CAFA Turns 5 Years Old !!

I’m taking it as auspicious that today, on Chinese New Year - the Year of the Horse - Climate Action for Associations (CAFA) turns five. 

Five years ago, pre-pandemic, I was having conversations that felt really obvious to me. Obvious because the climate emergency was increasing, yet one of the powerful levers for change was barely part of the discussion: membership associations. 

I asked myself, why are most non state actors working with companies on decarbonisation, one at a time, when it's possible to work with governing bodies to guide, influence and support entire professions and sectors collectively?

I told myself, surely associations have capability and opportunity to shift entire industries and professions faster?  

I’ve worked in and for membership organisations for years. I know their strengths and have seen first-hand how trade associations, professional bodies and federations influence standards, shape policy, influence and guide entire industries and professions. From 2015 onwards b2b, my other company (who happens to be celebrating its 20th birthday this year!) was working on consulting projects for the Climate Group and the Carbon Trust, and membership organisations like the Institute of Workplace & Facilities Management (IWFM), to scope and deliver their sustainability programmes and initiatives. 

So, I could see the potential and the opportunity. 

I started to research. Associations wanted to act on climate. Many association leaders understood the scale of the risk and the responsibility. But they were not prioritising it. Most were unsure what to do, lacked the expertise and know-how, peer networks and, in some cases, the confidence to step into that leadership role. There was a gap between ambition and implementation. 

The answer was to set up the go-to place for knowledge, tools, solutions and peer community specifically for membership organisations to tap into to take climate action internally and most crucially with their members.

I planted the seed with many experts to set CAFA up, but had no takers. 

So with very little climate and sustainability experience, I jumped into the ring and on February 17 2021, established CAFA as the resource and network dedicated to net zero and sustainability for the membership sector.  

Talk about imposter syndrome. I launched CAFA as an international non-profit based out of the UK – yet I was building CAFA whilst locked down for 18 months in Fremantle, Australia. 

The early days were not glamorous. There was no large funding pot, no established model of working – but we knew what we were doing was urgent and essential.   For the first two and a half years, I self-funded CAFA while I grew the team and built foundations and income streams.  

If you’ve ever seen the movie ‘Speed’ with Keanu Reeves and Sandra B – that’s how CAFA felt and most days, to be honest, still does. We were on the bus, its moving super fast, there is a bomb about to go off, but there is no way we can get off the bus, even if we wanted to.

CAFA was never a short-term fling for me, but a global mission to shift entire systems via working with associations.

Looking back, the fact that we leaned in, simply set up —survived — grown and increasing our impact feels really significant. 

Today, CAFA has grown from a handful of believers and trailblazers (CAFA’s first handful of members were ACEVO, Food Equipment Association, INCA, CRA, BDA, CIPP, BIRA, BPMA – thank you) into a network representing over 400 associations, with collective memberships of around 545,000 organisations and just under 6 million professionals.

We’ve built a stellar, values-driven, tight knit team. We’ve formed cool and very strong global partnerships with really inspirational NGO’s. And most importantly, we’ve seen momentum building across sectors. 

Notable highlights from the last 5 years include; working with BSI and being an ISO net zero guidelines case study, partnering with SBTi, being an accelerator for the UN High Level Champions Race to Zero, gaining official observer status at COP’s, attending COPs!, selected for the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership Accelerator Programme, developing our suite of resources, speaking on behalf of the membership sector at key climate week events, establishing the best practice framework for membership organisations – raising accountability for the entire sector. We’ve launched products and training and can genuinely see the positive impact we are having every day.  

Over the past five years, we’ve seen tangible evidence of progress. We’ve been working with associations to embed decarbonisation pathways into sector strategies. I applaud the first few early adopters of our programme Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) and the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors who are now in their 4th years of reporting and reduction and with contributions to policy and advocacy that are more science-aligned and constructive. We developed our Certified programme for associations and their organisational members, and have now also launched a Responsible Policy Engagement (RPE) workstream to ensure climate advocacy by associations is aligned and supports credible transition pathways rather than undermining them. 

We are focused on sector-based approaches. Associations are increasingly looking beyond their own organisational footprints towards cross-supply-chain collaboration and systemic change. More eyes are on us than ever — which increases our own responsibility and the work we are focused on for the next 5 years… 

So what does the next chapter look like?

In 2026 and beyond, CAFA’s focus is on influence, impact and implementation. It has to be.  

Our impact is directly correlated to scale. The more associations we support, the more sectors we can help align. That is why growth matters — our work and the work of the membership organisations we represent is a multiplier of climate action. 

Our priorities include: 

• Responsible Policy Engagement (RPE) — strengthening the role associations play in climate policy discussions and ensuring advocacy aligns with credible climate science. 

• Sectoral and systems-based programmes — developing multiple parallel programmes of work tailored to different industries, while convening associations to share knowledge and join up capabilities across supply chains. 

• Training and skills development — increasing the technical capacity of membership organisations and their smaller company members. 

• Enhanced technical support — deeper guidance for associations navigating complex transition challenges. 

• Income diversification and a clear funder strategy — because as a non-profit with free membership, sustainable funding is what enables us to scale responsibly, invest in technology, and grow our amazing team. 

• International expansion – with presence in Australasia, UK&I and Europe our ambition has no borders – we are launching CAFA America next week!!! Eeek. (Plug: Register here to join our free online CAFA America launch event)

• Partnerships - this isn't a one horse race, partnerships, alliances and collaboration is key to delivering our mission at scale. We have a solid set of non-state actor partners including Oxford Net Zero, We Mean Business Coalition, InfluenceMap and Trade Association Forum to name a few and will continue to develop new partners in our new jurisdictions. We will continue our participation in standard setting and RPE working groups.

  
  

Opening our membership up for free in 2025 was a deliberate decision to remove barriers to participation in CAFA. But doing this also sharpened our focus on building a funding model that matches our ambition. If we are serious about systemic change, we must be serious about our own sustainability - financial, environmental and social.

Running a business is hard. Running two is harder. Running a mission driven non-profit, that is running against the clock beats everything. Five years in, I feel proud - but I'm not comfortable.

The scale of the challenge ahead is immense the pace we need to move is unfathomable, but the amazing team at CAFA are up for the challenge – because what CAFA offers is truly unique.  

The next few years will determine how far and how fast industries can transform.

One thing I am certain of: membership associations hold a crucial key to climate progress and CAFA exists to help.  

Alison Heppenstall, Founder CEO Climate Action for Associations (CAFA)