American outdoor retailer REI has launched a civic engagement platform and public charity to support community-led efforts for outdoor equity and climate resilience.

With its more than 20 million members, the American outdoor retail cooperative REI has long combined its commercial mission with environmental and social goals. In 2021, it introduced two new initiatives to expand its impact: the Cooperative Action Network and the Cooperative Action Fund.

“REI launched the Cooperative Action Network to deepen member engagement in the co-op’s impact agenda,” shares Alicia Harvie, Sr. Manager Community & Government Affairs at REI.

She continues to explain that the Cooperative Action Network serves as REI’s civic engagement platform. Hosted at the retailer’s website, it enables members to participate in advocacy campaigns aligned with the co-op’s core priorities.

“The Cooperative Action Network works to advance REI’s advocacy priorities: protecting public lands, advancing climate solutions, and expanding equitable access to nature,” says Harvie.

Visitors to the site can sign up for alerts, send messages to policymakers, and support national and local campaigns.

Policy advocacy and grassroots funding

The Cooperative Action Fund, meanwhile, was established as a public charity to channel financial support toward community organizations working to make outdoor access more inclusive. The fund is designed to support long-term, community-led change. It is also meant to complement the work of the Cooperative Action Network by awarding grants to nonprofit partners through three focus areas: creating space outside, connecting people outside, and centering health outside.

Grantees are identified through recommendations from REI staff, the public, community advisors, and other funders, with final decisions made by the Fund’s Program Officers and approved by its Board of Directors.

Mobilizing the membership

To boost engagement, REI members are introduced to these initiatives through a range of touchpoints – email campaigns, social media, in-store signage, and point-of-sale prompts. While members don’t vote directly on advocacy campaigns or grant recipients, their actions, donations, and feedback help direct REI’s impact agenda.

“Campaigns are shaped by input from community partners, policy experts, and REI’s internal impact teams,” Harvie explains.

Since the Cooperative Action Network launched, more than 600,000 individuals have taken part, resulting in over 2.5 million messages sent to lawmakers. These efforts have supported the conservation of 250 million acres of public land, the securing of $26.7 billion in funding for state and local outdoor initiatives, and the passage of the Explore Act, which expands nationwide access to public lands and outdoor recreation.

At the same time, the Cooperative Action Fund has collected over 4 million donations and distributed approximately $36 million in grants to more than 500 nonprofit organizations. These include groups working at the intersection of equity, health, and nature, many of them operating at the local level.

Momentum rooted in shared values

Judging by increasing participation levels, Harvie is confident that REI members are showing no signs of slowing down.

“Engagement has been strong and continues to grow,” she says.

“The power of our community is palpable. Their continued enthusiasm signals a deep and sustained commitment to shaping a more accessible and climate-resilient outdoor future.”

REI supports the National Forest Foundation’s work to restore forests. (Credit: REI / Engel)

Lead Image: GettyImages