Campaigns Built to Win & Designed to Last
Overview
Conservation campaigns are harder than ever. The political landscape has shifted, the media environment has changed, and the approaches that once worked are no longer enough. At the same time, the need to protect public lands and wildlife, private and working lands, and water has never been more urgent.
The Conservation Advocacy Institute is a new kind of program – an immersive, week-long experience for senior-level conservation practitioners who are ready to examine what it takes now to build policy campaigns that win and last. The Institute is not a typical conference – it is a rigorous, hands-on week of work alongside peers from across the conservation movement.
The program is designed around simple but essential elements of a successful campaign: bipartisan support and durability. Conservation campaigns can be designed to win and last and the Institute is built to show teams how.
The inaugural cohort of the Conservation Advocacy Institute is now forming.
About the Program
The Conservation Advocacy Institute brings together teams of three from national, regional, and state conservation organizations – a senior leader, a campaigns lead, and a communications lead – for one week of intensive in-person programming.
Together, participants will:
Examine what has changed in the political and media landscape and what it demands of conservation campaigns today
Work through a shared curriculum grounded in what makes policy campaigns win and last – from strategy and coalition design to communications, organization, and implementation
Apply what they learn to their own active advocacy campaigns with expert facilitation and peer feedback
Leave as part of a lasting community of conservation campaigners committed to each other’s work
The program is explicitly designed to work for conservationists regardless of political background. The cohort spans the full range of conservation – from sportsmen and hunting and fishing organizations to land trusts and environmental advocacy organizations. The curriculum, the facilitation, and the people in the room reflect that.
When & Where
The inaugural Conservation Advocacy Institute will take place in
May 2027 | Asheville, NC
Participants must commit to in-person attendance. Monday evening through Friday midday.
Programming includes three full days of sessions by speakers who have run campaigns, navigated real negotiations, and designed policy that has held across administrations.
Sessions will be supported by facilitators who connect the curriculum and guide participants through hands-on application.
Recreational opportunities will be included during the week and evenings will be unstructured, leaving time to build relationships with peers that will outlast the week.
What You’ll Leave With
A campaign plan, stress-tested and ready to use:
Every team works on a real, active campaign throughout the week, applying frameworks, getting peer feedback, and refining their approach with expert facilitation. You leave with a concrete plan, not just ideas.
A peer network built for the long game:
The inaugural cohort is deliberately designed to span the full range of conservation: issue areas, geographies, and political contexts. These aren’t just networking connections. These are the peers you call when you want to troubleshoot your campaign and build future coalitions.
A continued relationship with USNI:
Participation doesn’t end on Friday. Teams join an ongoing cohort community with regular check-ins, follow-on training opportunities, and continued support from USNI as they implement what they've learned.
Shared frameworks and practical tools:
From campaign planning and coalition design to communications and negotiation, participants leave with a common language, ready-to-use tools, and a playbook they can bring back to their organization and put to work immediately.
A multiplier effect that outlasts the week
Because teams attend together — a senior leader, campaigns lead, and communications lead — the learning lands across the organization, not just with one person. Participating organizations commit to applying what they learn to their own strategies, operations, and culture when they return.
How it Works
Before the program
Organizations selected for the inaugural cohort sign a partnership agreement committing to send the right team, cover participant travel, and integrate what they learn into how their organization operates when they return. Selected participants receive pre-program materials and prepare ahead of attendance.
After the program
Participating organizations also commit to applying lessons learned from the Institute to their own organizational strategies, operations, and culture. They also commit to delivering internal trainings after the program, multiplying the impact beyond those who attended.
USNI provides resources, materials, and potential follow-on funding to support this. Participants join an ongoing cohort community with access to a peer network of conservation campaigners and a continuing relationship with USNI.
Nominate an Organization or Express Interest
Do you know an organization that should be in the room?
We are actively building the inaugural cohort and want to hear from funders, partners, and peers across the conservation field. Whether you want to nominate an organization or bring your own team, we want to hear from you.
Nominations are particularly valuable for organizations working in states and regions where conservation campaigns have the greatest near-term opportunity to produce durable outcomes.
