Project summary

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a decentralized, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Extinction Rebellion DC (XRDC) has been active since 2019, using art, striking visuals, and clear demands to disrupt the fossil fuel industry and political processes and move us toward a just, regenerative future. 

The fossil fuel industry and those most responsible for the ongoing mass extinction of species around the world are incredibly aligned and aggressive in their messaging. To break through the fossil fuel industry’s greenwashing and propaganda, the movement for a just transition to a regenerative world must be just as aligned on its messaging, using every available platform to reach the largest number of people.

Unfortunately, the climate justice movement and social justice movements more broadly often lack the capacity and the resources to collaborate, coordinate, and execute their communication strategy. Simultaneously, XRDC has seen firsthand how powerful a strong media and messaging strategy can be. Over two years ago, we launched our End Methane, Electrify DC campaign to stop DC’s corporate utility provider from building $12 billion worth of new methane gas pipelines in the city and to push the city to fulfill its climate goals. Throughout the campaign, we paid a part-time communications expert to develop our messaging and execute a consistent press strategy in coordination with coalition partners. This laid the foundation for strong direct actions that pushed decision makers to act. Earlier this summer, we had a major victory in our campaign that was made possible by our communications work.

Given this success, this project is seeking funding to continue our communications work in XRDC and the broader climate movement. In addition to our End Methane campaign, we are supporting the campaign to save the animals and trees in the biggest park in DC – and one of the largest city parks in the U.S. We are also beginning to build out our work to raise awareness of and create opportunities for direct democracy, in the form of Citizens Assemblies. This work, just like our End Methane campaign, will be done in collaboration with other groups across the city and country.

If funded, this project will also offer communications support to partner organizations to strengthen our messaging movement-wide. Partner organizations include Third Act DC, We Power DC, XR US, and the People vs Fossil Fuels coalition. We will provide media trainings, strategy advice, draft messaging materials, and resource sharing in order to fill critical capacity and resource gaps identified from our work and conversations with other organizations in the movement.

Messaging is the foundation of effective actions. It is the key method for telling the truth about the state of our world and for mobilizing people to back the regenerative future we deserve and know is possible. This project is about building the narrative power that will allow us and our descendants to inherit a thriving, regenerative world.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Through this project, we aim to:

1. Build strong messaging foundations for XRDC and partner organizations for campaigns that are aligned in strategy and vision.

2. Create at least five press opportunities (media interview, op-ed, LTE, etc) each month for XRDC and partner organizations.

3. Build and maintain connections with an additional 15-20 key journalists at the local DC and national U.S. levels.

4. Provide 3-4 media trainings for XRDC and partner organizations over the course of one year.

5. Create a consistent, creative presence on social media (X, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok) to spread our message with new audiences, posting daily on at least two platforms.

One of the key ways we aim to achieve the above goals is to hire a full-time communications consultant. This person, with the support of XRDC’s media and messaging team, will lead our communications projects and hold us accountable to reaching the above goals. Having someone dedicated to this work full time will allow us to engage the press, draft messaging materials, execute trainings, manage social media, and collaborate with partner organizations.

How will this funding be used?

This funding will primarily be used to hire a full-time communications consultant for one year. In addition to this person’s stipend, we will use the money to pay for XRDC’s website hosting, a Muck Rack subscription to manage press outreach, and social media ads.

Our minimum funding is $12,000, and our funding goal is $80,000.

With the minimum of $12,000, we could keep a communications consultant part-time for another 6 months, which would allow us to lead at least one media training, continue creating strong messaging for XRDC actions, and do biweekly press outreach about XRDC campaigns. 

With $10,000, we could pay for another year of Muck Rack subscription, allowing us to actually reach the 15-20 new journalists we aim to build relationships with.

Another $10,000 would allow us to cover administrative costs related to communications, including printing messaging materials, paying website domains, paying for email accounts, and covering the cost of shared organizational Google Drive workspace.

With $24,000, we could fund a communications consultant part-time for a full year, leading to at least two media trainings, strong messaging for XRDC campaigns, and at least one press opportunity a month.

With $60,000, we could fund a communications consultant full-time for a full year, allowing us the capacity to meet with partner organizations, create strong messaging for XRDC and partner organizations’ campaigns, provide 3-4 media trainings, create five monthly press opportunities, and build a consistent presence across social media platforms.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Our team:

• Abby Shepard – communications consultant, XRDC media & messaging and strategy & stewardship team member since 2022. Previously worked two years as a national political communications consultant for progressive causes in DC, working on issues ranging from climate justice, reproductive justice, affordable health care, and voting rights.

• Miles Amoore – XRDC media and messaging team member since 2019 where he has coordinated several media campaigns for the chapter, crafting comms strategy, drafting messaging, running social media accounts, and conducting press outreach. Co-manager of XRDC’s X account. Former foreign correspondent with The Times of London and The Economist. Former speechwriter, press officer and communications consultant for the United Nations Environment Program. Currently senior speechwriter at the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 

• Lu Pieto – XRDC media and messaging team member and internal coordinator. Bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University. Former Communications assistant to Georgetown’s Medieval Studies Program and reporter for DCTrending.

• Will Dickson – XRDC media & messaging team member and XRDC anchor circle representative; professional photographer and videographer covering climate activism in DC since 2019; his work has been used by many organizations including Scientist Rebellion, Climate Defiance, Third Act DC and Third Act National, XRDC, and XR Philly

• Stefanie Salazar – XRDC media and messaging team member and former outreach team member; core coordinator for XRDC’s Save Rock Creek Park campaign. Former community health researcher. Current senior project manager in a medical writing firm. 

• Juan Cuellar – XRDC Instagram manager and outreach team member and co-facilitator since 2024. As a former diplomat of Colombia, he promoted environmental conservation at the United Nations General Assembly from 2016 to 2021.

• Claire Hacker – XRDC action coordinator, strategy & stewardship team member, and press spokesperson; active with XRDC since 2020. Core organizer of XRDC’s End Methane, Electrify DC campaign. Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Cornell University. Environmental consultant with a private firm, including work on climate adaptation planning and natural resource damage assessment and restoration.

Our current communications person, Abby Shepard, has been working with us for two years on a part-time basis. Her work – and the campaign and coalition success this work drove – has demonstrated that their role is critical to achieving the goals outlined above. Abby has served as the key point of contact with the Stop Project Pipes coalition for our End Methane campaign, helping to build strong relationships between XRDC and other climate, housing, and interfaith groups in DC. They have also developed strong relationships with key reporters who have covered our campaign and organization, such as the Washington Post, Washington Informer, and local radio show Taking Action on WPFW. 

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

The most likely cause of this project’s failure is the inability to fund a full-time communications consultant. 

If we fail to fund this project, there will not be as much press and media coverage with our stories and messaging, and we may not develop as strong of a cohesive messaging front across XRDC and partner organizations. A huge gap will continue to exist in our and other organizations’ capacities to execute strong communications plans, including the goals listed above. 

If the project fails in terms of not meeting every single goal, we still would have the benefit of raising awareness of the importance of messaging and communications work in the advocacy space and building relationships with organizations we otherwise might not have worked with as closely. Plus, we would have built greater awareness of the issues themselves and built up the communications skills of organizers across the climate movement.

What other funding are you or your project getting?

We have a network of recurring grassroots donors that sustains our work. We are in the process of applying to other grants, and our work has previously been funded by the Climate Emergency Fund.