Wisconsin Conservation Voters

What Wisconsin Conservation Voters does

Wisconsin Conservation Voters (WCV) is a Madison, Wisconsin-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit political advocacy organization founded in 2002 that operates a statewide environmental and democracy agenda. It serves Wisconsin residents and progressive donors, mobilizing members around clean water infrastructure, PFAS contamination, clean energy, voting rights, and government accountability — including emerging work on data-center impacts. The organization's product surface is composed of civic engagement tools rather than technology products: the Conservation Scorecard (legislator voting record), Vote Tracker, Action Alerts, an Activist Toolkit, a CNOW newsletter, and member storytelling assets such as the "Fight for Progress" documentary produced with BlueGreen Alliance. Its business model is membership- and donor-funded 501(c)(4) advocacy, supplemented by political-action spending through affiliated PAC channels and a listening-sessions member-engagement program; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

WCV's go-to-market is community-led grassroots organizing: a member base that contributed 500+ volunteers, 130,000 doors knocked, and 20,000 postcards in a single Wisconsin Supreme Court cycle. The organization runs endorsement programs for state legislative and judicial candidates and has built a track record of 79% endorsed-candidate win rates, 14 legislative seats flipped in Fall 2024, and back-to-back Supreme Court victories (Susan Crawford in 2025, Chris Taylor in 2026). It maintains revenue diversification through coalition partnerships (COLE, Great Lakes Neighbors United, Citizens Utility Board, BlueGreen Alliance) and has secured major state appropriations — $894M for water infrastructure and $132M for PFAS contamination response. Staffing is reported at 11-50 employees, indicating a mid-sized advocacy operation with the capacity to run independent six- to seven-figure independent-expenditure campaigns.

Name

Wisconsin Conservation Voters

Legal name

Wisconsin Conservation Voters

Website

https://conservationvoters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Conservation Voters is a Madison-based 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit that mobilizes Wisconsin residents on clean water, clean energy, PFAS, and democracy issues through grassroots organizing, candidate endorsements, and legislative advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Advocacy and Environmental Conservation Nonprofit

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Environmental advocacy
• Political organizing
• Electoral engagement
• Conservation scorecard
• Grassroots lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The organization recruits members who pay dues and receive the Conservation Scorecard, quarterly Wisconsin Conservation Voter newsletter, member discounts, and updates on conservation issues and electoral races.
2. Donations: Individual donations from supporters, including one-time and recurring contributions to fund electoral work, advocacy campaigns, and organizational operations.
3. Ways to Give Programs: Various giving programs including the Conservation Voters political action committee and other fundraising initiatives to support the organization's mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Wisconsin Conservation Voters is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that builds political power for environmental conservation in Wisconsin through electoral endorsements, legislative advocacy, and grassroots organizing. Its core member-facing products are the Conservation Scorecard, the Vote Tracker legislative voting tool, Action Alerts, the Activist Toolkit, and storytelling content, supported by a statewide volunteer and listening-session infrastructure aimed at advancing clean water, clean energy, voting rights, and land conservation.

Product overview

Wisconsin Conservation Voters operates a political advocacy and electoral engagement platform centered on environmental protection. The organization offers a suite of digital tools including the Vote Tracker (legislative voting transparency), Activist Toolkit (advocacy training), Action Alerts (petitions), Conservation Scorecard (quarterly legislator evaluation), and storytelling/documentary content. These offerings work together to build political power for clean water, clean air, and healthy communities through voter engagement, grassroots organizing, and electoral work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CNOW: Coalition organizing initiative mentioned on the website

Products and services

• Vote Tracker A transparency tool that tracks Wisconsin legislators' votes on conservation issues, allowing voters to monitor how their representatives vote on environmental protections.
• Activist Toolkit An online resource hub providing tips, training materials, and opportunities for conservation advocates to develop skills for effective activism, including guidance on contacting legislators, testifying at hearings, and running for office.
• Action Alerts A petition and advocacy platform enabling supporters to send messages to legislators and take action on priority campaigns related to clean water, clean energy, and environmental protection.
• Conservation Scorecard A quarterly publication evaluating legislators' voting records on environmental and conservation issues, provided to members as a resource for informed voting decisions.
• Membership Program A membership program offering supporters quarterly newsletters, Conservation Scorecards, member discounts, and updates on conservation issues and electoral races in Wisconsin.
• CNOW Newsletter Email newsletter providing subscribers with updates on conservation news, stories, and actions across Wisconsin.
• 2026 Listening Sessions Community engagement initiative hosting listening sessions across Wisconsin (Milwaukee, La Crosse, Menomonie, Green Bay, and others) to gather constituent input on conservation priorities for upcoming legislative sessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• $894 million in water infrastructure funding secured across Wisconsin
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• BlueGreen AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Joint production of the documentary 'The Fight for Progress' on lead service line replacement in Wisconsin. The film received unprecedented access to jobsites and officials, featuring workers, labor leaders, and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. BlueGreen Alliance Field Manager Richard Diaz served as the film's host.
• Coalition on Lead Emergency (COLE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOLE is led by Shy McElroy, whose son was lead poisoned. COLE fights to replace toxic lead pipes and protect families from lead exposure. Wisconsin Conservation Voters features COLE's work and advocates alongside affected communities for clean water funding.
• Great Lakes Neighbors United (GLNU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLNU hosted a community forum in Port Washington on data center development featuring comedian Charlie Berens. The event addressed financial and environmental implications of proposed data center projects including the OpenAI facility.
• Citizens Utility BoardmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizens Utility Board representatives (Tom Content and Montre Moore) collaborate with Wisconsin Conservation Voters on data center accountability and utility rate issues. They provide expert analysis on rising energy costs and grid pressure from data center development.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Earthjustice: National nonprofit environmental law organization that litigates cases on clean energy, clean water, and conservation. Adjacent to WCV's mission but uses a legal advocacy model rather than electoral/legislative organizing.
• Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin: Wisconsin consumer advocacy organization that represents residential utility customers before the Public Service Commission. WCV partners with CUB on utility rate and data center issues, making it an adjacent peer with overlapping campaign work.

Direct peers

• Clean Wisconsin: Wisconsin's leading state-based environmental advocacy organization. Works on clean water, clean energy, and climate issues in Wisconsin using legislative, legal, and grassroots strategies. Closest direct geographic and mission peer to WCV.
• League of Conservation Voters: The national 501(c)(4) environmental political advocacy organization that WCV is affiliated with under the LCV state affiliate network. Operates the same electoral endorsement, voter mobilization, and legislative accountability model at a national scale, making it the closest direct peer.
• Wisconsin Wildlife Federation: Wisconsin-based conservation organization focused on wildlife habitat, hunting, fishing, and land conservation. State-level peer with overlapping member base and conservation mission, particularly on WCV's 'Land' priority area.
• Wisconsin Democracy Campaign: Wisconsin-based nonprofit that tracks money in state politics and advocates for campaign finance reform and government accountability. Direct peer for WCV's democracy and voting rights work, operating in the same state.
• Environment Wisconsin: State-level environmental advocacy organization focused on clean water, clean energy, and protecting Wisconsin's natural places. Operates a similar grassroots organizing, petition, and lobbying model in the same geography as WCV.

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club: One of the largest and oldest national environmental organizations with an active Wisconsin chapter. Operates broadly across conservation, climate, and outdoor recreation advocacy with substantially larger resources than WCV.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF): National environmental advocacy organization focused on climate, energy, and water using market-based and policy solutions. Larger, well-resourced, and operates at a national/international scale where WCV is state-focused.
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Major national environmental advocacy organization working on climate, clean energy, and water issues. Operates with a much larger budget and federal-level focus, making it a broad incumbent in the same advocacy space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WIConservation
• Facebookfacebook.com/conservationvoters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisconsin-conservation-voters

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 Wisconsin Conservation Voters