Founded in 1998, the Ventana Wilderness Alliance (VWA) is a California nonprofit corporation with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. It is dedicated to protecting the wildlands of California's northern Santa Lucia mountain range. VWA is composed of people from all walks of life who share a love of Wilderness and a goal to ensure it remains wild in perpetuity.

When I first stepped into my role at VWA, I was asked by friends and colleagues from every corner of my life: “What does the VWA do?” I found myself facing a challenge: how to clearly and succinctly tell the story of our organization.

Humans are hardwired to gravitate toward stories. We find meaning, connection, and inspiration through narrative. And yet in my early days, I fell into a common trap: I shared lists of our activities and achievements instead of telling a compelling story. A list is not a story; it lacks the heartbeat, the arc, and the resonance that turns facts into something people care about. I decided to change that— and that’s where you all came to the rescue.