The Problem

Mothers Out Front—a national organization that was started with climate change in mind, and evolved to advocate for climate justice—partnered with us to align their communications and development strategies with their new strategic focus. They had to reintroduce themselves to the world, educate their existing membership, understand how to change their orientation on policies they traditionally advocated for, and bring in new, more diverse members who could strengthen and refresh the organization. While the organization already reached climate and environmental-focused groups, they needed to get out of their echo chamber, while simultaneously tapping into a broader funder ecosystem—all in service of making their vision of a just and equitable climate a reality.

The Strategy

We worked in tandem with a strategic planning consultant, challenging assumptions internally within the team and bringing everyone to a shared understanding of what climate justice means, with shared language and shared definitions. We engaged in messaging and audience mapping sessions to further hone the narrative. With planning in place, our team was on-hand for implementation, strategically pitching reporters and news outlets that 1) would showcase MOF’s transition to a climate justice organization in a positive light, and 2) funders would read. We identified the most evocative experiences from MOF’s organizers that demonstrated the group’s impact and told a clear story of why this work is both important and timely, and pitched those as a package to targeted media outlets.

The Results

New Heights kept the trains running even as we went through the strategic planning process, making sure Mothers Out Front had a voice in all things climate—from conversations about gas stove in Massachusetts to work on cleaner air in Colorado, as well as larger conversations about the role of parents in the fight for a cleaner climate. 

We also went deeper on thought leadership. We helped Mothers Out Front founder, Kelsey Wirth, prepare for a talk on the TEDx stage about the organizational shift. And we pitched and worked with Nonprofit Quarterly to publish Climate Justice Organizing for Belonging, a five-part series produced in partnership with Mothers Out Front on what successful organizing looks like for the most impacted when they have the resources to fully support them. Each piece—four op-eds and a Q+A with a staff member—was from the perspective of a frontline organizer championing climate solutions in their community, and was ghostwritten by our team after careful conversations with the authors. The series painted a clear picture of what is possible in towns across the country—from Pueblo, Colorado, to Fairfax, Virginia—when we fund local climate organizers who intimately understand problem-solving in their own communities. The organization then used the series as a key part of its fundraising strategy and subsequent funder outreach efforts.