, law, and advocacy to protect endangered species and wild places. Direct peer with overlapping focus on biodiversity, public lands, and legal/regulatory advocacy.
• National Parks Conservation Association: Independent nonprofit advocating to protect and enhance the National Park System. Direct peer focused on public lands advocacy and member engagement, with comparable policy-driven and grassroots approaches.
• Defenders of Wildlife: National nonprofit dedicated to wildlife conservation and protecting native species' habitats. Direct peer with similar advocacy focus on public lands, wildlife protection, and federal policy engagement.
• The Wilderness Society: National nonprofit dedicated to protecting wilderness and wild public lands through advocacy, policy, and on-the-ground conservation. Direct peer with overlapping mission, advocacy model, and public lands focus, though at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• WildEarth Guardians: Smaller environmental advocacy organization focused on protecting wildlife and wild places in the American West. Comparable mission and public lands focus, but operates with limited staff and a narrower geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQYrI1F8uqOuKOGnKV14eOQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/greatoldbroads
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-old-broads-for-wilderness
• Instagraminstagram.com/great_old_broads

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Great Old Broads for Wilderness