The boards and members of WNCA, ECO and the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance on Thursday night enthusiastically approved the new bylaws, board of directors, and new name and logo for their merging nonprofits.
Effective at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2015, these three environmental organizations will legally become “MountainTrue” – a unified environmental organization working to build a larger community of advocates for the protection of Western North Carolina’s natural resources and quality of life.
“The name ‘MountainTrue’ is a values statement, an affirmation and a promise to the communities of Western North Carolina,” said Western North Carolina Alliance Co-Director Bob Wagner.
“To be ‘mountain true’ is to be committed to the values of stewardship and conservation of the forests, rivers and public lands of Western North Carolina,” Wagner said. “We’re very proud and excited to carry that mantle into the future as a united organization.”
The merger conversation arose last year when WNCA, founded in 1982, Environmental and Conservation Organization, founded in 1987, and J-MCA founded in 2000, went through leadership transitions and were on the cusp of new long-range planning.
Instead of continuing in separate silos, the organizations decided to explore a closer connection, which resulted in the agreement to merge.
Joining forces as a single organization will allow MountainTrue to:
* Have an increased local presence that allows for a stronger influence on policy at all levels of government;
* Have a broader geographic reach, encompassing 23 counties of Western North Carolina;
* Strengthen its grassroots engagement and involve a broader spectrum of the regional population.
MountainTrue will have offices in Asheville, Hendersonville, Boone and Franklin. Further details and specifics about the merged organizations will be released in early 2015.
I agree with Nate. MountainTrue….. a water brand, a band, a mountain ministry program?? This is why you don’t hire a graphic design firm to do your branding. In fact, the Alliance had a brand… the Alliance. It just needed honing… for instance; the WNC Environmental Alliance. Best of luck to them though.
Combining these organizations seems like a great idea, but I’m not so sure about the new name . . . the name and the logo strike me as nearly generic brand identity, and could apply to just about anything. WNC Alliance may not have been extremely descriptive, but you could at least tell that you were talking about some sort of nonprofit, activist organization. MountainTrue could be a brand of water, an ad agency, a band . . . just about anything.