Strategic Plan

E hoʻomakua ka lāʻau

Dashboard

The plant has become a tree…

With nearly 17 years of experience behind us, Kupu has grown in many ways. In the listening sessions that anchored our strategic planning process, we were reminded by alumni, staff and partners that we “are not a scrappy startup anymore.” As the ʻōlelo noʻeau above implies, Kupu has become an established force in conservation and other aspects of sustainability. Our strategic plan accepts this progression and sets goals for our next phase of life. In embracing the benefits of our growth, we also accept greater responsibility. ​

The following three areas, each anchored by another ʻōlelo noʻeau rooted in an understanding of the natural world, describe we seek to grow and deepen our roots in the next five years:

A thriving, resilient Pacific where all communities restore and are restored by the environment.​


  • 1. Economic wellbeing of sustainability sectors

    2. Number, pay and quality of early-career sustainability-focused jobs and pre-career experiences​

    3. Climate change adaptation and mitigation​

    4.. Reduction of biodiversity loss​

  • 5. For all of these groups, we will expand our role as storyteller and advocate for community resources

    6. For sustainability organizations and those who lead them (various ages), we will help them build their capacity, by providing resources and hands-on support that produces greater collective impact​

    7. For early career sustainability professionals (often 18 to 38), we will provide compensated - pay, benefits, education, experience, or all of the above - pathways to careers that enable reciprocal wellbeing between people and the environment​

    8. For youth seeking purpose (often those 18 or under), we will provide hands-on service and drive systems change, to place youth in circumstances that uplift their potential within and outside of traditional education systems, by connecting them with ʻāina or preparing them for sustainability careers​

  • 9.. Diverse, stable, and growing sources of funding for our programs​

    10. Prioritizing a work culture, overall compensation and organizational infrastructure and that makes Kupu an employer of choice in our fields​