Case Study
Designing a nature-based program for a nonprofit
Program feasibility to navigate forest carbon markets informed and with integrity
Forests in the Pacific Northwest are hardworking landscapes. They store carbon, sustain communities, and anchor ecosystems that support biodiversity. This case study explores how a nonprofit at the intersection of business, community, and land management worked with Liz Johnston Consulting to explore whether forest carbon markets could become a funding source for local landowners and long-term stewardship.
Challenges
The client, a reputable environmental nonprofit with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, wanted a credible, practical pathway to use private capital to support forest restoration across Washington and Oregon. They had strong, trust-based relationships with local forest landowners and managers, and over 20 partners identified that were interested in creating place-based impact projects.
Carbon credits are a powerful market-based mechanism to finance forest restoration and sustainable management. However, they are complex and ever-changing. The client needed help navigating the unfamiliar terrain of the voluntary carbon market, identifying local and regional buyers, and building a strategic foundation for growing the program responsibly.
The client understood that entering carbon markets without adequate preparation could expose local landowners to complex contractual obligations or reputational risk. Getting it right meant protecting the landowners and partners who were counting on them.
Solutions
LJC took a multi-pronged approach to build the team’s internal capacity, validate market demand, and evaluate partners and methodologies that fit the program’s needs. Extensive discussions and refinement throughout kept the work aligned with the client’s values and realities.
Central to this engagement was creating a shared foundation of understanding. LJC developed a 25-page primer on the voluntary carbon market that gave the team a clear picture of how the market operates, who the key players are, examples of projects, and how it could be tailored for their program. From there, LJC reviewed over 100 companies in seven sectors to assess interest from aligned buyers, identifying 32 businesses for further engagement through a Puget Sound Buyer Market Research Report. A Carbon Opportunities Report rounded out the engagement, providing an overview of partner organizations, registries, and methodologies, along with a clear set of recommended next steps.
Together, this work gave the client what they needed to make informed, confident decisions about program feasibility and a responsible path forward.
Results
Shared Understanding
Equipped the client to evaluate options, ask the right questions, and make confident, defensible decisions about how and whether to move forward.
Validated Demand
Provided data to support a buyer engagement strategy focused on businesses that care about the Pacific Northwest and understand how carbon credits can support a healthy environment and strong communities.
Technical Clarity
Translated complexity into a set of curated recommendations which allowed the client to act without needing deep technical expertise.
With a clear picture of the market, a validated buyer pipeline, and a roadmap for next steps, the client was equipped to move forward.
“Liz Johnston Consulting helped our nascent program that seeks to pair ecological restoration with environmental markets develop foundational market understanding in a complex and ever-changing landscape. Liz is thoughtful, understanding, and has kept our needs at the forefront throughout our time working together. She brings an incredible depth of knowledge and strategic focus to our team, and our work would not have been possible without her. ”